Azure GPT-5.1-Codex-Max does not support web search tool (learn.microsoft.com)

Microsoft has clarified that the newly announced Azure GPT-5.1-Codex-Max model does not support the web_search_preview tool within its Azure OpenAI Responses API. This decision highlights that the feature is currently absent from Azure's implementation, rather than being a matter of user permissions or access. For developers seeking web search capabilities, Microsoft advises using the OpenAI API, where the tool is available. This situation is significant for the AI/ML community as it underscores the differences between Azure's offerings and OpenAI’s native tools. While the Azure model lacks direct web search capabilities, it does provide alternative functionalities such as Grounding with Bing Search and Deep Research for multi-step reasoning. These features can enhance the AI's contextual understanding by incorporating real-time web data into interactions. This development reflects ongoing efforts to improve AI's usability and integration with web resources, which are crucial for applications requiring up-to-date information.