Microsoft is rolling out a new Windows Search preview that adds an Actions feature, allowing users to execute commands such as muting audio or minimizing windows directly from the search box. The preview also delivers a more results-focused layout and improved handling of typos and synonyms, though the source notes that "turn on" and "switch on" still confused the system during testing.
The update follows July's improvements and is built on WinUI 3, with Microsoft claiming substantial gains in performance and memory usage. However, the preview is English-only and is gradually reaching Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel; users can enable it sooner via the Windows Insider Program's Feature flags settings.
Inline previews and richer file details are planned for later this year, which should help distinguish similar files without bringing back the separate preview pane. The Register notes that while faster, cleaner search results are welcome, whether the search box should also serve as a command launcher remains an open question.