Category: Software

One of the first things that I disable on Windows 11 PCs is the integrated web search. Microsoft merged local and web search in Windows some years ago mostly for its own benefit.

Web search results generate clicks and revenue for Microsoft. For users, they serve little purpose. Often, they tend to get in the way.

In best case, search returns a matching result that the user can click on. The same can be achieved in any web browser with the added benefit of having extensions and access to numerous search engines.

Microsoft may split local and web search

It seems that Microsoft could soon split the two searches in Windows 11.

The feature appears to be in testing right now in development builds. With it activated, Windows moves web-based searches into a separate tab in the search interface.

This works similarly to how Windows Search separates different types of search data already. You can switch to content-specific tabs, such as Apps or Documents, to get them returned only.

The change is helpful, as it moves web-based results out of the way and restores the focus on local results.

Deskmodder has tested the feature and published several screenshots of how it looks like.

It should help users who do not know how to modify the settings to disable web search, if it bothers them. Experienced users may still want to turn off web search, provided that they have no use for it.

In case you want to give it a try, do the following:

• Download and unpack the latest version of ViVeTool in a development build of Windows 11.
• Run the command from an elevated Terminal prompt: .\vivetool /enable /id:54865932
• Restart the PC.

Note that you need to run it from the ViVeTool directory. Bing Search / App need to be enabled for the change to become visible on the system.

Do you use Windows Search to search the web? Or do you ignore or disable the feature?

Microsoft introduced the new dedicated Copilot-key for Windows keyboards less than a year ago. Now, the company suggests to remap the key to another function, but only on managed PCs.

Here is a quick refresher: Microsoft announced the Copilot key in January to “kick off the year of AI-powered Windows PCs”. The company even went so far to say that it might have the same impact as the introduction of the Windows key 30 years ago.

A tap on the key opens Copilot. Microsoft did add options to remap the key in Windows 11.

A new blog post on Microsoft’s Windows IT Pro Blog suggests that organizations remap the Copilot key for their users. Instead of launching Copilot, Microsoft suggests to launch the Microsoft 365 app instead, as it gives easier access “to Copilot experiences designed for work and education”.

New PCs and newly provisioned PCs will enable the new mapping of the key automatically. When a user presses the key, Copilot within the Microsoft 365 app opens.

The behavior is different for existing PCs. Microsoft says that the original mapping remains on these devices. In other words, it will open the Copilot app when pressed. This is the default for users who sign in with a Microsoft account. Users who sign in with an Entra account will be redirected to the Microsoft Copilot experience on the web instead.

Microsoft recommends that Enterprise customers configure policies to remap the Copilot key to launch the Microsoft 365 app. The app is preinstalled on all Windows 11 PCs according to Microsoft.

Microsoft even recommends uninstalling the Copilot app to “avoid confusion for employees”.

Closing Words

How useful is the Copilot key? Compared to the Windows-key, it offers little use. Press it and Copilot opens. You can achieve the same with a click on the Copilot icon.

Now, Microsoft is already suggesting to the Enterprise to remap it. It is doubtful that the Copilot key will be a smash hit going forward, unless Microsoft starts to add more features to it.

Now it is your turn. Copilot key yay or nay? Is it useful, at least for users who use Copilot regularly on Windows? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Remember suggested actions? Microsoft introduced the feature in mid-2022 in Insider builds of Windows 11 and rolled it out to stable systems later on.

The core idea behind the feature was simple: highlight certain text in Windows and the operating system suggests actions based on the highlighted string. Highlight a phone number and you get a call option. Select date or time, and you get an option to add an event to a calendar.

That is all there was to it and Microsoft did not improve the feature since its introduction. Microsoft never added support for additional types of data. No email or physical addresses to write to or look up, no chat names, or anything else that might come to mind.

Suggested actions are out

Today, Microsoft added suggested actions to the list of deprecated features. The company writes:

Suggested actions that appear when you copy a phone number or future date in Windows 11 are deprecated and will be removed in a future Windows 11 update.

Deprecated features remain in Windows for the time being but will be removed eventually. Features that are put on the list do not receive major updates anymore and it is very rare for a feature to be taken off the list.

In other words: expect suggested actions to be removed in a future update for Windows 11.

Is it a big loss? I disabled the feature on all systems and do not know anyone who found it useful. Yes, chance is that some users found it useful.

Considering that it saves you a few clicks at most, provided that the programs that you use to call or plan events are supported, it is probably a minority of users that will miss it.

Tip: you can check out this guide on Ghacks to find out how to turn off suggested actions in Windows.

Closing Words

When Microsoft announced suggested actions, I did not really see a big use case for it. Phone names and date / time strings support limited it from the get-go and it saved users just a few clicks in the best case. Usage must have been low, as Microsoft never improved the original feature.

Now it is your turn. Did you use suggested actions? Or did you disable it or never even realize that it was there in first place?