Policy
Pin Internet search sites to the "Search again" links and the Start menu
Microsoft Windows
Policy overview
Key metadata and intent for this policy.
Supported OS tags: Windows10, Windows10RT, Windows11, Windows7, Windows8, Windows81, WindowsRT, WindowsRT81, WindowsServer2008, WindowsServer2012, WindowsServer2012R2, WindowsServer2016
This policy setting allows you to add Internet or intranet sites to the "Search again" links located at the bottom of search results in File Explorer and the Start menu links. The "Search again" links at the bottom of the Search Results view allow the user to reconduct a search but in a different location. The Internet search site will be searched with the text in the search box. To add an Internet search site, specify the URL of the search site in OpenSearch format with {searchTerms} for the query string (for example, http://www.example.com/results.aspx?q={searchTerms}). You can add up to five additional links to the "Search again" links at the bottom of results returned in File Explorer after a search is executed. These links will be shared between Internet search sites and Search Connectors/Libraries. Search Connector/Library links take precedence over Internet search links. The first several links will also be pinned to the Start menu. A total of four links can be pinned on the Start menu. The "See more results" link will be pinned first by default, unless it is disabled via Group Policy. The "Search the Internet" link is pinned second, if it is pinned via Group Policy (though this link is disabled by default). If a custom Internet search link is pinned using the "Custom Internet search provider" Group Policy, this link will be pinned third on the Start menu. The remaining link(s) will be shared between pinned Internet/intranet links and pinned Search Connectors/Libraries. Search Connector/Library links take precedence over Internet/intranet search links. If you enable this policy setting, the specified Internet sites will appear in the "Search again" links and the Start menu links. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, no custom Internet search sites will be added to the "Search again" links or the Start menu links.
Registry values
How enabled and disabled states update the registry.
| Scope | Registry location | Type | Enabled value | Disabled value | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| User | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name TryHarderPinnedOpenSearch | REG_DWORD | HKCU 1 | HKCU 0 |
Policy elements
Inputs and configuration options exposed by this policy.
| Scope | Element | Type | Registry mapping | Constraints & behavior | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| User | Site URL 1 ID OpenSearch0 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearch0 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site Name 1 ID OpenSearchLabel0 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearchLabel0 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site URL 2 ID OpenSearch1 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearch1 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site Name 2 ID OpenSearchLabel1 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearchLabel1 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site URL 3 ID OpenSearch2 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearch2 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site Name 3 ID OpenSearchLabel2 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearchLabel2 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site URL 4 ID OpenSearch3 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearch3 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site Name 4 ID OpenSearchLabel3 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearchLabel3 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site URL 5 ID OpenSearch4 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearch4 Type REG_SZ | None | |
| User | Site Name 5 ID OpenSearchLabel4 | text | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer Value name OpenSearchLabel4 Type REG_SZ | None |