How to enable the search widget for testing in Windows 11 Insider Preview

Microsoft introduced a search bar on the desktop in Build 25120 released to the Dev Channel of the Insider Preview Program yesterday. This feature is being tested on a limited basis, so not everyone will be able to use it. However, if you don’t want to try it, we now show you how to enable the search widget in Windows 11.

How to enable the search widget in Windows 11

1. Download ViveTool from its GitHub page app.

2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file to any folder.

3. Open a terminal window as an administrator.

4. Copy and paste the following code into the window.

.\vivetool addconfig 37969115 2

The command window should display a message "Function configuration set successfully".

Credits: Nairaphael

Access the search bar

Close command window and go to your desktop screen. Even if you just enabled it, the search bar won't show up on it. You don't need to restart your computer to access it.

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Show more options.

2. This menu has a "Show Search" option, which will have a check mark next to it.

3. Toggle the option to disable it.

Repeat the above steps and you should see the search widget on your desktop. Give it a try.

dislike? Use the following command to remove the search bar.

.\vivetool Remove Configuration 37969115 2

You need to restart Explorer.exe from Task Manager, or restart your computer to apply the changes.

Some observations about the search widget in Windows 11

The search bar will display some results in the pane i.e. Search suggestion. Click it, or press Enter, and Windows 11 will open the result with Bing in Microsoft Edge. Entering a URL such as ghacks.net will open the website directly in Edge.

#There are no options for configuring widget behavior. The biggest issue here is that all results for the widget open in Microsoft Edge, even if you have set another program as your default web browser. There are no keyboard shortcuts to access this tool. The search widget's right-click menu has some basic options for editing text.

After trying it, I think the widget is a bit pointless since you can do the same thing directly from the Start menu (paste the URL or perform a web search). The new search widget in Windows 11 is very noticeable because it is not opaque and it hides part of the wallpaper. It remains permanently on the desktop, there is no option to hide it, nor can you move the widget or resize it. The widget is still in its early stages, so hopefully we can expect some improvements to it in the future.

If you really need a similar search tool/launcher app, try Microsoft PowerToys. It has a utility called PowerToys Run, which has more options than the new widget, as it can be used to search for files on your computer, open applications, and more. The app is similar to the Spotlight tool in macOS. The PowerToys Run tool automatically hides when not in use, and you can trigger it using Alt Space. It also respects your default browser settings for web searches.

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