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Windows 11 does not document a switch that removes only Microsoft Store app suggestions from Windows Search while leaving the rest of Search working. The controls Microsoft does document affect app launch personalization, web results, search highlights, the Search interface itself, or access to the Store app. Each reaches further than Store suggestions, so the choice is between a partial change that may not remove the entries you are seeing and a broader change that costs you Search features. This guide explains what each control does, how to change it, and what each one takes away.
Why Store suggestions appear in Windows Search
Readers usually describe the problem in plain terms. One Microsoft Q&A user asked, “How to disable app store suggestions encroaching on my Windows Search bar?” and another put it as “How do I remove Microsoft Store suggestions from my Windows search?” The community thread that carries the first question reports the same kind of Store app recommendations and lists proposed workarounds. Those workarounds are community suggestions, not Microsoft guidance, and none of them is documented as a supported way to remove Store results. Treat the thread as evidence that the problem is common, not as a confirmed fix: Microsoft Q&A: How to disable app store suggestions encroaching on my Windows Search bar?
What Microsoft documents, control by control
Windows separates these behaviors into different settings. The table shows what each one is documented to affect. The Store column answers one question only: whether Microsoft describes the control as acting on Store app suggestions.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches | Settings > Privacy & security > Recommendations & offers | Personalization of Start and device search based on apps you launch | No. Described as personalization | Not stated in the Microsoft Support source |
| Show me suggested content in the Settings app | Settings > Privacy & security > Recommendations & offers | Suggested content inside the Settings app | No. Targets Settings content, not Start or Search | Not stated in the Microsoft Support source |
| Allow search highlights (AllowSearchHighlights) | Search Policy CSP | Search highlights in Search home and the Windows 11 Start search box | No | Pro, Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise; Windows 11 22H2 and later, plus a specified 21H2 update |
| Web results and suggestions (EnableWebResultsSetting) | Set-WindowsSearchSetting in PowerShell |
Web results and suggestions in Windows Search, described broadly | No. Not a Store-only filter | Reference page displays the Windows Server 2025 view; confirm on your build |
| Web search policy (DoNotUseWebResults) | Search Policy CSP | Whether Search can query the web and display web results | No. Not described as Store-specific | Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise; not listed for Pro |
| Disable Search (DisableSearch) | Search Policy CSP, documented on the Start policy settings page | Hides the Start search box and the taskbar Search button | No. Removes the Search interface | Pro, Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise; Windows 11 22H2 or later |
| Access to the Microsoft Store app | Group Policy and CSP controls for the Store app | Access to the Store app itself | No. Not documented as a Search filter | Not stated in the Microsoft Store configuration source |
The Recommendations & offers controls are documented in Microsoft Support’s privacy settings for Recommendations & offers in Windows 11. The Search policies are documented in the Policy CSP for Search, and the PowerShell cmdlets are in the Get-WindowsSearchSetting and Set-WindowsSearchSetting reference pages.
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Options you can change on a personal PC
Turn off app launch tracking
This is the first setting most people find. Microsoft explains the purpose in its Support article: “Windows can personalize your Start menu based on the apps that you launch.” The setting is named “Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches.”
- Select Start, then Settings.
- Select Privacy & security, then Recommendations & offers.
- Turn off “Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches.”
Expected result: Windows stops using your launch history to personalize Start and device search. Microsoft does not describe this as removing Store entries, so check Search again after the change rather than assuming it has removed them.
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Turn off web results and suggestions with PowerShell
The Windows Search PowerShell reference documents a web-results setting. It is a general control over web results and suggestions, and it also has a separate setting for metered networks. Use it if you want Search to stop showing web-based suggestions, understanding that Microsoft does not describe it as a Store-only filter.
- Open Windows PowerShell or Terminal.
- Run
Get-WindowsSearchSettingto review the current Windows Search configuration. - Run
Set-WindowsSearchSetting -EnableWebResultsSetting $False. - Run
Get-WindowsSearchSettingagain to confirm the change, then open Search and type a term to test.
To restore web results, run the same cmdlet with $True. If the cmdlet is not recognized, the Windows Search PowerShell module is not exposed on your build, and the setting is not available through this method. The reference page is the Windows Server 2025 view, so check the cmdlet on your Windows 11 build before relying on it.
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Options that remove more than Store suggestions
The following controls are documented, but each one changes more than the Store suggestions you are trying to remove. Use them only if you accept the trade-off.
Turn off search highlights (managed devices)
The Search Policy CSP provides “Allow search highlights.” Setting it to disabled turns off search highlights in Search home and the Windows 11 Start search box. This is a policy setting for managed devices, applied through a management tool that supports the Search CSP, such as Intune. It is not documented as a control for Store app suggestions, and it removes highlight content that you may want to keep.
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Block web search through policy (managed devices)
The Search Policy CSP’s DoNotUseWebResults policy controls whether Search can query the web and display web results. Microsoft lists it for Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions, not Pro. It is not described as Store-specific, so it should be treated as a web-results control, not a Store filter.
Hide Search entirely (DisableSearch)
Enabling DisableSearch disables Search UI entry points. The Start search box and the taskbar Search button are hidden. This is a broad loss of Search access, and it is not a selective remedy for Store recommendations. Microsoft lists it for Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise on Windows 11 22H2 or later, as documented on the Start policy settings page.
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Block access to the Microsoft Store app
Group Policy and CSP controls can deny access to the Store app. This affects the Store app itself. Microsoft does not document it as a way to remove Store suggestions from Windows Search while keeping Store access. Store apps still update automatically by default even when Store access is blocked, so blocking the app does not stop app updates. Details are in Configure access to the Microsoft Store app for Windows devices.
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| Goal | Closest documented control | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| Less personalization from apps you launch | Turn off app launch tracking | Start and search personalization based on launched apps |
| No web-based suggestions in Search | EnableWebResultsSetting set to $False | Web results and suggestions across Windows Search, not only Store entries |
| No search highlights (managed devices) | AllowSearchHighlights disabled | Search highlights in Search home and the Start search box |
| Remove Search from the interface | DisableSearch | The Start search box and taskbar Search button |
| Stop Store app access | Store access policy | The Store app itself; app updates still run automatically by default |
Editions and versions to check
Policy availability depends on the Windows edition and version. The Search policies listed above have different edition and version conditions, so confirm the applicable edition before applying a policy. The PowerShell reference page shows the Windows Server 2025 view, so verify that the cmdlets behave the same way on your Windows 11 build. For enterprise deployments, check the management context first; the policy tables are the authoritative source for which editions support each setting.
If Store suggestions remain
Microsoft’s documentation does not identify which control governs Store entries in Windows Search, so no documented change is guaranteed to remove them. If they persist after you change the Recommendations & offers setting and, if you choose, the web-results setting, change one control at a time and reopen Search after each change, so you can tell which change had an effect. Test any community workaround on a non-critical account first, because community suggestions are not supported by Microsoft.
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