Search Bar Text Now Says ‘Start a web search’ not ‘Type here to search’

Topic

[howardagoldberg]

I noticed something interesting today, and hope it is nothing to be concerned about.

Running two systems side by side, both Win10 x64 1909 18363.628 (all patches, including the ones released this week).

On one computer, the search bar has the text, “Type here to search,” which I believe has always been the default text in the box.

On the other computer, the search bar now has the text “Start A Web Search:”

I’ve compared the search and Cortana settings on both systems for any differences, and I can find none.

The search bar is still finding my local files, etc., the behavior is the same (as far as I can tell), but the text has changed and it’s bugging me.

Anyone else see this? Anything to be concerned about?

A (ironically) web search has turned up nothing on this, so I am coming here for sage feedback!

• This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by howardagoldberg. Reason: add screenshot
• This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by howardagoldberg.
• This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by PKCano.

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abbodi86, woody

Replies

One of my PCs has ‘Search the web and PC’, another ‘Type here to search’. So that’s three different ones….

Eliminate spare time: start programming PowerShell

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howardagoldberg

I wonder if the latest version of the search app … perhaps installed with last week’s optional update which ‘fixed’ certain search issues has rotating text to encourage people to search beyond their local system? It’s some comfort to know I’m not the only one seeing this …

I don’t know if this was true before the January optional updates or not, but I’ve noticed a few things with the ‘search app.’

1. It seems to be updated pretty often. When I first booted up today, one computer was on version 2020.01.30…. with the other was on 2020.02.01…
2. Within a few minutes, the other computer was silently updated to version 2020.02.01…
3. There is a now a ‘Microsoft Rewards Balance’ icon which shows my rewards balance for searching (?) and seems to go up every time I search for something new.

If Microsoft is silently playing around with the search app, I feel like it would be good for them to not be so silent … and let users know that an important/often used component of Windows is being tweaked on a nearly daily basis …

1 user thanked author for this post.

woody

What are you looking at for the version number?

Is it possible this is a side-effect of installing Chredge, er, Microsoft Edge Chromium?

(My 1903 machines, which don’t have the KB 4532695 optional non-security update, and don’t have Chredge, say “Type here to search.”)

This is what I am looking at on both systems. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the search box window, and you see this options and the version number. It was updated right before my eyes this morning from version 2020.01.30.xxx… to 2020.02.01.xxx…

Only noticed it Friday because of the change in text displayed in the search bar, but not sure if this was the result of Chredge, the optional update to 1909 on Tuesday, or something else all together. The ‘Microsoft Awards Balance’ icon and number is also new (blocked by the dropdown in the screen shot, but it’s there!)

 

 

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woody

… I should add …

The Microsoft account shown is the email address my Office 365 subscription is connected to. I log on to Windows using a local account! So, search is just looking at my accounts in general without regard to the fact that Windows is a local account.

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woody

Any chance you have Office 365 ProPlus?

Nope. Office 365 Home purchased on MS site, with a discount code from my wife’s employer (public school district). Office did update to version ‘2001’ on Friday, but all of my browsers retained their default search engine, which I set as ‘Google.’ Even Edge retained that setting.

 

 

 

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woody

Just as an update … the ‘search bar’ has been updated once again (late last night) to version 2020.02.02.6237939 on both of my Win10 systems. So, Microsoft seems to be making daily changes behind the scenes, with no way for users to control this as far as I can tell …

2 users thanked author for this post.

r1ma, woody

[Alex5723]

woody wrote:

What are you looking at for the version number?

Is it possible this is a side-effect of installing Chredge, er, Microsoft Edge Chromium?

(My 1903 machines, which don’t have the KB 4532695 optional non-security update, and don’t have Chredge, say “Type here to search.”)

My 1903 with Jan. updates, ChrEdge, but no preview has ‘Type here for search’

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Alex5723.

[r1ma]

howardagoldberg wrote:

Just as an update … the ‘search bar’ has been updated once again (late last night) to version 2020.02.02.6237939 on both of my Win10 systems. So, Microsoft seems to be making daily changes behind the scenes, with no way for users to control this as far as I can tell …

Mine is …..7943 on 1909 with all the updates.

 

P.S. I have disabled Cortana, and also turned off some settings with ShutUp10

• This reply was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by r1ma.

Win 10 Pro 1903 Build 18362.418. No Office 365. All Cortana is turned off. The machine is joined to a local AD domain.

My Search bar says “Type here to search”.

My Search has Build 2020.02.03.6237948.

That’s not a typo: it’s …02.03…, not o2.01 or o2.o2.,,

 

 

Here’s another variation from an Enterprise 1909 machine in the office:

A friend just clean installed Windows 10 Pro 1909 (replacing Windows 7) and he doesn’t have a search bar at all !

My 1903 Pro has been updated to 2020.02.04.6238049 with ‘Type here to search’

Alex5723 wrote:

A friend just clean installed Windows 10 Pro 1909 (replacing Windows 7) and he doesn’t have a search bar at all !

My 1903 Pro has been updated to 2020.02.04.6238049 with ‘Type here to search’

See this thread: https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/is-microsoft-messing-with-your-win10-search-box/#post-2135059 …

Search bar windows are turning blank … you are not alone …

Windows Search is down for many, showing nothing but a blank box

https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-search-down-many-showing-blank-box-instead-search-results

 

 

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woody

See https://www.askwoody.com/2020/does-the-win10-search-box-still-work-for-you/

I’m going to seal off this discussion – please continue on that thread.