Fix problems in Windows Search

If Windows Search is unresponsive or the search results don’t appear as expected, try any of the following solutions in this article.

If you’re running Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903) or later versions and Windows can detect a problem, we’ll run the Search troubleshooter automatically. This troubleshooter will reset Windows Search back to the default experience. View your troubleshooter history under Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > View History. Follow the steps below if your issue is still not resolved.

Original product version: В Windows 10 — all editions
Original KB number: В 4520146

Check for updates

Windows 10 lets you choose when and how to get the latest updates to keep your device running smoothly and securely. To manage your options and see any available updates, select the Start button, and then go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates. Install any available updates, and then restart your computer if the updates require it.

For more information, see Update Windows 10.

Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter

Your PC automatically indexes content to deliver faster search results. Learn more about Search indexing in Windows 10.

Use the Windows Search and Indexing troubleshooter to try to fix any problems that may arise. To use the troubleshooter, follow these steps:

1. Select Start, then select Settings.
2. In Windows Settings, select Update & Security >Troubleshoot. Under Find and fix other problems, select Search and Indexing.
3. Run the troubleshooter, and select any problems that apply. Windows will try to detect and solve them.

You can also use a command prompt to open the troubleshooter. Press Windows logo key+R, enter cmd in the Open box, and then select OK. At the command prompt, run the following command:

Restart Windows Search or your device

End the SearchUI process to restart Windows Search by following these steps:

1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and select Task Manager.
2. In the Task Manager window, select the Details tab.
3. In the Name column, right-click SearchUI.exe, and then select End task.
4. When you’re prompted to end SearchUI.exe, select End process.

The Windows Search process will automatically restart the next time that you search.

If this solution doesn’t fix your problem, try restarting your device. Restarting will also install any pending updates.

You may want to bookmark this page before you restart.

Reset Windows Search

Try resetting Windows Search by using the method that’s appropriate for your version of Windows.

To determine which version of Windows your device is running, follow these steps:

Select Start > Settings > System > About.

Under Windows specifications, check which version of Windows your device is running.

Resetting Windows Search does not affect your files. However, it may temporarily affect the relevance of search results.

Windows 10, version 1809 and earlier

If the Windows 10 October 2018 Update or an earlier update is installed, reset Cortana to reset Windows Search by following these steps:

1. Select Start, right-click Cortana, select More, and then select App settings.
2. In the Cortana settings, select Reset.

Windows 10, version 1903 and later

If the Windows 10 May 2019 Update or a later update is installed, use Windows PowerShell to reset Windows Search by following these steps:

You must have administrator permissions to run this script.

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.

Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?

The PowerShell script resets the Windows Search feature. When the word Done appears, close the PowerShell window.

If you receive the following error message:

Cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system

enter the following command on the command line of the PowerShell window, and then press Enter:

The current policy appears in the window. For example, you might see Restricted. We recommend that you note this value because you’ll have to use it later.

Enter the following command on the command line of the PowerShell window, and then press Enter:

You’ll receive a warning message that explains the security risks of an execution policy change. Press Y, and then press Enter to accept the change.

To learn more about PowerShell execution policies, see About Execution Policies.

After the policy change is completed, close the window, and then repeat steps 2-4. However, when the Done message appears this time, DON’T close the PowerShell window. Instead, press any key to continue.

Revert to your previous PowerShell execution policy setting. Enter the following command on the command line of the PowerShell window, press the Spacebar, enter the policy value that you noted in step 5, and then press Enter:

For example, if the policy that you noted in step 5 was Restricted, the command would resemble the following one:

You’ll receive a warning message that explains the security risks of an execution policy change. Press Y, and then press Enter to accept the change and revert to your previous policy setting.

Close the PowerShell window.

If your organization has disabled the ability to run scripts, contact your administrator for help.

Help us improve Search in Windows 10

If the previous suggestions don’t fix the problem, let us know by sending feedback in the Feedback Hub. Provide details, such as a description of the problem, screenshots, log files, and any other information that might be helpful. In the Feedback Hub, select the appropriate category and subcategory. In this case, submit your feedback in the Cortana and Search category.

FIX: Windows 10 can’t type in search box

• If you’re in a hurry and need to quickly access a Windows 10 feature, then that is when the Windows search box definitely comes in handy.
• There are plenty of reasons why the search box may have issues in Windows 10, and we will be covering them, as well as their solutions, in the article below.
• Make sure to check out our Windows 10 Hub, for more detailed guides and tutorials.
• You’ll be running into plenty of PC issues, so make sure you also look at our dedicated Fix Hub.

1. Download Restoro PC Repair Tool that comes with Patented Technologies (patent available here).
2. Click Start Scan to find Windows issues that could be causing PC problems.
3. Click Repair All to fix issues affecting your computer’s security and performance

• Restoro has been downloaded by 0 readers this month.

The Windows 10 search bar makes it easy to search for the files as well as the apps installed on your computer. You can access the search bar by pressing the Windows key.

Sometimes, the Windows 10 search box may not work. Several users have reported Windows 10 can’t type in search box issue in the Microsoft community.

After I updated to Windows 10 the search box on the taskbar was working.
A few days later I discovered that I couldn’t search anything from this box.
If you have fixed this or know how to fix please share your knowledge as I rely on the search box.

If you are also having this issue, in this article we are exploring how to fix the Windows 10 search bar not working.

How can I fix the search box not working in Windows 10?

1. Use a dedicated file finder/search software

One of the easiest solutions to avoid such errors especially when you really need to find something very quickly on your PC is to have third-party file search software installed on your PC.

We recommend you check the Copernic Desktop search, which is a leader on the market. This software will let you search through your files and folders by creating an index while executing the search command.

The program is available for free but it does not allow more than 100 file types. If you lost important files with specific software extensions that are not included in those over 100 searchable file types, you will need to get a paid license.

Copernic Desktop Search

2. Use PowerShell command

1. Right-click on Start.
2. Click on the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option.
   
3. In the PowerShell window, type the following command and press Enter to execute the command.

• • Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object <$_.InstallLocation -like "*SystemApps*">| Foreach

After the command is executed, close the PowerShell window.

Press the Windows Key and try to search for any keyword in the search bar.

If the issue persists, try the following PowerShell command.

1. Right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
2. Click on File and select Run New Task.
3. In the Run box, check the create this task with administrative privileges option.
   
4. Type PowerShell and click OK.
   
   
5. In the PowerShell window, type the following command and press Enter:
   1. • $manifest = (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore).InstallLocation + ‘AppxManifest.xml’ ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest
6. Once the command is executed, close the PowerShell window.

3. Execute an alternative user input file

1. Open File Explorer and go to C:Windowssystem32.
2. Inside the directory, search for ctfmon.exe.
3. Right-click on ctfmon.exe and click Open.
   
   
4. Close the File Explorer.

4. Restart Cortana process

1. Right-click on the Taskbar and open Task Manager.
2. Locate the Cortana process in the Process tab and select it.
3. Click on the End Task button to kill the process.
4. Close and click on the search bar again to restart the Cortana process.

How to enable or disable Windows Search in Windows 8/7

If you find that the search box is missing in the start menu and the Windows Explorer, then here is what you need to do. By following this tutorial, you will be able to enable or disable Windows Search in Windows 8, Windows 7 or Windows Vista.

Search Box is missing

In Windows Explorer :

Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > Turn Windows Features on or off.

Check ‘Windows Search’ to get it back.

To disable Windows Search, uncheck the option. Click OK and for Windows to configure the settings.

Restart your computer.

TIP: See this post if the Windows 10 Search bar is missing.

Disable Windows Search

Using Windows Registry

Alternatively or additionally, you may also have to check if this registry key exists. Open Registry Editor and navigate to the following registry key:

If a value called NoFind exists in the right pane, delete it. A value 1 would mean that search and the following features have been disabled:

• The Search item is removed from the Start menu, and the right-click context menu.
• The system does not respond when users press F3 or Win+F
• The search item does not appear in the drive or folder right click context menu.
• The search item may appear on the Standard Buttons toolbar, but Windows will not respond when you press CTRL+F.

If the key does not exist or has a value 0 then it is the default state; i.e., Search is enabled.

It is always a good idea to back up the registry or create a system restore point first before touching the Windows Registry.

Using Group Policy Editor

You can also open Group Policy Editor and navigate to:

Ensure that Remove Search link from Start Menu is Disabled or Not Configured.

This should help.

If you turn off Windows Search the following things could happen:

1. All the search boxes in Windows will disappear
2. Programs that rely on Windows Search, including Internet Explorer, will not function properly.
3. Tablet PC handwriting recognition won’t work.
4. Windows Media Center won’t have enhanced search capability.
5. You’ll no longer be able to arrange your library views by metadata, and your column headers will only sort items, not stack or group them.
6. Options that affect Windows Search functionality will be removed, including indexing in Control Panel and the Search tab in Folder Options.
7. Windows will no longer recognize these search-based file types like search-ms, searchconnector-ms, and osdx.

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