Windows 8 PC Settings – Search

How to Access It

• Invoke Settings Charm either through the Charms Bar or key combo “Win + I”.
• Select “Change PC Settings” option located at the bottom of the Settings Charm pane. This will launch PC Settings.
• Select “Search” tab from the left pane of PC Settings.

The general search settings are related to the search history – the search terms that you have used in past searches.

• Show the apps I search most often at the top: The first option lets you determine whether the past searches should affect the order of the apps that are displayed in the Search Charm pane. If this option is toggled on, then the application, in which you have searched the most, will appear at the top of the list, followed by the app with second most searches, and so on. If it is turned off, then the list will be in alphabetical order.
• Let Windows save my searches as future search suggestions: The second option is related to the search terms that you have entered in past. If this is turned on, then Windows will save those terms so that it can suggest you with options when you type in your query next time. These suggestions are helpful in a way that they autocomplete your search query.
• Delete History: If you are uncomfortable with Windows saving your searches, or if you have too many redundant search terms stored by Windows, then you can delete the search history.

This section also lets you specify if you want to turn search on/off for each app. The apps with their search option turned off will not show in the Search Charm pane. In the above image, I turned off all the apps but Internet Explorer. So my Search Charm pane lists only Internet Explorer. ]]>