Windows 11’s internet speed test currently redirects to a Bing search to facilitate the test
This is clunky to say the least — and an annoying piece of Bing promotion — but now Microsoft is changing things
In a new preview build the speed test is fully integrated into Windows 11 — as it should have been in the first place
Microsoft has thought better of one of the methods it was using to push Bing in Windows 11 — via an internet speed test — and we can but hope that maybe it’s seeing sense from a broader perspective about such promotional trickery. Windows Central reports that, in a recent preview release for Windows 11 (build 26340. 9767), Microsoft has applied some changes to the Quick Settings panel (accessed via the taskbar). In the release notes, Microsoft says : "We’re making it faster and easier to check the performance of your internet connection in Windows. Windows Insiders can now run an internet speed test and see the results directly in Quick Settings, without being redirected to a browser." As it stands, when using this feature it simply opens an online speed test in your default browser — but it’s in the Bing search page (giving Microsoft some web traffic, of course). With this change it’s actually a native speed test that works in Windows 11, as it should always have been in the first place. You can start the new speed test from Quick Settings, or access it by right-clicking on the network icon in the system tray on the right of the taskbar. Note that this is just in testing for now, and it’s still at an early stage (the Experimental channel), but it should eventually come to all Windows 11 users…