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Microsoft Bing: cited AI answers and Rewards points from the web's number two engine
Updated on September 15, 2026
Microsoft Bing is Microsoft's search engine, launched in 2009 and now the second largest worldwide behind Google. Its Copilot Search mode, rolled out in April 2025, writes full answers above the classic links, with cited sources attached. Everything is free, with no account or install required. The whole experience runs in dozens of languages, French included.
Pros
- Free AI answers with clickable sources
- Image generation included via the Designer engine
- Microsoft Rewards points earned on every search
- Built into Windows and the Edge browser
- No account required for searching
Cons
- Results can trail Google on rare, niche queries
- Ads sit at the top of result pages
- Some features vary by country
Copilot Search, the AI layer on top of Bing results
Copilot Search reads, cross-checks and summarizes web pages, then displays an organized answer along with the links that fed it. The mode opens with one button from the results page, carrying over the query you already typed.
In practice, you type a plain-language question, Bing rephrases it, runs several searches in parallel and assembles the summary. A dedicated button even reveals the reasoning behind the answer (handy when you want to check the machine's homework). Follow-up questions then keep the session going, chat style.
Under the hood sit large language models wired to Microsoft's own index, a recipe the company has been refining since Bing Chat arrived in February 2023.
Official walkthrough of Copilot Search in Bing
Generated images, visual search and points that pay
Search here goes well beyond links. Bing includes image generation from a written description, powered by the Designer engine and free of charge, enough to hold its own against many dedicated AI image generators.
Add visual search from a photo, a shopping price comparator and the Microsoft Rewards program crediting points on every query. You end up coming back more often than planned.
| Feature | What you get |
|---|---|
| Copilot Search | Written answer with cited sources |
| Classic search | Web links, images, videos, news |
| Image creation | Pictures generated from a text description |
| Shopping | Price comparison and deals |
| Microsoft Rewards | Points redeemable for gift cards |
Bing by the numbers, and what it means for SEO
Holding 5.13% of the global market in early 2026 according to StatCounter, and over 12% on desktop, Bing remains Google's main rival. Its index also feeds Copilot answers across Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365.
If you publish on the web, the AI Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools tracks how often your pages appear in AI answers, including a share-of-citations metric Microsoft was the first major engine to expose to site owners.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Bing free?
Yes, Bing is completely free, Copilot Search answers and image creation included. Searching is funded by ads shown in the results, with no subscription of any kind. A Microsoft account stays optional and mainly serves to collect Rewards points and get the most out of image generation.
Is Bing better than Google?
Google still dominates global search and keeps an edge on very specific queries, but Bing scores elsewhere. Its AI answers cite their sources, its image generator comes built in, and Microsoft Rewards pays you back for searching. On desktop, more than 12% of queries already go through it.
Does Bing Chat still exist?
No, Bing Chat was renamed Microsoft Copilot in late 2023, when Microsoft gathered its AI assistants under a single brand. The idea stays the same, a conversational assistant wired to Bing's index, reachable from the search engine, Edge and Windows. Copilot Search is its search-side extension.
Are my Bing searches used to train AI models?
Not for professional Entra ID accounts, which fall under Microsoft's Enterprise Data Protection, meaning conversations do not train the models. For individuals, exchanges are encrypted and history can be deleted from Microsoft account settings. Content filters also apply across all AI-generated answers.
Verdict: Preloaded on millions of PCs and free from end to end, Bing makes sense for anyone living in Windows, Edge or Microsoft 365, and for the curious who want sourced AI answers without spending a cent.
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