Does Turn off all in Copilot's source picker also disable web search?

Definition: No. In Microsoft Copilot Chat, the Turn off all control in the Change data sources menu turns off all data sources except web search. Web search still depends on the account, license, organization settings, and controls that Microsoft makes available.

Key facts

• Microsoft calls the source picker the Change data sources menu and says its toggles control which sources Copilot can reference when generating a response. Microsoft's source controls help names the menu and its purpose.
• The Turn off all button leaves web search enabled while turning off the other data sources listed in that menu. Microsoft's source controls help states the exception explicitly.
• Web search can use publicly available information and sends a short query generated from the prompt to Bing. Microsoft's web-search help describes that process.
• An administrator can control access with the Allow web search in Copilot policy, which Microsoft says applies to Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Copilot Chat. Microsoft Learn's web-search controls describes the policy scope.
• Copilot Chat shows a Sources button below a response when web search is used, and that view includes the exact query sent to Bing and the sources used. Microsoft's web-search help documents the review step.

What does Turn off all change?

Microsoft's instructions place the control in Copilot Chat's Add and manage sources button, then the Change data sources menu. The menu contains toggles for the sources that Copilot can reference while generating a response. The Turn off all button is a bulk action for that menu. Microsoft's wording says it turns off all data sources except for web search, so selecting it does not switch off web search.

The same page describes web searches, work data and connections, and Copilot Memory as possible sources. It also describes Work IQ as a separate toggle for whether Copilot Chat can reference work data such as emails, Teams messages, and files. The exception therefore concerns the source menu's bulk action, while web search has its own availability controls.

What still controls web search?

The exception keeps web search outside the bulk action, but it does not override Microsoft's other controls. Microsoft's web-search documentation says availability can vary with the account type, license, and organization settings. For a work or school account, the organization may control whether web search is available.

Microsoft Learn identifies Allow web search in Copilot as the primary IT admin policy for access to web search. If an administrator turns web search off, the Web content toggle is dimmed and users cannot turn it on. If the organization allows web search, a user can turn it off from the web-search setting. The two controls answer different questions: Turn off all selects sources for a prompt, while the web-search controls determine whether web retrieval is available.

How does Copilot use and show web search?

When web search is enabled, Copilot generates a short Bing query from a few words in the prompt or an uploaded file. Microsoft's documentation says the full prompt or file is not used as the query unless it is already very short, with New York City weather as its example. Copilot then uses the Bing results to add relevant web content to the response.

The documented path for the user-level setting is:

Copilot Chat
  Settings and more
  Chat settings
  Personalization
  Advanced
  Web search

After a response, the Sources button opens the query and source list. Microsoft also says Copilot Chat responses include inline citations next to the information generated from sources.

Related terms

• Microsoft Copilot
• Copilot Search in Bing
• Microsoft Copilot advertising

FAQ

Does Turn off all turn off Work IQ?

No. Microsoft's source controls help describes Work IQ as a separate toggle for referencing work data, while Turn off all leaves web search as the exception in the data sources menu.

Can a user turn web search back on after an administrator disables it?

No. Microsoft says the Web content toggle appears dimmed when the administrator turns off web search, and the user cannot turn it on. The web-search help directs a work or school account user to contact the administrator when organizational settings disable the feature.

Does Copilot send the full prompt to Bing?

Copilot sends a short query generated from a few words in the prompt or an uploaded file. Microsoft's documentation gives New York City weather as an example of a prompt short enough to be used as the query.

Sources

1. Microsoft Support, "Control and review sources of Microsoft Copilot Chat's responses", 31 August 2026
2. Microsoft Support, "How web search works in Microsoft Copilot Chat and agents", 1 October 2026
3. Microsoft Learn, "Data, privacy, and security for web search in Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Copilot Chat", 18 August 2026
4. Microsoft Learn, "Manage Microsoft Copilot Chat", 12 October 2026

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