This article will introduce 7 ways to fix the search not working on Windows 11.
According to user feedback, it is not possible to view the Search button or perform a search. The Search menu lets you explore data on your system and network right from the taskbar, quickly locating the app or content you’re looking for. If you have also encountered the problem of searching not working, please read the following methods to quickly fix the problem.
1. Check Search Button
If Search is disabled in Settings, it won’t show up in the taskbar. Therefore, if you do not find the Search button, it is recommended to first check the taskbar settings and follow the steps below to enable the Search button.
Right-click the Start icon in the taskbar and select Settings from the list.
Select the Personalization setting, then scroll down and click Taskbar.
If Search is disabled, click the toggle switch to enable it.
After enabling search, see if the Search button appears in the taskbar. If the search is not working, try the next method.
2. Restart the computer
Restarting your PC can help with most trivial issues. Because restarting the system reloads Windows to fix the bug that caused “Search” not working.
Click the Start icon in the taskbar, then click the Power button and select Restart.
After the computer restarts, check to see if Search starts to work.
3. Check the internet connection
Network problems can also cause Windows Search not to appear. Therefore, please check if your internet connection is normal.
Please check that the cable is inserted correctly. If it’s Wi-Fi, reconnect or reset the router.
4. Check for Updates
Updating Windows can remove many bugs. So you can try to update the system.
Right-click the Start icon in the taskbar, and then click Settings.
In Settings, select the Windows Update tab.
Click the “Check for Updates”.
After update, restart your computer. After restarting, check to see if the problem with Windows Search is fixed.
5. Run the troubleshooter
With Windows 11 has a built-in troubleshooter to fix errors.
Right-click the Start icon in the taskbar, and then click Settings.
In the System settings, scroll down and select the Troubleshoot option.
Select Additional Troubleshooting.
A list of troubleshooters will appear, find Search and Indexing, and click Run next to it to start the troubleshooter.
During the troubleshooter, you will be asked to select a problem. Tick the problems you encountered running Search and click Next at the bottom.
After running the troubleshooter, check to see if the problem is resolved.
6. Check Windows Search Service
Search not working can also result if the Windows Search service is not working properly.
Press WINDOWS + R to launch the “Run” command, type “services.msc” and click the “OK” button at the bottom.
Find the “Windows Search” service and check the “Status” column next to the service.
If the Windows Search Status column shows “Running”, right-click the service and select “Restart” from the menu.
After restarting, check if the search not working issue is resolved.
If the Status column for Windows Search is empty, right-click the service and select Properties from the context menu.
In the Properties window, click the Startup Type drop-down menu and select Automatic. Click the Start option under Service Status and click the OK button at the bottom.
After starting the service, check that you can now perform searches using Windows Search.
7. Rebuild the search index
Reindexing can help resolve issues with Windows Search.
Please search the Start Menu for “Indexing Options” and click the relevant search result.
In the Indexing Options window, click the Advanced option at the bottom.
Click Rebuild under Troubleshoot in the Advanced Options window.
Click OK in the confirmation box.
Windows will now start rebuilding the index. Once done, check if the Windows Search not working issue is resolved.
That’s it for the 7 ways to fix issues with Windows Search. With the search function, you can now easily search for files and other content without navigating to the storage location.
