Learn How to Fix Windows 10 Search – Troubleshooting the Search Bar When It Stops Working
Windows 10’s new search bar can save you significant time every day by searching everything from documents to installed software. However, if you encounter issues with this feature, you should be able to fix Windows 10 Search without much hassle. We’ll walk you through the important steps in detail. Often, the search bar remains blank, fails to locate programs, or stops working altogether. Instead of undergoing a full system repair, let’s focus on some key points that we’ll outline below. Most of the time, the solution is easier than you might think.
- Install the Latest Updates and Restart Your PC
- Use the Built-in Troubleshooter
- Repair the Search Process and Reset Windows 10
- Reactivate the Search Bar
- Restore All Default Apps to Factory Settings
- Check Cortana and Fix Windows Search
1. Install the Latest Updates and Restart Your PC
Start by installing the latest updates and restarting your PC. To do this, press the Windows logo key along with the letter I, or click the gear icon to access settings. Navigate to Update & Security and click on Windows Update. Click the Check for updates button and allow any found updates to download and install. Once updates are installed, restart your PC. Restarting can resolve many issues by ending processes that would otherwise continue running in the background.
2. Use the Built-in Troubleshooter
Windows 10 comes equipped with many built-in troubleshooting features. To utilize these:
- Stay in the Update & Security settings or open them again using Windows logo key + I.
- Select the Troubleshoot tab on the left margin.
- Click on Additional troubleshooters at the bottom.
- Find the Search and Indexing button under Find and fix other problems.
- Click Run the troubleshooter to repair your Windows 10 Search automatically.
3. Repair the Search Process and Reset Windows 10
Next, focus on the process behind the search bar, SearchUI. This can scan the entire hard drive, useful for finding duplicate files. Here’s how to restart it:
- Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- Navigate to the Details tab.
- Look for the SearchUI process or SearchApp.exe if you don’t see it.
- Right-click and choose End Task. This will restart the process and potentially fix Windows 10 Search.
4. Reactivate the Search Bar
Sometimes, the search bar might be disabled. Reactivating it may solve the issue:
- Open the Run command with Windows logo key + R.
- Type services.msc and hit Enter.
- Select Windows Search from the list of services.
- Double-click to open its properties and ensure the startup type is set to Automatic.
- Click OK to confirm.
5. Restore All Default Apps to Factory Settings
Preinstalled applications often cause issues. To restore default applications:
- Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator by pressing Windows logo key + X.
- Copy and paste the following command: Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xmlâ€}
- Press Enter to execute the command and reinstall default applications.
- Restart your PC for changes to take effect.
6. Check Cortana and Fix Windows Search
If none of the above steps work, the issue might be with Cortana:
- Navigate to the folder %LOCALAPPDATA%Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewyLocalState using File Explorer.
- Delete all contents within the folder and then delete the LocalState folder itself.
- Restart your PC. This will regenerate the folder automatically.
If you don’t need Cortana, consider disabling it to avoid future issues. This might help you use Windows 10 seamlessly without having to fix the search function repeatedly.