Fix problems in Windows Search
- Check for updates. Windows 10 lets you choose when and how to get the latest updates to help keep your device running smoothly and securely.
- Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter. Your PC automatically indexes content to deliver faster search results. Learn more about Search indexing in Windows 10.
- Restart Windows Search or your device. End the SearchUI process to restart Windows Search. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and select Task Manager. In the Task Manager window, select the Details tab.
- Select Start, then select Settings.
- In Windows Settings, select Update & Security > Troubleshoot. Under Find and fix other problems, select Search and Indexing.
- Run the troubleshooter, and select any problems that apply. Windows will try to detect and solve them.
How to fix Windows Search not working?
Uninstall third-party start menu apps
- Launch the Windows settings app by pressing the Windows+I keyboard shortcut.
- Here, navigate to the Apps section.
- Now, again click on the Apps & Features option.
- Once done, simply click on the three-dotted icon next to the installed app and choose the uninstall option from the drop-down list.
How can I restart Windows Search Service?
Try These 10 Fixes
- Restart Your PC. When Windows Search stops working, the first thing to try is to restart your PC. ...
- Update Your PC. ...
- Relaunch Windows Search. ...
- Roll Back a Windows 11 Update. ...
- Change Windows Search Settings. ...
- Restart the Windows Search Service. ...
- Rebuild the Windows Search Index. ...
- Use Windows Search Troubleshooter. ...
- Fix Corrupt Files. ...
- Reset Your PC. ...
How to reset Windows Search on Windows 10?
Windows 10, version 1903 and later
- Download the ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1 script from the Reset Windows Search PowerShell script, and save the file to a local folder.
- Right-click the file that you saved, and select Run with PowerShell.
- If you're asked the following question, select Yes. ...
- The PowerShell script resets the Windows Search feature. ...
Why does Windows Search stop working?
Here’s how to fix it!
- Restart the Cortana/Search process This is the easiest fix for Search. To fix Search/Cortana, just right click on the taskbar and click on Task Manager. ...
- Windows Search Service For Search to work properly in Windows 10, you need to make sure the Windows Search service is working actively. ...
- Troubleshoot via Indexing Options
How do I restore Windows Search?
To fix the search functionality with the Settings app, use these steps:Open Settings.Click on Update & Security.Click on Troubleshoot.Under the "Find and fix other problems" section, select the search and Indexing option.Click the Run the troubleshooter button.
How do I fix windows search index?
To rebuild the Windows Search index, head back to Control Panel > Indexing Options. Click the Advanced button and make sure you're on the Index Settings tab of the Advanced Options window. Under the Troubleshooting section of the Advanced Options window, find and click the Rebuild button.
Why is the Windows Search bar not working?
Use the Windows Search Troubleshooter If your Windows search bar is still not working, you can try the built-in Windows troubleshooter. Press Win + I to launch the Settings app and select System from the left sidebar. From the right pane, select Troubleshoot. Under the Options section, select Other troubleshooters.
Why does my Windows 10 search not work?
One of the reasons why Windows 10 search isn't working for you is because of a faulty Windows 10 update. If Microsoft hasn't released a fix just yet, then one way of fixing search in Windows 10 is to uninstall the problematic update. To do this, return to the Settings app, then click 'Update & Security'.
How do I fix Windows Search?
End Cortana process.Restart the Search service.Rebuild the Index.Run System File Checker.Run Search and Index troubleshooter.Run DISM tool.
How do I fix my Windows button is not working?
Try the keyboard on another computer.Adjust Registry.Update keyboard drivers.You can read the post Useful Methods to Fix Windows Key Not Working in...
Why is Cortana not working?
Sometimes, the Cortana fails to work due to the issues of the user account, or the corrupted system files on the computer. To fix that, you can cho...
How do fix the Start menu not working?
Re-log into your account.Create a new user account.Run Microsoft Start menu troubleshooter.Check and Repair Windows files.Reinstall Windows Apps.Ma...
How to check if Windows Search is disabled?
Open the troubleshooter by opening the Start menu and going to Settings > Update and Security > Troubleshoot > Search and Indexing. Click the Run the troubleshooter button to go through the diagnostics. Verify the Search service is running. It's possible the Windows Search service itself has been disabled for some reason.
Why isn't my search working?
When Windows search isn't working, it's almost always a simple software problem . The system may just need a restart to get it working again. Other possible causes could be network-related or the search system itself having a service interruption.
How to rebuild indexing in Windows 10?
To help it remember, rebuild its indexing options. Start by accessing the Control Panel in Windows 10 . Select Indexing Options from the main menu icons, and then click Advanced. In the Advanced options, Click Rebuild .
How to restart Windows 10 if it's disabled?
If it's already running, right-click it or tap and hold, then select Restart. Alternatively, if it's disabled or has a blank Status, right-click or tap and hold, then select Start . Rebuild the Windows 10 search indexing options. It may be that Windows 10 has forgotten where certain files and folders are.
Can Microsoft troubleshoot a problem?
Microsoft's Windows troubleshooter may not be able to fix every problem it comes across, but it can often send you in the right direction to learn more or at least pinpoint what the actual problem might be. The same goes for problems with the Windows 10 search bar not working.
Method 1. Fix Windows search that shows blank results (2020 Update)
On February 5th, many Windows 10 users around the globe discovered that Windows search shows blank results after entering a search query. Such issue arose from a Bing integration to Windows search bug. At the moment, there is nothing you can do to make the Bing service work properly as the issue lies on Microsoft’s end.
Method 1. Restart Search services via Task Manager
One of the easiest methods to enable search in Windows is to restart Search and Cortana services via Windows Task Manager.
Method 3. Restart Windows Explorer and Cortana
In case the previous methods didn’t solve the issue with Windows search, you should try to restart Windows Explorer and Cortana.
Method 4. Employ Windows Troubleshooter
Windows Troubleshooter can help you to restore indexing services. In addition, troubleshooters are good because they do the hard work for you – you just need to run them and wait for instructions.
Method 5. Configure the size of the paging file
Press Windows key + R on your keyboard. Type sysdm.cpl and press Enter.
Method 6. Check Indexing Options
Yet another method to fix Windows 10 search that keeps loading is to slightly alter Indexing Options.
Method 7. Use Powershell commands
You can try running several commands via Powershell to fix the issue. Just copy and paste them.
How to fix Cortana not working?
Step 1: Right-click the taskbar at the bottom of your computer desktop and choose Task Manager to continue. Or you can press Ctrl, Shift and Esc keys together to open the Task Manager window directly.
How to restart Windows 10 from the context menu?
Step 1: Press the Windows key and R key together to open the Run dialog. Type services.msc in the box and hit Enter or click OK to continue. Step 2: In the Services window find Windows Search and right-click it, choose Restart from the context menu to continue .
How to fix search in Windows 10?
To fix the search functionality with the Settings app, use these steps: Open Settings. Click on Update & Security. Click on Troubleshoot. Under the "Find and fix other problems" section, select the search and Indexing option. Click the Run the troubleshooter button.
What is Windows Search?
On Windows 10, Windows Search is an essential feature that allows you to find virtually anything on your computer (such as documents, pictures, videos, system files, apps, emails, and settings) very quickly.
How to search for files on Windows 10?
Click the Start button. Click the Apply button. Click the OK button. After you complete the steps, Windows Search will enable on your computer, and you should be able to start searching for files and apps for taskbar and File Explorer again.
How to reset search feature on Windows 10?
If your device is running Windows 10 version 18069, October 2018 Update, or an earlier release, then to reset the search feature, use these steps: Open Start. Right-click Cortana from the "All apps" list. Select the More option.
Can indexing cause problems?
The indexing feature can also cause problems that can prevent returning search results on your device. If you have tried all the previous instructions, you can try rebuilding the index database to fix search problems on Windows 10. To rebuild the search index on your device, use these steps: Open Settings.
How to fix search engine on Windows 11?
An easy way to reboot Windows 11 is to right-click the Start button and go to Shut down or sign out > Restart . Open the Run dialog box.
Why isn't my search working on Windows 11?
Why Is Windows Search Not Working? Windows 11 is still in its infancy, so bugs are expected. Future updates to Windows will address bug-related search issues. Other problems might just be perceived; there are some settings, when set a certain way, which masquerade as a malfunction.
How to rebuild search index?
Rebuild the Windows 11 search index. Open Settings by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting it from the list, and then go to Search > Searching Windows > Customize search locations > Advanced > Rebuild .
Why does Microsoft release updates?
Microsoft releases updates all the time to not only add new features to Windows but to address problems as well. There could be an update you've yet to install which fixes the search problem. Undo recent changes made to your computer.
How to rebuild index?
To rebuild just the index without resetting the indexed folder locations, use these steps: Click Start, type indexing, and click on Indexing Options in search results. In case the Start menu search doesn’t work, you can launch Indexing Options directly by running the following command from Run dialog or Command Prompt.
Why is my search indexer so slow?
The search indexer has not updated the file in its database. Search may be slow due to the huge Windows.edb database . As Windows Search indexes the details and meta information of every file from included locations, your search queries fetch results quickly.
What happens if you index too many files and folders?
If you index too many files & folders and the Outlook PST files, the Windows search index database file Windows.edb would grow huge in size. In some instances, the file size can be larger than 50 GB. That’s because, in Windows 8 and Windows 10, both properties and persistent indexes are stored in Windows.edb.
How to change the search settings on Windows 10?
To change the Windows Search service settings, right-click Windows Search, and then select Properties. Some anti-virus programs and "Optimize your PC" applications disable the Windows Search service. We recommend that you don't run such applications if you want to use Search.
How to improve search indexer?
To make sure that the index reflects your changes, select Settings > Search > Searching Windows > Advanced Search Indexer Settings > Advanced > Rebuild. Let the Indexer run for up to 24 hours to rebuild the index database.
How to change how the indexer treats specific file types?
To control how the indexer treats specific file types, open Indexing Options, and select Advanced > File Types. You can change how the Indexer treats specific file types (identified by file extension) or add and configure new file types.
How to check if Outlook has more than 6 million items?
For more information, go to the "Change Outlook settings" section. To check the number of indexed items, select Settings > Search > Searching Windows, and then check the value of Indexed items.
