Windows 11's Taskbar search box is getting a handy upgrade soon

Microsoft has unveiled a handy change coming to Windows 11's Taskbar search box soon that will make searching the internet with copied text easier. The change is dubbed "Copy & Search," and adds a button to the search box that provides the ability to search for what you've copied with one click.

"We are introducing Copy & Search, a feature that allows you to search the text in your clipboard with a single click. When you copy text anywhere in Windows, a paste gleam will appear in your search box. Click on this gleam and your copied text will appear in the search field, allowing you to search instantly" explains Microsoft.

The new feature is part of the latest Windows 11 preview builds, which means it'll likely begin rolling out to all Windows 11 users in the coming months. It works with any copied text, whether that be from a Word document, webpage, or app.

Once copied, the search box will update with text that says "Search copied text" and next to it will be a clipboard button, which when clicked will automatically paste the text you just copied into the search box. From there, you can hit enter to search the web, or view the results in the search pane automatically.

Microsoft just announced a big update coming to the Taskbar search box on Windows 11 next year that will replace the Windows Search pane with Copilot. It'll still be able to search for local apps and files, but it'll be enhanced with the ability to interact with Copilot too.

Today's new Copy & Search feature is independent from this new Copilot experience, meaning it works with the current Windows Search pane too if that's what you prefer to use. Of course, this will also use Bing unless you're in a region where Microsoft lets you change the search provider in the Windows Search pane.