How to Disable Bing in the Windows 10 Start Menu

How to Disable Bing in the Start Menu in Windows 10’s May 2020 Update

Starting with Windows 10’s May 2020 Update, there’s a new registry setting that controls this option.  You must edit the Windows registry to disable web searches in the Start menu.

Here’s our standard warning: The Registry Editor is a powerful tool and making the wrong change can make your system unstable or even inoperable. This is a straightforward change and, if you follow the instructions, you should be fine. But if you’ve never used it before, consider reading about how to use the Registry Editor. We always recommend backing up your Registry (and your computer) before making changes.

To start, open the Registry Editor by clicking Start and typing “regedit”. Double-click the “Registry Editor” shortcut that appears (or press Enter) and click “Yes” to the UAC prompt.

Navigate to the following key using the left pane. You can also copy-paste the following address into the Registry Editor’s address bar and press Enter:

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

Create a new DWORD value by right-clicking inside the empty space in the right pane and pointing to New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Name the value “DisableSearchBoxSuggestions”. Double-click it and set its value data to “1”.

You must restart your computer, log out and log back in again, or at least restart Windows Explorer for your change to take effect.

How to Disable Bing Integration in the Start Menu, the Old Way

Note: These instructions apply to older versions of Windows 10, including the November 2019 Update, the May 2019 Update, and the October 2018 Update.

To start, open the Registry Editor by opening the Start menu, typing “regedit”, and pressing Enter. In the Registry Editor, use the left sidebar to navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

Right-click the Search icon and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value BingSearchEnabled.

Double-click the new BingSearchEnabled value to open its properties dialog. The number in the “Value data” box should already be 0 just ensure it’s still 0. Click OK to continue.

Below BingSearchEnabled, you should see  CortanaConsent. Double-click this value to open its properties dialog. Change its “Value Data” box to “0”.

If you don’t see CortanaConsent, create it by following the same steps you used to create BingSearchEnabled.