- Microsoft is rolling out Semantic Search to Windows Insiders Beta in the Preview Build 26120.3585.
- Local Semantic Search is integrated into the Start menu and Settings and can search contextually across various supported file formats.
- Semantic Search uses the NPUs in Copilot+ PCs, therefore it's exclusive to the same.
Among other smart AI features Microsoft revealed to be coming soon back in October, Semantic search was the most intriguing. The Redmond giant says it makes it easier for users to search for files, settings, and apps. But the exact timeline of its release was still unknown, until today. After a long wait, Semantic search is finally rolling out to Windows.
In a blog post, Microsoft has announced that Local Semantic Search and Cloud Search are rolling out to Windows 11 Insiders Beta channel, in the Preview Build 26120.3585 (KB5053644). Local Semantic Search understands the context and lets users search for documents and images by just typing the related words.
For example, you could type “landscape greenery” and the feature will pull up all the landscape images containing greenery. This should make searching a bit less taxing on Windows users and also save time. Similarly, you can contextually search in the Settings app. This will pull up a relevant suggestion for the phrase you type.
Searching the phrase “Change my theme” will suggest “Themes and related settings,” “Screen saver,” etc. Semantic Search has also been integrated into the cloud, meaning you could search with the same phrases, and if you have OneDrive enabled, the search will pull up all the matching files. In many ways, this has a lot in common with the Settings Search feature on the new Galaxy S25 series (review) which uses Galaxy AI to decipher natural language from your input and helps you change specific settings on the device.
Unfortunately, Semantic Search is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs. It supports Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish and supports file TXT, PDF, DOCX, DOC, RTF, PPTX, PPT, XLS, XLSX, JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and ICO file formats.
Can Semantic Search Finally Fix Windows Search Issues?
Windows users like a lot of things, but its native search functionality isn’t one of them. Most users complain it’s extremely slow and defeats the whole purpose of finding apps and files “quickly”. It’s one of the reasons Windows users resort to installing Start menu alternatives like Startisback.
While some suggest the issue is fixed when the indexing is changed from Classic to Enhanced in Settings, the slowness still remains a major issue. We’ve all had our moments where we find the app we’re looking for with three letters, but impulsively typing the fourth makes the app disappear into oblivion.
Similarly, Start is bloated with Bing web results, which makes things even slower sometimes when Windows search lags and confuses your query with a search result. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to remove Bing search from Start menu.
With Local Semantic search using the powerful NPUs in Copilot+ PCs, we’re hopeful about Windows search finally improving on them. These NPUs re incredibly fast and if Microsoft leverages them well, it could solve search issues in an instant. However, not all Windows users might get to experience the new search features, as Semantic Search is reserved for Copilot+ PCs.
What are your thoughts on Local Semantic Search on Windows? Let us know in the comments.
