Bit by bit, Windows 11 is healing.
Microsoft announced that a bunch of new adjustments are coming to the Windows Search Box in Windows 11. Each individual item is a minor improvement, but hopefully in aggregate, the changes will add up to a better experience for search. Members of the Windows Insider program may start seeing the changes beginning today.
The whole user experience for the Windows Search Box will be streamlined. The home screen has been pared back for less visual clutter, which should make it easier to access recent searches easily. The results display also looks cleaner, with larger spacing creating room to show useful metadata for hits. Users can now toggle whether they want to see hits from the web and the Microsoft Store beside local results. Web searches will no longer show sponsored content such as products and promotions at the top of the results. The improved search should also do a better job of finding both files and apps.
After a long, not terribly successful push to try and make Copilot happen, Microsoft has been shifting focus back toward making quality of life improvements to Windows 11. There have been incremental updates, like allowing users to adjust the size of the Start menu, alongside more meaningful changes such as a system for rolling back faulty drivers.
