Microsoft doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation for how users prefer to search. On the web, the company's Bing search engine limps its way through life with an estimated 3.89% market share (via StatCounter), dwarfed by Google's near-monopolistic 90% dominance.
And if you've ever dared to use the search bar in Windows 11, you'll know that it's hampered by slow performance, often irrelevant results, and occasionally the odd ad or two.
Windows Search was supposed to be the antidote to endless folder scouring, a quick and easy way of finding files, folders, or settings without trawling through drives and menus manually. But, like many Microsoft promises, Windows Search, in both Windows 10 and 11, often struggles to live up to expectations.
However, according to Microsoft's Vice President of App Store and Apps, Giorgio Sardo, change is on the horizon. Can we finally expect a revamped search experience in Windows that, at the very least, nails the basics?
Sadly, much like their search results, in this update, Windows users still haven't found what they're looking for.
Windows Search, or "I still haven't found, what you're looking for"
Microsoft's App Store VP took to X earlier in the week to tease a coming update to Windows Search that integrates the Microsoft Store — allowing users to "Quickly find and install apps right from your Start menu or Taskbar!"
Yes, instead of improving the way that Windows Search already works, by, say, tweaking performance and prioritizing local files and folders, users will now be met with a new layer of recommended apps to wade through as they meticulously pick through their search results.
Many aren't reacting warmly to the news — with one user quipping that Windows is "The only OS with a search feature that finds everything but the files you actually need," while others call for ways to disable the feature before it even officially rolls out.
The only OS with a search feature that finds everything but the files you actually need.May 6, 2025
That said, judgment on the feature isn't entirely unanimous. Some users have highlighted its usefulness in quickly finding available apps without needing to open the sometimes painfully slow Microsoft Store directly.
Still, this change seemingly doesn't blend all that well with Windows Search's primary use case. While it might make it that much easier for you to quickly install the TikTok app in a snap, it does nothing to help users track down that spreadsheet they created last week or locate last year's holiday snaps.
What's next
As of yet, there's no official word on when we can expect this feature to go live, with Microsoft's Sardo simply suggesting that it's "coming soon."
Initial reactions to the announcement skew heavily towards the negative, but that's unlikely to change Microsoft's course. It'll just be another potential low-level annoyance chipping away at the patience of Windows users, no different than a percentage of the changes made in any update prior.
For a company quick to champion its platform's efficiency and productivity, Microsoft's habit of slipping in distractions like this and ads in strange places can, at times, feel like it's flying in the face of itself.
There are many issues with Windows Search, and this update won't resolve them. At best, the new Windows Search experience will help users find only one thing: what they don't have, and likely weren't looking for.
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