Windows search not working – 10 ways to fix the problem

Some users are faced with situations where, for various reasons, Windows 10 search does not work on a computer. Problems can be different: for example, search and indexing does not work on a PC at all, or search in Windows Explorer does not work, in the search bar on the Taskbar , in the Start menu, in the Settings app, and so on.

The search function is a necessary tool in the Windows operating system, designed to search for the necessary folders and files, launch applications and system tools, etc.

Content:

1. Using the Troubleshooter in Windows 10
2. Checking the operation of the search and indexing service
3. Search bar not working in Windows 10
4. Windows 10 search not working in File Explorer
5. Search not working in Settings app
6. App search not working
7. Checking the integrity of system files in SFC
8. Restoring an earlier state of Windows
9. Restoring Windows from a System Backup
10. Reinstalling Windows
11. Windows search alternative
12. Article Conclusions

Why doesn’t Windows search work? The reasons can be very different: the Windows Search service is disabled, indexing service settings are incorrect, system files are corrupted, etc.

It is necessary to solve the problem with the work of the search, for this you will need to perform some steps to change the settings of the Windows operating system. This article contains several instructions using different methods to solve the problem.

Using the Troubleshooter in Windows 10

If Windows 10 search stopped working, the most obvious solution to this problem is to run the standard Windows troubleshooter. The built-in tool checks the operation of some typical functions of the operating system, and in case of problems, performs corrections automatically.

Go through the following steps:

1. From the Start menu, launch the Settings app.
2. Enter the Update & Security option.
3. Open the Troubleshooting section.
4. Click on the “Search and Indexing” option.
5. Click on the “Run the troubleshooter” button.

1. After scanning, the “What problems were noticed?” window will open. Select the appropriate options, and then click on the “Next” button.

1. If no problems are found or the system tool is unable to fix them, try running the troubleshooter again as an administrator.

It is possible that the problem will be solved at this stage.

Checking the operation of the search and indexing service

It makes sense to check the operation of the Windows search and indexing service. The steps to restart the Windows Search service, remove and rebuild the index will help resolve the issue.

Do the following:

1. Press the “Win” + “R” keys.
2. In the “Run” dialog box, enter the “services.msc” command, click on the “OK” button.
3. In the “Services” window, in the list of services, find the “Windows Search” service.
4. Right-click on the service name, select “Properties” in the context menu.
5. In the “Properties: Windows Search (Local Computer)” window, in the “General” tab, make sure that the “Startup type:” parameter is set to automatic startup.

1. If the service is disabled, start it.
2. Open the Control Panel in one of the convenient ways.
3. In the All Control Panel Items window, click on the Indexing Options setting.

1. In the Indexing Options window, click the Advanced button.

1. In the “Advanced” window, in the “Indexing Options” tab, in the “Troubleshooting” section, click on the “Rebuild” button.

The process of deleting and creating a new index will take some time, during which the search will not work. Wait until the search index is rebuilt. The PC must have enough free space to store the index file.

Search bar not working in Windows 10

It happens that the search bar does not work in Windows 10, or the search in the Windows 10 start does not work. You can solve the problem by making changes to the Windows system registry.

To resolve the issue, follow these steps:

1. Open the registry in one of the convenient ways.
2. In the Registry Editor application window, follow the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{ef87b4cb-f2ce-4785-8658-4ca6c63e38c6}\TopViews

1. Delete the partition named: “{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}”.

On Windows 64-bit, additionally go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{ef87b4cb-f2ce-4785-8658-4ca6c63e38c6}\TopViews

Delete the partition: “{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}”.

1. Restart your computer.

Windows 10 search not working in File Explorer

If the search function in Explorer has stopped working, you must create a new setting in the registry, and then restart the file manager.

Do the following:

1. Press the keyboard keys “Win” + “R”.
2. In the “Run” window, in the “Open” field, paste the command, and then press the “Enter” key:

REG ADD “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced” /V EnableXamlStartMenu /T REG_DWORD /D 0 /F

1. Reboot your PC.

Search not working in Settings app

Now we will try to solve the problem with the broken search in the Settings app (there is its own search bar).

Under certain conditions, you can correct the situation in this way:

1. Open Windows Explorer, and then follow the path (your username “User” may be different):

C:\Users\User\AppData\LocalPackages\windows.immersivecontrolpanel_cw5n1h2txyewyLocalState

This method works if there is an Indexed folder in the LocalState folder.

1. Right-click on the “Indexed” folder, select “Properties”.
2. In the “General” tab, click on the “Other” button.
3. In the Advanced Attributes window, check the box next to Allow the contents of files in this folder to be indexed in addition to file properties.
4. Click on the “OK” button.

Please wait a while for the content to be indexed.

App search not working

Sometimes, users are faced with the fact that file search in installed applications does not work in Windows 10. The reason may be that the option to run applications in the background is disabled in the settings on the computer.

To fix the problem, just enable this feature again:

1. Right-click on the “Start” menu, in the context menu that opens, click on “Settings”.
2. Enter “Privacy”, open the “Background Applications” section.
3. Move the switch slider to the On position, and then select applications running in the background.

Checking the integrity of system files in SFC

Windows Search may not work due to corrupted or missing system files responsible for this feature. Using the built-in system tool – SFC.exe (System File Checker), important files of the operating system are checked and restored.

If the integrity of system files is broken, scanning and repair will help solve the problem with a broken search.

You may also be interested in:

• Checking and restoring Windows system files in sfc scannow

Go through the steps:

1. Run Command Prompt as Administrator .
2. In the command line interpreter window, enter the command, and then press the “Enter” key:

sfc /scannow

1. Wait for the operation to complete.

Restoring an earlier state of Windows

In some situations where Windows search does not work, restoring the operating system from a previously created restore point can help. When restoring using Windows restore checkpoints, the user will need to go through several steps:

1. Start the OS recovery process on your computer.
2. Choose a suitable restore point, during a period of time when there were no problems with the search on the PC.
3. Wait for the operating system recovery process to complete.

You may also be interested in:

• Create a restore point and restore Windows 10

Restoring Windows from a System Backup

If the user has previously backed up the system, he can “roll back” the state of his computer at the time the backup image was created. Backup is performed by means of Windows or using third-party programs.

The user needs to start the recovery process from a system backup stored in a safe place. After performing a Windows 10 recovery, search problems will disappear on this computer.

You may also be interested in:

• Backing up Windows 10
• Restoring Windows 10 from a system backup image

Reinstalling Windows

In severe cases, if the search in Windows has stopped working and the problem cannot be solved, you will need to reinstall Windows 10. There are two options for reinstalling: a clean installation of the system or a reinstallation of Windows while preserving personal data and programs.

Read here a detailed article about different ways to reinstall Windows without losing data.

Windows search alternative

If the problem cannot be solved, and the options with reinstalling Windows do not suit you, the user can use third-party software to perform search functions in the OS.

The free Everything program instantly searches for files on your computer, and can be used as a replacement for the standard search in the Windows operating system.

Article Conclusions

On some computers, the Windows Search service stops working: Search does not work at all or in certain applications or operating system tools. The user can try to solve the problem in several ways, using various system tools, or, in extreme cases, perform an OS recovery or reinstall Windows.