I found it!
How to turn off the annoying web-search in the windows11 task-bar:
Use regedit to add a new dword (32 bits) to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
Name the dword as "BingSearchEnabled" and set it's value to zero.
Tada: Now you can use the windows key to type the name of the app you'd like to run without the clutter and delay of pointless web-searches, and without MS getting send the details of every app you run, and without accidentally launching Edge whenever you click the wrong thing in that useless pile of search results.