---
title: "IsMSACloudSearchEnabled and IsAADCloudSearchEnabled: turning off cloud search in Windows"
description: "Windows Search can include results from your Microsoft account and your work account (OneDrive, Outlook, SharePoint) and keeps a history of what you searched."
url: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-cloud-search
author: Frost LIVE, Founder of Frozen Tweaks
published: 2026-10-08
updated: 2026-10-08
category: "Security"
source: Frozen Tweaks (https://frozentweaks.com)
---

# IsMSACloudSearchEnabled and IsAADCloudSearchEnabled: turning off cloud search in Windows

**Short answer:** Windows Search can include results from your Microsoft account and your work account (OneDrive, Outlook, SharePoint) and keeps a history of what you searched for on the device. These values switch the cloud sources and the history off. In the registry it sets IsAADCloudSearchEnabled to 0 under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings, and 2 more values.

## In the app

- Switch: Disable Cloud Search (Security, Free, Standard)
- Undo: Yes. Switching it off puts back exactly what was there before, value for value.
- Catalog row: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks#t-1157

## What it does

Windows Search can include results from your Microsoft account and your work account (OneDrive, Outlook, SharePoint) and keeps a history of what you searched for on the device. These values switch the cloud sources and the history off.

In the app the switch is called "Disable Cloud Search", described there as: Keeps Windows Search from querying your Microsoft or work account and from storing search history.

## When it helps

- Privacy, and search results that only show what is on the PC.

## When it hurts

- Files that exist only in OneDrive or a work account no longer appear in Windows Search.

## What it writes

Read from the app's source. "Switching it off" is what the app writes when you turn the tweak off again.

Registry values:

| Key | Value | With the tweak | Switching it off |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings` | `IsAADCloudSearchEnabled` | `0` | Your previous value (saved before the change, or deleted if there was none). Windows default: 1 |
| `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings` | `IsMSACloudSearchEnabled` | `0` | Your previous value (saved before the change, or deleted if there was none). Windows default: 1 |
| `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings` | `IsDeviceSearchHistoryEnabled` | `0` | Your previous value (saved before the change, or deleted if there was none). Windows default: 1 |

Source: Tweaks/pack_extra.hpp in the app's source, app 2.0.0, checked 2026-10-08.

## The same change by hand

Run in a Command Prompt opened as administrator. Make a restore point first.

```bat
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings" /v "IsAADCloudSearchEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings" /v "IsMSACloudSearchEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings" /v "IsDeviceSearchHistoryEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
```

Put it back:

```bat
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings" /v "IsAADCloudSearchEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings" /v "IsMSACloudSearchEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings" /v "IsDeviceSearchHistoryEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
```

See what it is set to now:

```bat
reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings" /v "IsAADCloudSearchEnabled"
```

## How to undo it

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. The app saved what each value was before the change and writes exactly that back, or removes the value if it did not exist.

## Verdict

A privacy choice.

## Questions

### What does the "Disable Cloud Search" tweak change in Windows?

In the registry it sets IsAADCloudSearchEnabled to 0 under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings, and 2 more values. The full list is in the table on this page, read from the app's source.

### What is the default value of IsAADCloudSearchEnabled?

The Windows default of IsAADCloudSearchEnabled is 1. Frozen Tweaks sets it to 0, and switching the tweak off puts back the value you had before.

### Is "Disable Cloud Search" safe to switch on?

A privacy choice. The main cost: Files that exist only in OneDrive or a work account no longer appear in Windows Search.

### How do I undo it?

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. Switching it off puts back exactly what was there before, value for value.

### Is "Disable Cloud Search" free in Frozen Tweaks?

Yes. It is one of the free tweaks, with no time limit.

## Related guides

- [Is PC Optimization Software Safe? What to Check Before Installing](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/is-pc-optimization-software-safe)
- [Windows 11 Gaming Optimization: What Still Works in 2026](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/windows-11-gaming-optimization)

## More tweak explainers

- [File extensions](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/show-file-extensions)
- [Recent files in Quick Access](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-recent-files-quick-access)
- [Find my device](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-find-my-device)

---
Written by Frost LIVE, founder of Frozen Tweaks. Canonical version: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-cloud-search