Windows 10 Search not working

Quite a few Windows 10 users are facing problems, and some of the inbuilt functions are also not functioning as expected, for many. The Start Menu and the Taskbar Search functions in the Windows 10 operating system have been one of the most useful features that let us search any file without leaving the desktop. However, there are chances that your Search function might get broken or might not function as intended in Windows 10.

Windows 10 Search not working

We will walk you through some of the ways by which you can fix the Start Menu, Cortana & Search problem. Go through this entire post first and then see which one or more of these suggestions may apply for your Windows 10 version since Cortana has been separated from search in recent Windows 10 versions.

1] Run Windows 10 Start Menu Troubleshooter

Microsoft has released Windows 10 Start Menu Troubleshooter which promises to fix the issue. Please try it first.

2] Restart Search process

Press Ctrl+Alt+Del, and select Task Manager. In the Task Manager window, select the Details tab.

In the Name column, right-click SearchUI.exe, and then select End task. When you are prompted to end SearchUI.exe, select End process.

The process will restart automatically after a few seconds.

3] Sign out and Sign in

Sign out and Sign in or restart your PC and see if the problem goes away.

4] Run Windows Search Troubleshooter

Open Control Panel > All Control Panel Items and click on Find and fix problems with Windows Search to open the Windows Search Troubleshooter. Run it and follow the wizard.

5] Reset Windows Search

Reset Windows Search and see if it helps you.

6] Check Registry setting

If Cortana is not working after you upgraded your PC to Windows 10 Anniversary Update, open your Registry Editor and ensure that the value of BingSearchEnabled, as well as CortanaEnabled is set to 1:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

If this works for all great.

7] Check the basics

Make sure that you have set up Cortana in Windows 10 correctly. If after upgrading to Windows 10, you find that Cortana is not available in your region, then this post titled Cortana not available on Windows 10 can help you get Cortana on your Windows 10 PC.

8] Automatic Repairs

If your PC prompts for Automatic Repair, continue with it and let Windows carry it out.

9] Kill and restart the Cortana process

If you find that Cortana is not working properly, the best thing to do would be to kill Cortana process and restart the process via Task Manager. If it were a minor runtime error, Cortana would just take a restart to fix it.

10] Disable Antivirus software

Some security software are known to create this issue - Avast for instance. Disable it and see if it makes the problem go away. If your security software is the culprit, make sure you are using its latest version - else you may want to change it.

11] Create a new User Account

The problem might be associated with your Microsoft credentials. Try creating a new username and password and see if you can fix the Cortana. We need to remember that Cortana will not be switched on automatically and needs to be enabled on by selecting Cortana button on the taskbar.

12] Re-register the Cortana app

Open an elevated Powershell prompt, type the following command and hit Enter:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"

You can also open Task Manager > File menu > Run new task. Type powershell and select the Create this task with administrative privileges check box and click OK to open a PowerShell prompt

If you feel, you may also try the other 2 of the 3 Windows 10 Support, Solutions & Universal fixes.

13] Rebuild the Windows Search Indexer

Rebuilding the Search Indexer may help in repairing the built-in search tool in Windows 10. To rebuild the Windows search index head to Control Panel > Indexing options. Click on Advanced and ensure that you are on the Index Settings tab in the Advanced Options window.

The rebuilding will take some time, and once it is done, you can start searching for the files you need, and the Search should work properly. If you need more details, you will get them at this post titled Windows Search Indexer tips. See this post if you need to troubleshoot and fix Windows Search or if Search Indexer is not working.

14] Uninstall programs which may affect with the taskbar

If you are using Dropbox, uninstall it and see if it makes the problem go away.

PS: Please read the comments below. PeacefulArgument says, the problem went away after he re-enabled the Windows Firewall Service.

If you have followed the above suggestions, your Cortana and the Windows Taskbar Search should hopefully have been fixed.

Posts that offer additional suggestions:

1. Start Menu does not open or not working
2. Windows 10 Start Search not displaying results; shows blank white
3. Windows 10 Settings Search is not working
4. Cortana or Windows 10 search not finding desktop applications
5. We're getting search ready error.

TIP: This post will help you if your WinX Menu is not working in Windows 10.