Windows 11 Drops Bing Speed Test Redirect for Native Tool
Microsoft is removing one of its most irritating search engine promotions from Windows 11. Instead of forcing your browser open to a Bing search page to check connection quality, a new preview build introduces a fully native speed test inside the Quick Settings panel.
No more browser detours for simple diagnostics
Checking connection throughput in Windows 11 no longer requires launching a browser tab.
Until now, running a network check in Windows was less of an operating system utility and more of an advertisement. Triggering the diagnostic would launch your default browser and load an online speed widget hosted directly on Bing, padding Microsoft's search traffic along the way.
As spotted by Windows Central, Windows 11 preview build 26340.9767 changes this behavior entirely. The diagnostics now stay inside the interface, displaying downstream and upstream performance figures straight from the Quick Settings flyout or via a right-click on the system tray network icon.
It is a modest adjustment on paper, but a significant quality-of-life fix for anyone who needed a quick readout when a video stuttered or a download stalled.
A step back from relentless interface promotion
Microsoft has faced steady criticism over the past two years for turning stock Windows components into funnels for its web services. Between aggressive prompts to adopt Edge, interface experiments that triggered a backlash over AI UI design, and sponsored recommendations scattered across the Start menu, basic utilities often felt compromised.
A connection benchmark should function like an engine gauge: fast, lightweight, and local. By embedding the test directly into the shell rather than outsourcing it to a web portal, the desktop team is prioritizing utility over telemetry and advertising metrics.
Recent preview efforts have increasingly focused on performance hygiene, echoing improvements where Windows 11 cut app launch delays by clearing lingering system tasks.
Credit where it is due: removing browser redirects makes the desktop feel like an actual operating system again rather than a marketing surface. If Microsoft applies this same restrained logic to search highlights and Start menu promotions, Windows 11 will be far better for it.
Availability and rollout timeline
The native speed test is currently rolling out to testers on the experimental Windows Insider channels. Microsoft has not attached a definitive date for the general release, but features tested in this branch typically make their way to stable consumer builds within a few cumulative update cycles.
Frequently asked questions
How do you access the new Windows 11 internet speed test?
You can open Quick Settings from the taskbar to run the test, or right-click the network icon located in the system tray and select the test option directly.
Does the updated speed test still open Microsoft Edge?
No. The updated tool completes the test and shows your upload and download results directly inside the taskbar interface without opening any browser.
Sources
- Windows Insider Blog. Microsoft, 2026. https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/
- Windows 11's built-in internet speed test is getting a divorce from Bing — and it's about time | TechRadar. techradar.com, 2026. https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/windows-11s-built-in-internet-speed-test-is-getting-a-divorce-from-bing-and-its-about-time