How to Use Bing AI in Windows 11

Bing Chat is available from the taskbar, but if you don't want it, you can hide it with a toggle in Settings

By
Tim Fisher
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Published on September 28, 2023

What to Know

  • To use Bing AI on Windows 11, enter text into the taskbar's search box and select Chat.
  • To hide the button: Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions. Toggle Show search highlights off.
  • Or, hack the Windows registry to completely delete Bing Chat from Windows 11.

This article explains how to use Bing AI on Windows 11. It also explains how to hide or remove it.

How to Use Bing AI in Windows 11

The easiest way to use Bing AI in Windows 11 is through Copilot. You can trigger that sidebar with the Win+C keyboard shortcut.

Here are some other ways to get to the Bing Chat site from within Windows 11:

  • Start a search from the taskbar, but before you press Enter, select Chat at the top to open the Bing Chat website.
  • Open the search box and select the Bing Chat button at the top right.
  • Select the Bing AI button from the taskbar.
  • Open Bing Chat directly in your browser.

Another method is to select the Bing Chat button from the sidebar in Edge. This provides a condensed, but essentially identical interface as the website.

If you don't see Bing AI in any of those areas, make sure you've installed any available Windows updates. Bing Chat is integrated into the taskbar with the Windows 11 22H2 Moment 2 update, and Copilot is included with a later update.

How to Add or Remove Bing Chat From Windows 11

Follow one of these two sets of instructions to show or hide the Bing AI chatbot from the taskbar.

Edit Search Settings

Settings has a toggle that will turn Bing AI on or off in Windows 11. This method only affects the button on the taskbar; it'll still be available from the search results page.

  1. Open Settings by searching for it from the taskbar or entering the Win+i keyboard shortcut.

  2. Select Privacy & security from the left side.

  3. Choose Search permissions on the right.

  4. Select the button next to Show search highlights, under the More settings heading, to toggle Bing Chat on or off.

  5. This should have removed Bing Chat or re-added it if it was missing. Restart your computer if you don't notice a change.

Edit the Search Box

Another way to show or hide the Bing Chat button is to customize the Windows 11 taskbar. Much like the directions above, this method will keep the other Bing AI buttons in the search results but delete the one normally seen from the taskbar.

  1. Open the Windows 11 taskbar settings through Settings > Personalization > Taskbar.

  2. Select the menu next to Search, then pick any of the options below. What you choose is up to you; the first three will hide the Bing Chat icon, and the last will make it visible.

    • Hide removes the search box from the taskbar.
    • Search icon only shrinks it down to a magnifying glass.
    • Show icon and label shortens the length of the search box.
    • Search box shows the whole box, including the Bing AI button.

  3. The change occurs immediately; you don't need to restart your computer.

How to Permanently Remove Bing Chat From Windows 11

Follow these directions to remove Bing Chat from Windows 11 completely. This will delete the button on the search box and the two other controls from the search results panel.

  1. Open Registry Editor and paste the following into the path box at the top of the program: 

     HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

  2. On the left side of Registry Editor, under Windows, look for a key called Explorer.

    If you see it, go on to Step 3. If you don't see it, make a new registry key: right-click Windows, go to New > Key, and name it Explorer.

  3. Select Explorer so it's highlighted. On the right side, in an empty space, right-click and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  4. Name the new value the following: 

     DisableSearchBoxSuggestions

  5. Double-click the new value to edit it. Change the Value data text box to read 1, then press OK.

  6. Restart your computer to apply the changes. You can see in this screenshot that all the Bing Chat buttons are gone.

How to Add or Remove Bing Chat From Edge

Bing Chat is also available in Windows 11 through the sidebar in the Edge browser. Here's how to add or remove this button:

  1. Select the settings button at the bottom of the sidebar.

  2. Select Bing Chat from the App and notification settings section.

  3. Use the toggle next to Show Bing Chat to show or hide the button.

Should You Remove Bing Chat From Windows 11?

Having Bing AI on the taskbar has one obvious benefit: it’s extremely easy to invoke. You don’t have to search for Bing Chat in your web browser or potentially lose your train of thought. Just select its icon to start chatting with it instantly.

However, depending on the built-in version of Bing Chat that you decide to use, it isn’t as comprehensive as the web version. Here are some features you get with the web version of the chatbot over the built-in version: revisit older chats, choose a conversation style, ask questions about an image, and enter text with your voice.

Besides the obvious change—the Bing AI button going away from the taskbar—removing Bing Chat in Windows 11 affects other things you might see in the search box.

If you follow the first set of directions above (turn off search highlights), Windows 11 will stop presenting you with content suggestions. This includes noteworthy, informative, and interesting information about the day, which could include information about holidays, anniversaries, etc.

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