Starting with Windows 10, the taskbar has a search box pinned
by default and it allows users to search for their local files
or folders easily, but it’s not all that fast compared to
directly searching in File Explorer or using a third-party
alternative like “Everything”. In fact, Microsoft’s own
PowerToys Run utility is faster than Windows Search.
Now, Microsoft is speeding things up with
Windows 11 Build 22557 in the Dev Channel of insiders
program. Windows Search is still placed directly on your
taskbar and there are no changes to its interface, but you will
notice that search results now appear faster than before. The
process takes barely a second, compared to the older builds.
Windows Search also immediately pulls up auto-suggestions to
make things as fast as possible. It might appear as a pretty
minor change, but it’s a very welcome one on some devices.
Issues with Windows Search performance were first flagged in
2017 and Microsoft is finally looking into the problem.
In addition to faster results, you can also expect more
accurate app or file suggestions when you type the keywords in
the search box.
To try the new search experience, try searching for apps or
settings you use frequently and you might notice the difference
if the search feature was slow for you in the first place.
Microsoft has also fixed an issue that prevented users from
finding new apps in the search results the first few seconds
after it had been installed.
In our tests, we observed that Build 22557 is the fastest we’ve
seen when it comes to search.
Faster search feature for everyone
As you’re probably aware, Windows 11 uses experience packs to
update different areas of the operating system, so there’s a
chance that the improved Windows Search will make its way to
the standard version of both Windows 11 and Windows 10, but for
now, it’s limited to Dev Channel, which is currently at Build
22557.
In addition to Windows Search, Microsoft has also started
experimenting with a new feature for the Start menu. In this
build, you can create and curate folders to customize your pins
in Start.
To get started, simply drag an app on top of another and a new
folder will appear. At the moment, it is not possible to give a
name to the folder, but Microsoft has promised that support for
folder names will be added in a future release.
