How to Fix Windows Search Not Working
You type in the Start menu and nothing happens, or search finds apps but never your documents. Windows Search has three moving parts — a service, an index, and a search app — and this guide repairs each in order, from a quick service restart to a full index rebuild.
- ✓Restarts the Windows Search service and runs the built-in Search & Indexing troubleshooter
- ✓Rebuilds a corrupted search index that returns blank or partial results
- ✓re-registers the Start/search app behind crashing or empty search
Best when search shows no results at all, finds apps but not files, or broke right after a Windows update.
Main Troubleshooting Guide
How to Fix Computer Freezing and Hanging →Complete symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions
Symptoms
You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:
- •The search box shows no results no matter what you type
- •Typing in Start menu search does nothing at all
- •Search finds installed apps but never your files or documents
- •Indexing is stuck, paused, or shows "0 items indexed"
- •The Search page in Settings is blank
- •Search results are slow, outdated, or missing recently added files
- •SearchHost / SearchApp keeps crashing
- •Search stopped working right after a Windows update
A telling split: if search finds apps but not files, the index is broken (rebuild it); if search returns nothing at all or the box is dead, the service or search app is the problem (restart/re-register).
What RescuePC checks for broken search
RescuePC verifies each part of the search pipeline — service, index, and search app — and repairs them in order, so you do not have to wait through a needless full rebuild when a restart would do.
- →Confirms the Windows Search (WSearch) service is running and set to start automatically
- →Runs the built-in Search and Indexing troubleshooter
- →Checks index health and rebuilds the database only when it is actually corrupted
- →re-registers the Start/search AppX package behind blank or crashing search
- →Repairs the system files that a broken update can leave behind
This is most useful when search returns nothing at all, or finds apps but not files even though indexing claims to be complete.
When These Fixes Resolve It
- ✓Search returns no results or finds apps but not files
- ✓Indexing is stuck, paused, or shows very few indexed items
- ✓Search broke right after a Windows update
- ✓The search box or Settings search page is blank
These are service, index, and search-app faults — exactly what restarting WSearch, fixing indexed locations, rebuilding the index, and re-registering the app repair.
When It's Bigger Than Search
A couple of cases go beyond Windows Search:
- ⚠The whole Start menu and taskbar are unresponsive (a shell failure)
- ⚠Search and many other apps crash together (system corruption)
- ⚠Search fails identically in a brand-new user account after a rebuild
Common Causes
- ⚠The Windows Search (WSearch) service is stopped or set to manual
- ⚠A corrupted search index database returning blank or partial results
- ⚠Your user folders were removed from the indexed locations
- ⚠The Start/search AppX package crashed or is unregistered
- ⚠A recent Windows update broke the search component
- ⚠Damaged system files affecting search
- ⚠The index database (Windows.edb) grew corrupted or oversized
- ⚠A third-party search/indexing tool conflicting with Windows Search
Solutions
Solution 1: Run the Search Troubleshooter and Restart the Service
- 1Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and run "Search and Indexing"
- 2Answer the prompts (e.g. "Files don't appear in search results") and apply fixes
- 3Press Windows + R, type services.msc, find "Windows Search"
- 4Right-click > Restart, then set Startup type to "Automatic (Delayed Start)"
- 5Test searching from the Start menu
Solution 2: Check and Fix Indexed Locations
- 1Open Control Panel > Indexing Options (or search "Indexing Options" from Run: control /name Microsoft.IndexingOptions)
- 2Confirm "Included Locations" lists Users (your profile, Documents, Desktop, etc.)
- 3Click Modify and tick any missing folders you want searchable, then OK
- 4Wait for "Indexing complete" at the top (it indexes in the background)
- 5Test searching for a known file
Solution 3: Rebuild the Search Index
- 1Open Control Panel > Indexing Options > Advanced (accept the admin prompt)
- 2Under Troubleshooting, click "Rebuild" and confirm
- 3Leave the PC on; a full rebuild can take 30–60+ minutes and search is limited meanwhile
- 4If the index never completes, set Windows Search to Automatic (Delayed Start) so it runs after boot
- 5Test once "Indexing complete" appears
Solution 4: Re-register the Search App
- 1Right-click Start > Terminal (Admin) / Windows PowerShell (Admin)
- 2Run: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft.Windows.Search | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
- 3On Windows 11, also re-register: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
- 4Restart the computer
- 5Test Start menu search
Solution 5: Repair System Files and Reset a Corrupt Index Database
- 1Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- 2Run: sfc /scannow and restart if it repairs anything
- 3If the index is still broken, stop the Windows Search service (services.msc), then delete the database file at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\Windows.edb
- 4Start the Windows Search service again — Windows recreates the database and re-indexes
- 5Allow indexing to complete, then test
Repair Windows Search — the exact commands
Broken search is the WSearch service or a corrupted index. Restart the service, then rebuild the index if results stay empty.
Get-Service WSearch | Format-Table Status, StartTypeChecks Windows Search service state — Stopped or Disabled means no search anywhere (Start menu, Explorer, Outlook).
net start WSearchStarts the search service (elevated).
taskkill /f /im SearchHost.exeRestarts the search UI process (Windows 11) — recovers the "typing shows nothing" hang; it relaunches automatically.
control /name Microsoft.IndexingOptionsOpens Indexing Options — Advanced > Rebuild deletes and rebuilds a corrupted index (takes time, fixes empty results).
sfc /scannowRepairs corrupted search system files.
After a rebuild, Indexing Options shows "Indexing complete" with a climbing item count — results return progressively. RescuePC automates the service check and index rebuild with progress reporting.
What Kind of Search Failure Is It?
Finds apps but not my files
Likely cause: The content index is corrupted or your folders are not indexed
Search box is completely dead / no results at all
Likely cause: The Search service is stopped or the search app crashed
Broke right after a Windows update
Likely cause: Update left the search app or system files in a bad state
The whole Start menu/taskbar is unresponsive too
Likely cause: A shell-level failure, not just search
Fix Windows Search Not Working Automatically
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Repair the Right Part of Search
Search has three parts — service, index, and app — and the symptom tells you which one to fix.
- →Apps but not files = index (rebuild / fix locations)
- →Nothing at all = service stopped or app crashed
- →Broke after update = re-register app + SFC/DISM
- →RescuePC checks each part so you skip the needless rebuild