Windows Search is an integral part of the Windows operating system. Its main purpose is to help users find files and folders on the system.
Some time ago, Microsoft decided to introduce Internet search functionality to the search in Windows. Search suddenly returned local files and Internet resources. To make matters worse, Microsoft made it difficult to turn off the Internet part of search.
The Windows 11 Insider Experimental Preview Build 26300.8493 changes this, according to Microsoft:
We’ve started making changes to make Windows Search Box more relevant, starting with making it easier to find your files and apps:
Files and apps more reliably appear ahead of web suggestions when your content is a stronger match
What does it mean? Initial tests show that local results are prioritized in certain cases. When? When Windows Search computes that the local files are a stronger match.
This does not mean that Internet-based search is gone. Far from it. Microsoft adjusted the search parameters in favor of local files, but that is about it.
While that is certainly welcome for millions of users who do not know how to turn off Internet search results in Windows, as the focus shifts to local files again, critics might argue, that this is not enough, as there is still no option to turn off Internet search easily.