Here I would be giving you some steps on how to fix the windows 11 search not working. If you are having issues with your windows search bar, there are several things that could be the cause of it.
The issue might be that you are typing into the search bar, or your files or apps are not showing up in the results. It might even be that the search button is not working, and with that, you cannot even try to run a search.
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Why is My Windows Search Not Working?
Windows 11 is still fresh out of the oven, so you should expect to experience some bug issues. So, some of these bugs might affect several aspects of the new Operating system causing it to experience a malfunction.
Regardless, all the search-related issues found on windows 11 are mainly software related, so you either first the issues with a software update from Microsoft or some tweaking on your end should be good enough for you to fix the windows search not working.
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How to Fix Windows 11 Search Not Working
Below, I would be stating enough things that you can try out to get the windows 11 search working again. some of these steps would require you to edit your system settings and even uninstall programs. Without further ado, let’s kick off the process.
Restart Your Computer
You might be surprised by this response, but sometimes, all you need to do is to reboot your computer as it helps fix most computer issues. Also, rebooting your computer is one of the easiest and best ways to fix an issue on your computer.
Launch the Run Dialog Box
You do not even need to enter anything, it is an odd solution, but it seems to work for a lot of people who are running into issues where the search bar is not allowing them type.
Make use if the WIN+R shortcut to launch Run, and then exit to see if the issues has been fixed.
Restart SearchHost.exe
This process is running every time you launch your search box, and should remain suspended when the search window is closed. If you are having issues with this process opening or closing when it needs to, it causes your search to experience some issues.
Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc to launch the task manager. Head right into the details tab and then right-click the searchHost.exe. select End Task, and then confirm with End Process. Once it has finally disappeared from your task manager, try launching the search windows once again.
Change the Search Settings
Here, if you feel that there is an issue with the windows 11 search tool because it cannot locate files that you are sure you have, you would need to double-check the search set up to actually search the folders.
In other to do this, launch the settings using WIN+I, and then head over to Privacy and Security > searching windows. Enable Enhanced if you want to search through all of your PC’s Folders. Also, confirm the folders that you would like to search through are not listed in the exclude folders right from the enhanced search area.
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Enable or Restart the Windows Search Service
You need to enable or Restart the windows search service in other to get your windows 11 to search properly for files.
You can do this by launching the run dialog box (WIN+R) and executing the msconfig command. Open the windows search and select start. If it is already running, stop it and then restart it again.
Rebuild the Windows 11 Search Index
Right from the settings, head over to security > Searching Windows, after that, select the Advanced indexing options found at the bottom, followed by Advanced > Rebuild.
Check Windows Update for a Fix
Microsoft regularly releases update, and these update does not only add new features, they also fix bugs and issues on the OS. There could be an update that you are yet to install that could get the issues fixed.
Reset Your Windows 11
If after everything, you have tried, nothing seems to work, you should consider resetting your windows. This would take your PC back to its default state, and any bugs or virus that is affecting your search bar would have been taken out.
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FAQ
How Do I Search for Files on Windows 11?
You can make use of the search bar or click on the file explorer icon found on the windows start menu to search for a file within a particular folder. To search and show hidden folders, select the ellipses symbol from the File explorer menu bar > Options > Folder Options > Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
Can I Search in Windows 11?
Press Window + E on your keyboard to launch File explorer. Navigate to the drive/directory/folder that you would like to search. Once you open it, click on the search box located right at the top right corner of your screen. Enter your search term and press enter on your keyboard.
Why are windows Search Not Working?
There are several reasons why the search is not working on your windows, but you can get a quick fix via using the troubleshooter. In the windows settings, select update and security > Troubleshoot. Right on the “Find and Fix” other problems, select “Search and Indexing.”
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