Windows 11/10 Search Not Working 2024? Fix It Now!

If you're looking for how to fix the search bar not working in Windows 11/10, then you've come to the right place. Here's how to fix Windows 11/10 search not working in various ways. You can restart the search bar and your device, rebuild Windows 11/10 search index, fix system file corruptions with SFC and DISM tools, etc.

Q: Windows 11/10 search bar not working correctly, keeps searching, and never finds anything.

"Hey guys, I'm running Win10 64-bit, and since this morning I can no longer search for anything. The search bar just keeps searching and never shows anything. This should not happen since I'm running Windows on an SSD. Why does my Windows 10 search not work?" - A user problem on answers.microsoft.com

You can type and search files on a PC or the internet in the Windows 10 search bar, which is one of the most useful features of Windows 10. However, a high usage rate is accompanied by frequent problems. Many users have reported that the search bar not working and they can't type or search in Windows 10 search bar on the taskbar.

If you are also troubled by Windows 11/10 searching not working issue, then the good news is that there are a variety of fixes you can try to solve the problem and make the search work properly again in Windows 10.

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Why Is Windows 11/10 Search Bar Not working 

Why does my Windows 10 search not work? Different causes can get Windows 10 searching not working correctly. Here some common reasons.

• Search feature not starting on Windows 10
• Simple software or other problem on Windows 10
• The search system itself was interrupted
• Some wrong with the search index
• Windows 10 system file corruptions
• System update has some issues

To solve the search not working on Windows 10, we will give some effective solutions below. You can try it in order until getting the search bar back to work.

1. Check if Windows 11/10 Search Service Is Running

The first thing you can do is check to see if the search service is running. Follow the steps below:

Step 1. Press Windows + R keys to open the Run window. Type services.msc and press enter.

Step 2. Find the "Windows Search" service and right-click on it to choose "Properties".

Step 3. Under status, check the start option has been enabled. If not, click "Start > OK" to make the Windows search work.

2. Restart Windows 11/10 Search 

You can try to end and restart the SearchUI process to fix Windows 10 searching not working issue. Note that after ending the search task, it will automatically restart the next time that you search.

Step 1. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys, and select "Task Manager".

Step 2. Select the "Details" tab in the Task Manager window.

Step 3. Scroll down in the Name column, locate and right-click "SearchUI.exe", and then select "End task".

Step 4. Confirm ending SearchUI.exe when a pop-up occurs.

If this solution doesn't fix your problem, try restarting your computer.

3. Restart Your Windows 11/10 Computer

If the search bar not working is resulted from memory and disk-cache issues, a simple reboot of your computer can be useful. If there is a glitch on your computer, reboots often work wonders.

4. Rebuild Windows 11/10 Search Index

If search or device restart doesn't work, we suggest you rebuild the search index. Follow the steps below:

Step 1. Right-click the Start button click on "Control Panel".

Step 2. From all Control Panel items, select "Indexing Options".

Step 3. Click the "Advanced" button and select "Rebuild". Then, the system will begin the process of deleting and then rebuilding the search index.

5. Fix Windows 11/10 Search Not Working Using the Troubleshooter

If search index rebuilding still can't solve the search not working issue on Windows 10, you can apply the built-in troubleshooter to diagnose and fix the most common issues.

Step 1. To launch the Troubleshooter, click the "Start" button > choose "Settings" > click "Update & Security".

Step 2. On the left panel, select "Troubleshoot". Scroll down to find  "Search and Indexing", then click "Run troubleshooter".

Step 3. The troubleshooter will ask you to choose a problem you're having. Select your problems and click "Next" to check the issue.

Step 4. Run as administrator to fix the problem.

6. Use SFC and DISM Tools to Fix Windows 11/10 Search Not Working 

Corrupted or damaged system files on Windows 10 may be the contributing factor of search not working. To address the problem, use the Windows SFC and DISM tools to check and repair corrupted system files.

How to Run the SFC Scanner

Step 1. Right-click the "Start" button and select "Command Prompt (Admin)".

Step 2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter to run a full system scan.

How to Run DISM Tool 

If the SFC scanner doesn't fix the corrupted Windows system file, continue to use the DISM tool.

Step 1. Press Win + R to open Run dialog and type cmd to open "Command Prompt".

Step 2. Type the following command and hit "Enter".

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth 

Step 3. Wait for the process to complete. Then, restart your computer and check if the search bar works correctly. 

7. Check and Install Windows Updates

Some Windows updates may cause problems with Windows 10 search. Microsoft will then release more updates to fix the Windows 10 search issues that have already occurred. So, you can update Windows to see if you can fix the Windows 10 search not working problem.

Step 1. Press Windows + I to open Windows Settings.

Step 2. Click "Update & Security" and select "Check for updates" under Windows Update.

Step 3. If there a new Windows update, click "Install Now" and follow the instructions to upgrade to the latest Windows 10 version. 

8. Upgrade the System Disk from HDD to SSD

The lost shot you can take to fix Windows 10 search not working issue is to upgrade your system disk from HDD to SSD. In this way, Windows 10 will work better, and there will be fewer problems. How to upgrade your system from HDD to SSD without redownloading Windows 10? You can directly migrate OS from HDD to SSD with an advanced Windows 10 disk management tool.

EaseUS Partition Master, one of the most popular disk partitioning tools globally, allows you to transfer Windows 10 and the boot partition from one hard drive to another with simple clicks. Then, you can complete an in-place upgrade easily and safely.

Free download this partition manager and take the following steps to migrate OS to SSD without data loss.

Note: The operation of migrating OS to SSD or HDD will delete and remove existing partitions and data on your target disk when there is not enough unallocated space on the target disk. If you saved important data there, back up them to an external hard drive in advance.

Step 1. Select "Clone" from the left menu. Select the "Migrate OS" and click "Next" to continue..

Step 2.  Select the target disk you want to clone. Click "Next".

Step 3. Click "Yes" after checking the warning message. The data and partitions on the target disk will be deleted. Make sure that you've backed up important data in advance. If not, do it now.

Step 4. Preview the layout of your target disk. You can also click the disk layout options to customize the layout of your target disk as you want. Then click "Start" to start migrating your OS to a new disk

Step 5. When you see a confirming message, asking "If you want to start up computer from the clone target disk", tick "Adjust the order to boot from the clone target disk" and click the respective button through your demands. 

• Reboot Now: it means to reboot the PC and boot OS from the new disk immediately.
• Done: it means to make the changes later. 

The Bottom Line

These are the effective fixes to solve Windows 10 searching not working. When the Windows Search is not responding or the search results don't appear as expected, it will be very inconvenient for you. But don't fret, try any of the above solutions.

You can restart the search service, rebuild the search index, repair corrupted system files, check for Windows 10 updates, and so on. Hope this tutorial is helpful.