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Sometimes—but not every Windows 11 Search query is sent to Microsoft. Searches for apps, settings, and files on your device can be handled locally, and Windows stores device search history locally. Web results and web suggestions are powered by Bing, while optional cloud content search can include material from connected personal or work accounts. Which information is involved depends on the search path and your settings.
What Windows Search searches—and where the request goes
Windows Search is not a single search route. It can look across content on your device, connected cloud accounts, and the web. Those sources have different privacy implications and different history controls. Microsoft describes these capabilities in its Windows Search and Privacy guidance.
That distinction matters when asking whether Windows 11 sends “your searches” to Microsoft. A query that finds an installed app or a setting is not automatically the same thing as a web search, and neither is the same thing as a search across a connected Microsoft or organizational account. The support information describes the available sources and histories, but it does not give a percentage for how many total Windows Search queries are transmitted.
| Search path | What it can return | What happens to the search or history |
|---|---|---|
| Device search | Apps, settings, and files on the PC | Microsoft says device search history is stored locally. It also says semantic-indexing data is stored locally on the PC, or in local Cloud PC storage on AI-enabled Windows 365 devices, is not stored by Microsoft, and is not used to train AI models. |
| Web search and suggestions | Web results or suggested searches in Windows Search | These are powered by Bing. Bing’s documentation says it collects submitted search terms and other information, including IP address and location, cookie identifiers, search date and time, and browser configuration. |
| Personal cloud content | Items from a connected personal Microsoft account, including OneDrive, Outlook, and other Microsoft services | These results are available when Microsoft-account Cloud content search is enabled. This does not establish that all content is uploaded as a consequence of searching locally on the device. |
| Work or school cloud content | Content such as OneDrive for Business, Outlook, SharePoint, and other Microsoft Search services | These results can appear when work or school Cloud content search is enabled. An organization may manage the setting. |
Device searches and local history
When Search finds something on the PC—such as an app, a setting, or a local file—Microsoft says the device search history is stored locally to help Windows find things faster. Its Windows Search and Privacy page puts it this way: “Windows Search saves your search history locally on your device to help you find things faster.” That is a statement about device search history, not a claim that every other Search feature is local.
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Microsoft also describes semantic-indexing data as remaining on the device. On an AI-enabled Windows 365 device, the stated location is local Cloud PC storage. Microsoft says this data is not stored by Microsoft and is not used to train AI models. Keep this detail separate from Bing: semantic indexing and Bing-powered web search are different paths, with different data handling.
Web searches and suggestions
If Windows Search displays web results or web search suggestions, Bing powers them. Bing’s documentation says it collects the search terms submitted and other information, including IP address and location, cookie identifiers, the date and time of the search, and browser configuration. This is why a web search is materially different from finding a local app or file: the web result relies on Bing rather than only the device’s local search capability.
This does not mean that every query typed into the Windows Search box is sent as a Bing query. Microsoft’s documentation does not establish a universal transmission rate or say that every keystroke is transmitted. It supports a narrower conclusion: web searches and suggestions are Bing-powered, while device search history is stored locally.
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Personal and organizational cloud content
Cloud content search is another distinct path. If the Microsoft-account option is enabled, Search can surface items from a connected personal account, including OneDrive, Outlook, and other Microsoft services. If the work or school option is enabled, results can include OneDrive for Business, Outlook, SharePoint, and other Microsoft Search services. These features make account content searchable from Windows, but the documentation does not say that all such material is uploaded merely because you perform a local device search.
Personal-account and work-or-school search are separate options. That distinction is useful if, for example, you want Windows to search your personal OneDrive but not your organization’s SharePoint content, or the reverse. On an employer- or school-managed device, the organization may control some options, so a setting may be unavailable or may not be yours to change.
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Microsoft does not publish a percentage showing what share of all Windows Search queries are transmitted. So it is not accurate to say that every keystroke or every local-file search is sent to Microsoft. It is equally inaccurate to assume that web searches or connected cloud searches are purely local.
How to review Windows 11 Search privacy settings
Use the Search permissions page to review the settings that affect what Windows Search can include and to clear the device’s local search history. This page is the relevant starting point for local Search controls; it is not a single master switch for every Bing or account-history setting.
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- Open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions.
- Review SafeSearch, which controls filtering for web results. It is a content-filtering control, not the same as clearing your search history.
- Under Cloud content search, review the separate options for Microsoft account and work or school account search. Turn off the category you do not want Windows Search to include.
- Use the page’s Clear device search history control to remove the locally stored device search history.
- To review connected accounts from the Search panel, open its Options and check the connected accounts list.
Think of these as controls for different parts of Search. SafeSearch affects filtering for web results; Cloud content search determines whether connected personal or organizational content can appear; and Clear device search history clears locally stored device history. Changing one does not perform the jobs of the others.
If your goal is to avoid Bing-powered results, the cited Windows settings guidance identifies SafeSearch and cloud-content options, but does not provide a general Windows 11 switch that disables web search entirely. Do not confuse SafeSearch with disabling web search: it changes filtering, not the identity of the service powering web results. For settings that are missing or disabled, Microsoft notes that an organization may manage the device.
Settings can be unavailable or controlled by your employer or school on managed devices. Microsoft’s Windows Search privacy guidance applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11 in some areas; the path above is the Windows 11 path.
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How to manage Bing search history separately
Clearing device search history does not by itself clear Bing history associated with a Microsoft account. Microsoft provides account-level search-history controls through its Privacy dashboard and separate Bing search-history instructions. In practical terms, there are at least two histories to think about: the device’s local Search history and the Bing history associated with an account.
- Sign in to the Microsoft account whose Bing history you want to manage, then open the Microsoft Privacy dashboard.
- Open the search-history controls and review the history associated with that account.
- Delete existing entries or use the available clear-history control to remove them.
- If you want to stop new searches from being added, use Bing’s Show new searches here search-history toggle. Turning it off does not delete entries already saved; clear existing history separately.
Microsoft’s wording is explicit: “When search history is off, nothing new is added to your search history. Your existing history isn’t deleted.” In other words, switching off the option prevents new entries from being added, but it is not a retroactive eraser. If your aim is both to stop future additions and remove previous entries, use the relevant toggle and clear the existing history separately.
History created while you are not signed in to a Microsoft account does not appear in that account’s dashboard. So an empty account dashboard does not establish that no searches were made; it means that this dashboard does not show history made while signed out. Microsoft also cautions that some copies may remain in backup systems for a limited time after clearing. See its instructions for turning search history off or on.
What Microsoft says about Bing search-data retention
Microsoft’s current description of Bing search-history storage distinguishes personalized identifiable data from authenticated-user data. These are Microsoft’s stated practices, not a guarantee that the policy will remain unchanged:
- After 18 months: Microsoft says it no longer uses cookies and other identifiers that could link personalized search data to a specific account or device.
- Up to five years: Microsoft says it may retain authenticated-user data to help improve products and services after removing sensitive information and applying privacy safeguards.
These two time periods describe different parts of Microsoft’s account of retention; they should not be simplified into a claim that all search data is deleted after 18 months, or that all data is kept for five years. The support page says users can delete search data, and Microsoft cautions that backup copies may remain for a limited time after clearing. Because retention wording and policies can change, check Microsoft’s current explanation rather than treating these figures as an immutable guarantee.
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For the complete, potentially changing explanation, see How Microsoft stores and maintains your search history.
Do not confuse Search history with diagnostics or app-launch tracking
Windows has nearby privacy controls that serve different purposes. Changing them is not a substitute for clearing local Search history or managing Bing history. The setting name alone can be misleading: a control that concerns Windows data collection or personalization is not necessarily a control for queries submitted to Bing.
Diagnostics & feedback
Open Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback to review diagnostic-data controls. Microsoft says deleting device diagnostic data does not stop diagnostic data from being sent to Microsoft and does not delete data associated with your Microsoft account. This is not the Search history control. Use the Search permissions page for locally stored device history and the Privacy dashboard or Bing controls for account-associated Bing history. See Microsoft’s Diagnostics, feedback, and privacy in Windows guidance.
Recommendations & offers
Under Settings > Privacy & security > Recommendations & offers, Windows 11 has an option to let Windows track app launches to improve Start and search results. This concerns app-launch personalization; it is not the Bing search-history setting. Turning this option on or off should not be mistaken for clearing search history or changing what appears in the Microsoft-account history dashboard. Microsoft documents it in Privacy settings for Recommendations & offers in Windows 11.
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- Want local searches to stay on the device? Device history is stored locally according to Microsoft. Review Cloud content search and avoid launching web searches or suggestions when you do not want Bing-powered results. The documentation does not support a claim that every local search is transmitted.
- Do not want personal or organizational cloud results in Search? Turn off the corresponding Microsoft-account or work/school option under Cloud content search. If your organization manages the device, ask its administrator about controlled settings.
- Want to remove local Search history? Use Clear device search history on the Search permissions page. That action addresses local device history, not the separate account-level Bing history.
- Want to remove Bing history or stop adding new entries? Use the Microsoft Privacy dashboard or Bing history controls. Turning off Show new searches here stops new entries but leaves existing history in place, so clear existing history separately if you want it removed.
- Want to check whether an account is connected? Review the connected accounts list under the Search panel’s Options, then decide separately whether personal or work/school cloud content search should be enabled.
The key distinction is the search path: local device searches, Bing-powered web searches, and connected cloud-account searches do not share one universal history setting. Choose the control that matches the data and history you want to manage. Also keep diagnostics and app-launch personalization in their own categories; neither is a substitute for the Search permissions or Bing history controls.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Windows 11 send local searches for apps, files, or settings to Microsoft?
Microsoft says Windows Search stores device search history locally, and says semantic-indexing data is stored locally and is not stored by Microsoft or used to train AI models. Web searches and suggestions are a different path: those are powered by Bing. Microsoft’s documentation does not quantify what share of all queries are transmitted, so it does not support saying that every local search is sent.
How do I turn off web search in Windows 11?
The cited Search permissions guidance lets you review SafeSearch and cloud content search, but SafeSearch filters web results rather than disabling Bing-powered search. The cited Search permissions guidance does not identify a general Windows 11 switch for disabling web search entirely. You can turn off personal or work/school Cloud content search separately if you do not want those account results included.
How do I clear Windows 11 Search history?
For locally stored device history, go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions and select Clear device search history. For Bing history associated with a Microsoft account, use the search-history controls in the Microsoft Privacy dashboard or Bing. They are separate actions.
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No. Microsoft says turning off the “Show new searches here” history option stops new searches from being added, but does not delete existing history. Clear existing history separately. Microsoft also says some copies may remain in backup systems for a limited time after clearing.
Does deleting diagnostic data clear Search history?
No. Microsoft says deleting device diagnostic data does not stop diagnostic data from being sent and does not delete data associated with a Microsoft account. Use Search permissions for local device Search history and the Privacy dashboard or Bing controls for account-associated Bing history.
Can I see searches made while I was signed out of my Microsoft account in the Privacy dashboard?
Microsoft says history made while you are not signed in to a Microsoft account does not appear in that account’s dashboard. The dashboard is therefore not a complete record of signed-out searches.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Windows 11 Search does not have one universal privacy path. Microsoft says device search history is local, while web results and suggestions are powered by Bing and can involve Bing’s collection of search terms and related information. Optional personal and work/school cloud search can surface connected account content. Use Search permissions to review cloud options and clear device history; use the Privacy dashboard or Bing history controls for account-associated web history. Keep diagnostics and app-launch tracking separate from those controls.
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