While Windows upgrades bring new features from time to time, they can occasionally cause problems. There are many things that don’t work as you want them to. Like, for many users, Windows Search is one of the features that continue malfunctioning in most PCs. While checking some forums, I’ve seen many users have complaints about Windows 10 Search not working.
If that is the case with you too, do not worry as this article is going to feature some easy ways to fix Windows 10 Search not working issue.
What Happens When Windows 10 Search Doesn’t Work?
We have seen many times in Windows 10 that the Search button doesn’t work. It means when you click on it to find something search panel won’t open at all keeping users in worry. While some users have reported that even after opening the search panel, they are unable to type something in it.
There were some complaints too that once the search panel is opened and you have typed something, it won’t show any search results and it will be all blank box.
Whatever the reasons are, you have come to the right place if Windows 10 Search not working on your machine. In this article, you will go through various search-related issues on a Windows 10 machine and how to solve it.
How to Fix Windows 10 Search Not Working
So, let’s just not keep waiting, find all the possible solutions that we think will be able to help you to fix Windows 10 Search not working issue. Let’s check them one by one:
1. Restart your Computer
The first thing you should do is restart your Windows 10 computer. Sometimes a simple answer saves you from wasting time fussing with your otherwise excellent system. So make a backup of your work and restart your computer.
2. How to Fix Windows 10 Search Not Working by Enabling Search Service
For the Windows 10 Search functionality to perform effectively, the Search service must be running. Here’s how to enable Search Service so that it will be running every time when you boot up your computer.
Check the below steps to enable Windows 10 Search service:
- Open the Task Manager by right-clicking on the Task Menu icon to launch it.
- Once the Task Manager is open, select the Services tab from the top menu. On the bottom of the screen, click on Open Services.
- The Services window will appear on the screen. Look for Windows Search at the bottom of the page by scrolling down. Select Restart from the context menu by right-clicking on it.
- To access the properties of Windows Search, double-click on it. Make sure the Automatic option is selected in the Startup type box (Delayed Start).
If Manual is displayed, select Automatic from the drop-down box. To start the service, you need to click on the Start Button if it is not running.
After doing that, click on Apply and then OK so that changes will take effect.
Restart your PC after doing all this. This is the first thing you need to do if your Windows 10 Search is not working. Hopefully, this will help you to enable the Search function. If not, check out the below solutions to resolve the problem.
3. How to Fix Windows 10 Search Not Working by Restarting Few Tasks
To make Windows Search operate, you must restart a few activities from the Task Manager. Some of these are Windows Explorer, Cortana, and Search. Check how you can restart various tasks in Windows 10 using Task Manager by following the below steps.
- Select Task Manager from the Start Menu icon by right-clicking on it. You may also pick Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar.
- If you see a minimised version of the Task Manager, click on more details. Click the Processes tab if the larger version of Task Manager appears.
- Look for Windows Explorer by scrolling down a little below under Processes Tab. Click on Windows Explorer and then select the Restart option.
Check if Windows 10 Search is working or not, hopefully doing this will resolve the problem. If the same problem persists, click the End Task or Restart option to restart the Cortana and Search Task by following the same above method.
4. How to Fix Windows 10 Search Not Working Using PowerShell command.
On the Microsoft user support page, it is suggested that you use PowerShell to perform a command to resolve Windows Search difficulties. Check out how to use the PowerShell command to fix Windows 10 Search not working issue. Follow the steps below to proceed:
- Select Windows PowerShell (Admin) option from the Start Menu by right-clicking on it.
- It will open a new Windows PowerShell (Admin) window, paste the following command and press Enter on the keyboard.
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like “*SystemApps*”} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
Once the command is executed, close the Windows PowerShell Window and restart your computer. Then go to Windows Search and hopefully the issue will be resolved.
5. How to Fix Windows 10 Search Not Working by Verifying Keyboard Language
Check your keyboard language if you can’t type in Windows Search or other places on your computer. Ensure you’re using a compatible language. To check the language you are using for the Keyboard, follow the below steps:
- Open Settings Menu by clicking on the Windows icon in the bottom left-hand corner.
- Once the Settings Menu is opened, you need to click on Time & Language to proceed further.
- From the left sidebar, select Region & Language. From the right-hand side window, click on the Advanced Keyboard Settings option
- A new window will open with Keyboard advanced settings. Choose Use language list (Recommended) from the Override for Default Input Method section.
If it is already selected as mentioned below, you need not do anything. Move on with another solution to fix Windows 10 Search not working issue.
6. How to Fix Windows 10 Search Not Working by Checking Search Settings
There are chances that everything is right with your Windows Search but some particular settings are throwing tantrums. To check, follow the steps below.
- On your PC, go to the Settings and Search on Your Computer after this.
- Check to see whether any of the settings result in an error.
- Try to enable/disable that particular setting and see if doing so fixes the search problem on your Windows 10 PC.
7. How to Fix Windows 10 Search Not Working by Using Troubleshooter
Using the built-in Troubleshooting settings is another option for resolving Windows 10 Search not working problem. To do so, check how you can run Troubleshooter in Windows 10 by following the below commands:
- Open Settings on your computer. Once the Settings menu is opened, click on Update & Security option to proceed further.
- From the left sidebar, select Troubleshoot. Select Search and Indexing from the Troubleshoot menu on the right side. If the option isn’t visible, go to Additional troubleshooters, then Search and Indexing.
- Once you click on the Search and Indexing option, press on Run the Troubleshooter from the drop-down.
On the next screen, check the boxes next to the issues you’re having and then click Next. To finish the troubleshooting process, follow the on-screen directions.
You need to restart the computer once the Troubleshooting process is ended. This will help you to fix the Windows 10 Search problem without any issues.
8. How to Resolve Windows 10 Search Not Working by Running a Command
CTFMON.EXE is a Windows 10 application that monitors the keyboard, speech recognition, handwriting recognition, and other input services. If you can’t type in Windows Search, you’ll need to enable it.
- Open the Run window to do so. Press the Windows key + R simultaneously on your keyboard to open Run Command.
- Alternatively, right-click on Start Menu icon. A drop-down menu will appear and select Run from here.
- In the Run console, paste the
C:WindowsSystem32ctfmon.exe command and press Enter on keyboard.
Once you do that, start the Windows Search program. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find your files and papers with no problems.
9. How to Fix Windows 10 Search Not Working by Rebuilding the Search Index
Broken or outdated indexes can potentially cause issues with Windows Search. You’ll need to rebuild the Search Index to repair it, as illustrated in the steps below:
- Type Control Panel in the Task Bar Menu search bar. Click on Control Panel from the list of search results.
- When the Control Panel appears, make sure Small Icons or Big Icons is selected by clicking on View by mode.
- Select Indexing Options from the Control Panel window.
- Once you click on Indexing Options, click on Advanced option.
- Once you click on the Advanced option, you need to click on Rebuild button. This will start rebuilding the search index.
Once the indexing process is complete, restart your computer. This will hopefully work to resolve Windows 10 search not working issue.
Conclusion
We hope that one of the above options has resolved the issue with Windows 10 Search not working. If none of the preceding options worked, go to the Microsoft support page, which also has a few remedies for Windows Search issues.
While you are at it looking to fix Windows 10 Search not working issue, do let us know in the comments section below to know which of the solution worked for you. This will help our readers to find the best possible solution instantly.
