An error already known from the original versions of Microsoft's OS now comes back to haunt us, you type the item to be searched for and then nothing happens. But don't worry, this post is going to teach you now how to solve.

From time to time, the Windows 10 search not working for some unknown reason. If the search from the Start menu does not return results and remains blank while you type in the search box, then it is time to follow the solutions listed below to correct this problem.

Windows Search Not Working
Windows Search is a user-friendly service since it can help users to find the program or files quickly. However, some users of Windows 10 complain that they encounter a problem Windows Search not working.

Thus, do you know how to solve the problem Windows Search service not running in Windows 10? If not, don’t worry. This post will show you 6 solutions for the issue Search not working in Windows 10.

Solutions for Windows Search Not Working
In this part we will introduce different solutions to solve the problem Windows 10 Search not working. You can read them and have a try.

Solution 1. End Cortana Process
Here, the first method to solve the problem Windows 10 Search bar not working is to end the Cortana process. We will show you how to solve the Cortana not working issue step by step.

Step 1: Right-click the taskbar at the bottom of your computer desktop and choose Task Manager to continue. Or you can press Ctrl, Shift and Esc keys together to open the Task Manager window directly.



Step 2: In the Task Manager window find Cortana and right-click it to choose End task to disable the Cortana process.



After that you can restart your computer to check whether the issue type here to search not working is solved.

If this method doesn’t work, you need to go to the following methods.

Related article: How Do I Fix Windows 10 Start Menu Not Working Quickly?

Solution 2. Restart the Search Service
Here, we will introduce the second method to solve the issue Windows 10 searching not working. This method is mainly to restart the search service. You can go on based on the following instructions to solve the Windows Search not working problem.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and R key together to open the Run dialog. Type services.msc in the box and hit Enter or click OK to continue.

Step 2: In the Services window find Windows Search and right-click it, choose Restart from the context menu to continue.

When the process is finished you can restart your computer to check whether the issue Windows 10 Search bar not working is solved.

Solution 3. Rebuild the Index
Now, we will introduce the third method to solve the problem Search not working in Windows 10. As a matter of fact, you can try to rebuild the index to fix the problem type here to search not working if the above two methods don’t work.

To rebuild the index please kindly follow the below given steps.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and R key together to open Run dialog. Type Control Panel in the box and click OK or hit Enter to continue.



Step 2: In the popup window choose Indexing Options to continue.



Step 3: In the Indexing Options window click the Advanced button to continue.

Step 4: Next, you need to click the Rebuild button under Troubleshooting to go on.

Step 5: You will receive a message which tells that the process of rebuilding the index will take a long time. You should click OK to continue.

When the rebuild index process is finished you can reboot your computer to check whether the issue Windows 10 Search bar not working is solved.

Solution 4. Run System File Checker
If there are corrupted system files on your computer, you may encounter the error Cortana Search not working. Thus, we will introduce the fourth method to solve the issue Windows 10 Search bar not working.

In fact, this method tries to run the System File Checker to fix the Windows Search issue. For more detailed instructions you can continue your reading.

Step 1: Right-click the taskbar at the bottom of your computer desktop and choose Task Manager to continue.

Step 2: In the popup window click File and choose Run new task.

Step 3: Type cmd in the box and make sure that the Create this task with administrative privileges option is checked and then click OK to continue.

Step 4: In the popup command line window type the command sfc /scannow and hit Enter to continue.

Step 5: The scanning process will begin and it may take a few minutes. Please don’t close and exit this command line window until you receive a message which tells you the verification is 100% completed.

When the scanning process is completed you can restart your computer to check whether the issue Windows 10 Search not working is solved.

Solution 5. Run Search and Index Troubleshooter
In this part, we will introduce the fifth method to fix the issue Windows Search not working, which is mainly to run the Search and Index Troubleshooter. Proceed with the following instructions.

Step 1: Press the Windows key and R key together to open Run dialog. Type Control Panel in the box and click OK or hit Enter to continue.

Step 2: In the popup window choose Troubleshooting to continue.

Step 3: Next, click View all in the left window to go on.

Step 4: Then click Search and Indexing.

Step 5: In the popup window click Next to continue and the Troubleshooter will run.

Step 6: Next, you need to check the problems you have encountered and click Next to go on.



Step 7: Then, Troubleshooter will detect the problems and try to fix them. When the troubleshooting process is finished you can reboot your computer and try to check whether the issue Windows 10 type here to search not working is solved.

Back up Files before Fixing the Issue
MiniTool ShadowMaker is a piece of professional Windows backup software that is able to back up all your important files with its powerful features.

Besides backing up the files and folders it can also back up the disk, partition, and even the operating system. One thing you need to know is that backing up the operating system is an effective way to keep the computer safe especially when some accidents happen because you can perform some recovery solutions with the backup image.

If you have other solutions to Windows search not working, please feel free to share with us.

News From
MiniTool Solution