Platform changelog
Bing updates and changes
Every Bing change Optimixed has covered in the last 90 days, newest first. Each entry shows where the change stands and links to the full story.
- Test19Test
- Beta3Beta
- Rolling out1Rolling out
- Available1Available
- Policy change2Policy change
October 2026
- Oct 20TestBing tests removing sitelinks from search result snippets
SERoundtable reports Bing is testing the removal of sitelinks from search result snippets, with inconsistent behavior across browser sessions.
Affects: Sitelinks in organic search snippets
- Oct 17TestRank tracker logs Google indexing gaps; ChatGPT tracking tags disappear; Google and Bing update AI search links
Rank trackers detected indexing fluctuations on Google, ChatGPT lost tracking parameters on some links, and Google and Bing altered their AI search result links.
Affects: Inline links in AI Mode and AI Overviews, Preferred Sources carousels, Topics Portfolio in AI Performance report
- Oct 16TestBing tests read more links within search result snippets
Bing is testing read more links in search snippets, following Google's earlier move to add the same UI element.
Affects: Read More links in organic search result snippets
- Oct 14BetaBing Webmaster Tools adds topic view for AI search queries and competitor citation tracking
Bing's webmaster tools now organize AI-cited queries by topic and show where competitors are cited but your site isn't.
Affects: Topics Portfolio, AI Performance report, Top Opportunity Queries
- Oct 13BetaBing launches tool showing sites where competitors are cited in AI search results and yours aren't
Bing is showing websites which AI-generated search queries cite competing sites instead of theirs, highlighting citation gaps in AI search results.
Affects: Topics Portfolio, AI Performance report, Top Opportunity Queries · Effective: October 13, 2026
- Oct 13BetaBing introduces Topics Portfolio feature for AI performance reporting in Webmaster Tools
Microsoft Bing launched Topics Portfolio in Webmaster Tools to help publishers analyze their content's thematic distribution, demand, and competitive positioning.
Affects: Topics Portfolio, AI Performance report, Opportunity Queries
- Oct 12TestMicrosoft begins testing Decision-1 scoring model in Bing and Copilot
Microsoft is testing its newly announced Decision-1 scoring model across Bing Search and Copilot to improve latency and decision-making quality.
Affects: Microsoft-Decision-1 model
- Oct 9TestBing is testing a borderless local pack design
Bing is testing a design variant that removes the outline border normally surrounding local pack results.
Affects: Local pack results
- Oct 9TestBing is testing faded line separators in its search results
Bing is experimenting with faded line separators in its search results interface.
Affects: line separators in search results
- Oct 9TestBing tests removing favicons from search result snippets
Bing is experimenting with stripping favicons from its search result snippets, reducing the visual richness of the results page.
Affects: Favicons in search result snippets
- Oct 2AvailableShopify automatically enrolls all stores in new AI shopping channels by default
Shopify has enabled automatic enrollment in new AI shopping channels for all merchants, currently including Meta and unnamed startups.
Affects: Shopify Catalog access, Direct checkout, Agentic storefronts channels · Effective: September 8, 2026
- Oct 2TestBing adds 'Recommended By' label to product search results, linking to retailers rather than recommenders
Bing is testing a new 'Recommended By' label in product search results, though product links route to retailers rather than the recommending entity.
Affects: Product results recommended by section
September 2026
- Sep 30TestBing is testing product feature labels on search listings
Bing is testing descriptive feature labels (like
Affects: product feature labels on product listings
- Sep 25TestBing Testing Editable Labels on Images in Search Results
Bing is testing an editable icon on search images that lets users modify them using Bing's AI image editing feature.
Affects: Editable image labels, Customize button on Bing Search images
- Sep 25TestBing Tests Replacing Copilot With AI Mode in Search Tabs
Microsoft is testing renaming Bing's Copilot search tab to AI Mode, aligning its naming with Google's terminology.
Affects: Copilot Search tab, AI Mode tab label
- Sep 24TestBing tests expandable sitelinks that display descriptions on hover
Bing is testing a new sitelinks interface variant that displays link descriptions when users hover over individual sitelinks.
Affects: expandable sitelinks with hover descriptions
- Sep 23Rolling outBaidu Now Measures AI Citations with Click-Through Rate Based on Citations Rather Than Impressions
Baidu's new AI Traffic Analysis report measures click-through rate by dividing clicks by citations rather than impressions, creating a different engagement metric for AI-driven results.
Affects: AI Traffic Analysis report, AI Citations, AI Clicks, AI CTR
- Sep 17TestMicrosoft testing new labels on Bing product carousels including Top Picks, Price Drop, and Sale
Microsoft is testing new labels on Bing product carousels to highlight Top Picks, Price Drops, Sales, and other attributes.
Affects: Product carousels, Top Picks label, Price Drop label, Sale label
- Sep 16TestBing adds shopping filters to left sidebar, mirroring Google's layout
Bing is testing left-sidebar shopping filters in its search results to align more closely with Google's interface.
Affects: Shopping filters in the left sidebar of Bing search results
- Sep 4TestBing Is Testing Bolded HTTPS URLs in Search Snippets
Microsoft is testing a subtle visual tweak to highlight HTTPS in Bing search result URLs by bolding the protocol portion.
Affects: HTTPS portion of result URLs, sponsored result display
- Sep 2TestBing removes site names from search result snippets, showing URLs only
Microsoft is testing the removal of site names from Bing search results, displaying URLs instead—a test Google ran about a year prior.
Affects: site names in organic search snippets
August 2026
- Aug 31Policy changeMicrosoft requires login to use Copilot, but Copilot Search answers in Bing remain accessible without signing in
Microsoft now requires all Copilot users to log in, though the restriction doesn't yet apply to Copilot Search answers within Bing.
Affects: Copilot sign-in requirement, Copilot Search answers in Bing Search
- Aug 27TestMicrosoft Tests Renaming Copilot Search to AI Overviews on Bing
Microsoft is testing a rebrand of its Bing Copilot Search answer box to "AI Overviews," matching Google's terminology.
Affects: AI answer box label (Copilot Search)
- Aug 26TestBing Is Testing a New Shorts Tab to Filter Short Videos in Search Results
Bing is testing a dedicated "Shorts" tab in its search menu to filter short-form video results from platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
Affects: Shorts filter tab in the Bing search menu
- Aug 18TestBing Tests Underlining and Hyperlinking in Related Searches Section
Bing is experimenting with underlining and hyperlinking text in its related searches section.
Affects: Related searches for section, Search refinements · Effective: August 10, 2026
- Aug 3Policy changeBing Retiring Legacy SOAP/POX APIs: What You Need to Know by August 2026
Microsoft will retire Bing Webmaster Tools' legacy SOAP/POX APIs on August 31, 2026, requiring users to migrate to the REST/JSON API version.
Affects: Bing Webmaster Tools SOAP/POX APIs, JSON/HTTP (REST) API · Effective: August 31, 2026