To stop Windows Search Companion from downloading its occasional content updates, deploy the device policy Turn off Search Companion content file updates through Intune and set it to Enabled. This blocks those content downloads during local and internet searches; it does not disable Windows Search or prevent internet searches from sending query information to Microsoft and the selected search provider.
What this Intune policy changes
Microsoft says Search Companion occasionally contacts Microsoft during local or internet searches to download an updated privacy policy and extra files used to format and display results. Enabling this policy stops those content updates from being downloaded during searches. Microsoft does not publish a transfer size, request frequency, per-device volume, or measured bandwidth saving for the policy, so the amount of traffic avoided cannot be quantified from the documentation.
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This is not a general Windows Search shutdown or an offline-search setting. Microsoft states that “Internet searches still send the search text and information about the search to Microsoft and the chosen search provider.” The content-download control and the handling of internet-search queries are separate matters. Microsoft’s ADMX_ICM Policy CSP documentation describes both behaviors.
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| Choice | Search Companion content updates | Search Companion | Internet-search information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enabled | Blocked during searches | Remains in use | May still be sent to Microsoft and the chosen search provider |
| Disabled | Allowed, unless Classic Search is used | Remains in use | May still be sent for internet searches |
| Not configured | Allowed, unless Classic Search is used | Remains in use | May still be sent for internet searches |
| Classic Search | Search Companion is turned off | Not used | This policy documentation does not say that Classic Search prevents internet-search information from being sent |
The Enabled, Disabled, and Not configured behavior is for this specific policy. Classic Search is a distinct behavior, not another state of the Intune policy. Microsoft’s documentation does not establish that choosing Classic Search is a general network-privacy control.
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Check Windows support before deployment
The Microsoft CSP entry lists this as a device-scoped policy for Pro, Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and IoT Enterprise LTSC editions. Its stated minimum baselines are:
- Windows 10 version 2004, with KB5005101 and build 19041.1202, or later.
- Windows 10 version 20H2, with KB5005101 and build 19042.1202, or later.
- Windows 10 version 21H1, with KB5005101 and build 19043.1202, or later.
- Windows 11 version 21H2, build 22000, or later.
These are the baselines listed in Microsoft’s ADMX_ICM Policy CSP; verify the current documentation and your managed-device versions before rollout.
Deploy it from the Intune Settings Catalog
- In the Intune admin center, create a Windows 10 and later Settings Catalog configuration profile. Intune interface labels can change; confirm the current workflow in your tenant.
- In the settings picker, navigate to Administrative Templates > System > Internet Communication Management > Internet Communication settings, then select Turn off Search Companion content file updates. This path is documented in the HTMD implementation walkthrough.
- Set the policy to Enabled, save the configuration profile, and assign it to the appropriate device group. Enabling the setting is what turns off the downloads.
- Review the profile’s deployment status in Intune. You can sync a target device to prompt it to check in sooner, as described in the walkthrough; normal policy delivery depends on device check-in.
- Validate the effective policy using MDM diagnostics appropriate to your environment. Do not treat a third-party Event Viewer navigation or sample event as Microsoft’s authoritative validation procedure.
Technical identifiers for custom MDM deployment
For direct CSP configuration or troubleshooting, Microsoft identifies the policy as follows:
- CSP URI:
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_ICM/SearchCompanion_DisableFileUpdates - Setting name:
SearchCompanion_DisableFileUpdates - Registry mapping:
SoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftSearchCompanion, valueDisableContentFileUpdates - Format and access:
chrstring; Add, Delete, Get, and Replace. - Configuration requirement: This ADMX-backed setting requires SyncML format.
These details are from Microsoft’s ADMX_ICM Policy CSP. The policy is device-scoped; use the device URI rather than assuming that a user-scoped assignment is equivalent.
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Keep this separate from other Windows Search controls
Intune also exposes settings related to Windows Search, but they are not interchangeable with this Search Companion content-update policy. Microsoft’s Windows device restriction settings reference covers related controls; use the setting whose documented behavior matches the outcome you want rather than treating a separate Windows Search restriction as a substitute.
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