How to Fix Windows Search Not Working

If your Windows search is not working, it is mainly due to a recently downloaded Windows update, interference from the bing search utility, stopped Windows search service and corrupted system files. These are the most common causes that can trigger this issue.

Usually, Windows search stops giving search results after installing a buggy Windows update, preventing you from using the Windows search utility. However, it can easily fix by clicking on the empty area on Windows search, but it is not a permanent solution. You need to follow the following methods to fix this issue permanently. If one of the solutions does not work for you, try other solutions, as they all have worked for the affected users in different scenarios.

1. Restart File Explorer

As a first solution, we recommend restarting Windows explorer before going through the other fixes. Windows Explorer handles the taskbar, start menu and others. Hence, if there is a temporary bug causing this issue, restarting Windows explorer will help. Here are the steps:

1. Right-click the taskbar and then click Task Manager
2. Once the task manager is opened, select Windows Explorer and then click Restart
   

   

3. Once done, check if the issue is fixed.

2. Disable Bing Search From Registry

It has been seen that the bing search prevents the Windows search utility from returning the results. There is a high possibility that your Windows search is not responding due to interference from the bing search. Therefore, try disabling the bing search from the registry editor to fix this issue.

1. Press the Win + R to open Run Window
2. Type regedit and click OK
   

   

3. Go to the following directory and then right-click on the empty space on the right pane

   Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

4. Hover New and click DWORD (32-bit) Value
   

   

5. Name it BingSearchEnabled
   
6. Then, double-click on the entry to make sure that its value data is 0. If it’s not 0, then change it to 0

   

7. Once done, click OK, close the registry editor, and restart your computer for the change to take effect.

3. Run Search And Indexing Troubleshooter

Another good solution to this issue is to run the search and indexing troubleshooter, which often fixes the Windows search as it restarts the Windows search component and fixes the problems related to the search indexing.

If you don’t know about the index,  it is a feature that is used to find text in a file or a particular file or folder in less than a second. Even though it makes the Windows search feature fast and responsive, it can also lead you to this issue if your Windows is not able to index properly. Therefore, try running the search and indexing troubleshooter by following the steps written below:

1. Open Settings by pressing Win + I on the keyboard
2. Then navigate to Update & Security
   

   

3. Select Troubleshoot from the left sidebar
4. Click Additional Troubleshooters

   

5. Then, select the Search And Indexing troubleshooter
6. Click Run The Troubleshooter
   

   

7. A Window will pop up, and you need to select the problem that you are facing. If you are not able to see the search results, then tick the first option, which is Can’t Start A Search Or See Results
   

   

8. Then, click Next
9. If the troubleshooter detects the problems, it will show an option that is Try These Repairs As An Administrator. Click on it to fix the problem
   

   

10. Once done, now check if the Windows search is not showing the search result problem is resolved.

4. Uninstall Recent Windows Updates

The Windows search not working issue also occurs if you recently installed Windows updates. Windows automatically downloads or installs the updates in the background if they are available, which sometimes takes you to this issue. The easy fix for this issue is to uninstall the Windows updates and if the issue is fixed, then disable automatic Windows updates to get rid of this issue permanently. Below are the steps to uninstall a recent Windows update:

1. Press the Win + R keys and type Control Panel and then press Enter to launch

   

2. Click Uninstall A program or navigate to the following path by pasting into the search bar

   Control Panel\Programs\Programs and Features

3. Click View Installed Updates to see the list of updates

   

4. Now, right-click the Windows update you want to uninstall, then click Uninstall
   

   

5. Click Yes when the confirmation message popups

   

6. Once done, check if the issue is resolved.

5. Restart Window Search From Task Manager

Windows search is an essential service as it handles content indexing, property caching, and search results. If this service is not running for any reason, you may run into this issue. Therefore, check the service status, as it might not be running, causing this issue. Follow the steps:

1. Right-click the taskbar and click Task Manager
   

   

2. Select Search and click End Task. This will restart the service

   

3. If that does not work, press the Win + R to launch the Run program
4. Type services.msc and click OK
   

   

5. Find and right-click the Windows Search service and click Properties
   

   

6. If the startup type is not set to automatic, change it to Automatic and click Apply
7. If the service is stopped, click Start to run the service and click OK
   

   

8. Once done, check if the issue is fixed.

6. Rebuild Search Items

Rebuilding indexing means removing all indexing content from the database and rebuilding a new database by re-indexing all the items located in the drives. However, if this method does not fix the issue, resetting the search index using the registry editor might fix your issue.

1. To rebuild the index, open the Run program by pressing Win + R simultaneously
2. Type Control Panel and click OK to navigate

   

3. Select Large Icons from View By from the top right

   

4. Then, click on Index Options and then click Advanced
   

   

5. In the end, click on Rebuild
   

   

6. Click OK when a short Windows appears, indicating that it might take some time, depending on the system.
7. Once done, now try searching for something to see if the issue is fixed.

7. Reset or Rebuild the Windows Search Index using Regedit

You can also reset the Windows search by using the registry editor, which also rebuilds a new database for indexing. You can follow the below steps to do that:

1. Press the Windows + R keys to launch Run Program
2. Enter regedit in the search box and click OK
   

   

3. Go to the following path

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search

   Note: You can paste the address in the search bar to navigate quickly

4. If you see the SetupCompletedSuccessfully entry on the right pane, then double-click on it and change its value to 0
   

   

5. After, click OK and restart your computer to save the changes 
6. If the SetupCompletedSuccessfully key is not present, then right-click and hover New and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value
   

   

7. Name it SetupCompletedSuccessfully and then change its value to 0
   

   

8. Once done, click OK and restart your computer to reset and rebuild the search index.

8. Use PowerShell Commands to Fix Windows Search

If the issue is still there, try reinstalling the Windows search with the help of powershell commands by following the steps below:

1. Right-click the Start Menu and click Windows PowerShell (Admin)
   

   

2. Once the powershell is opened, paste the following commands one by one

   PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
   Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like "*SystemApps*"} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
   $manifest = (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore).InstallLocation + '\AppxManifest.xml' ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest

   

3. Once done, check if it fixes the issue.

9. Repair Corrupted Files

The Windows search not working issue can also occur due to the corrupted system files. You can easily restore them from the cached by running the SFC command. SFC or System File Checker is a command line utility used to fix and restore corrupted files. Hence, give a try to this by running the command mentioned below:

1. Right-click the Task Manager and then click File > Run New Task
   

   

2. Type cmd in the search box and tick Create This Task With Administrative Privileges
3. Click OK to open the command prompt with the administrator

   

4. Type the following command and press Enter

   sfc /scannow

   

5. Wait for the verification to be finished and then check if the issue is resolved.

10. Reset Your Computer

If all else fails to fix this issue, the last option which is left is to reset the Windows without losing the data. Remember that you won’t lose your data, such as images, documents and files, but you will lose all the installed apps and drivers.

Therefore, if you are not in a position to reset the computer, restoring the computer to a state where Windows search was working might be a good option. However, to restore to the previous state, you need a restore point which should be created before encountering this issue. In this case, we recommend resetting your computer because it has worked for most affected users. Here are the steps:

1. Launch Windows Settings by pressing Win + I together
2. Go to Update & Security
   

   

3. Select Recovery from the left pane and then click Get Started under Reset This PC
   

   

4. Choose Keep My Files and then select Local Reinstall
   

   

5. Click Next and then click Reset
   

   

6. Wait for the computer to restart
7. Once done, the issue should be fixed.