GPO policy: "Allow Cloud Search" under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search. Controls whether Windows Search may use cloud-based services to resolve queries, including results from personal Microsoft account or enterprise tenant content. Registry: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search:AllowCloudSearch (REG_DWORD). CIS Benchmark recommends disabling cloud search for enterprise environments to prevent data leakage to cloud services. Reference: Policy CSP - Search (AllowCloudSearch)
Values
| Enum Value | Description |
|---|---|
|
|
Cloud search disabled (registry value 0). Windows Search does not send queries to cloud services. Recommended for air-gapped or high-security enterprise environments. |
|
|
Cloud search enabled for enterprise (Microsoft Entra / work account) content only (registry value 1). Cloud queries are scoped to the organization's tenant. |
|
|
Cloud search enabled for consumer (Microsoft account) content only (registry value 2). Cloud queries are scoped to the user's personal Microsoft account content. |
Used by
ComputerAdministrativeTemplatestype: Computer-specific Administrative Templates (ADMX) settings on an Endpoint.
Example
Example
"DISABLED"