Until you alter the default settings in your Privateness Dashboard, Microsoft Home windows 11 will retailer your full search historical past in your machine and within the cloud.
The Search instrument (magnifying glass icon) discovered on a regular Home windows 11 desktop taskbar is a handy and helpful characteristic. However have you ever ever thought of precisely how that characteristic’s default settings affect search outcomes? Or, extra importantly, precisely how nicely it remembers all the things you could have ever searched and shops it within the cloud for future reference?
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Customers can alter the Search characteristic’s settings, however Microsoft doesn’t make it apparent the place the settings are positioned or that such settings can be found. Diving deeper into these Search configuration settings might be enlightening and probably a bit troubling in case you are involved about your on-line privateness.
Tips on how to change search settings and enhance your privateness in Home windows 11
Clicking the magnifying glass icon on the usual Home windows 11 taskbar will open the Search characteristic, as proven in Determine A.
Determine A
Sort your question within the textual content field, and Search will give you an inventory of outcomes to select from. The characteristic searches your machine for paperwork, folders, apps and web sites that meet your search phrases—handy and helpful.
To get to the underlying settings for Home windows 11 Search, click on the ellipsis on the far proper of the menu (Determine A) and choose “Search settings,” which is able to take you to the Search permissions display screen proven in Determine B.
Determine B
The primary part on this web page is known as “SafeSearch,” which lets you designate how a lot grownup content material ought to seem in your search outcomes. This can be a private desire setting.
The following part is known as “Cloud content material search,” which lets you personalize your search outcomes to incorporate content material from OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook and different internet companies.
The following part is known as Historical past, as proven in Determine C. These settings will let you save your search historical past to your machine and to the cloud, which, based on Microsoft, permits the system to reuse earlier outcomes to make your present search more practical and environment friendly.
Determine C
You may have the choice to show this characteristic off fully if you don’t want your search historical past saved. Beneath regular circumstances, you’ll most likely not discover that a lot distinction within the general efficiency of the Home windows 11 Search characteristic with this setting positioned within the “off” place.
When you select to depart this setting on and relying in your search historical past and your private emotions concerning privateness, you could need to delete this historical past sometimes. To delete the search historical past in your machine, click on the Clear System Search Historical past button.
Deleting your search historical past from the cloud is extra difficult as a result of that may solely be accomplished out of your Privateness Dashboard positioned in your Microsoft account’s web site. Click on the hyperlink within the Historical past part labeled Privateness Dashboard, the place you’ll be requested to log in to your Microsoft account web page, as proven in Determine D.
Determine D
As soon as logged in, scroll down the Privateness web page, discover the Search Historical past part, after which broaden it to disclose extra particulars, as proven in Determine E.
Determine E
The system has saved nearly 1,200 of my searches to the cloud. The machine I’m utilizing on this instance is lower than a 12 months previous, so, as you’ll be able to see, it doesn’t take lengthy to ascertain a major search historical past.
Whereas the person searches listed could also be benign, they may reveal extra about your persona and habits than you’re feeling snug sharing. Managing your search historical past must be part of your common upkeep routine.
From this part, you could study your search historical past, obtain your search historical past, clear your search historical past or go away it as is. You would even delete particular person searches if you want. The selection is yours, however these cloud adjustments can solely be constructed from the Microsoft Privateness Dashboard.
