Taskbar search is now being replaced by “Ask Copilot” which opens a floating popup that you can use to interact with Copilot, search for files, open apps, etc. It targets enterprise customers who use the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

In tests, “Ask Copilot” is more accurate at finding local files and apps compared to the current Windows Search. However, Microsoft is working on improving the normal Search as well.

Ask Copilot is entirely optional, and won’t be enabled by default. It is expected to release mid-2026, but it might change.

Source: Microsoft’s Published Document