Microsoft is testing a brand new search interface in Windows 10, and it’s clear where the inspiration came from. According to Aggiornamenti Lumia, pressing Windows+S opens a floating Fluent Design search menu.
The final result looks similar to Apple’s Spotlight search for macOS and replaces the Cortana search interface. So far, it’s present in Windows 10 build 17040, which became available to Insiders last week. Microsoft uses the builds to test upcoming features, so it’s possible the new Windows 10 search will come with Redstone 4.
New Features
Ultimately, it will depend on how users react to the change. Currently, it doesn’t do much new, it simply looks pretty and takes up more space. However, you will note separate tabs for Web searches, documents, and settings, which should speed up the searching experience. There also seems to be previews of web content.
It’s also likely Microsoft will build on this experience. At the moment, clicking a web search result will simply open it in Edge, but it’s not unreasonable to expect some integrated results in the future.
It’s also an opportunity for Windows 10 search to integrate some advanced features. Apps like Listery let users use specific syntax to search certain directories and more. Microsoft has traditionally avoided such features, but it would be great to see at least an opt-in for the new version.
Whatever the case, this can only be a positive thing for Windows 10, as its current search doesn’t always return the best results. It could even bring some more users to Bing, which was coincidentally shunned from Apple’s Spotlight results in September.
