Windows 10: Some apps don't show up in start menu search results

Hi there experts,


For a few weeks now I have been having a problem where some applications -- but not all -- just don't show up when I type into the start menu search. For example, I might launch Firefox by just typing "fir", at which point Firefox becomes the Best Match, and I hit Enter to launch. This has been my default navigation method for many years.


Recently, though, some applications -- some of which were installed a while ago, some of which are more recent -- just don't show up in the Search at all. There's no rhyme or reason to it either. I installed Office 2019, and none of those applications can be found when searching by name e.g. typing in "word" will give me WordPad, but not MS Word.


I'm running Windows 10.0.19041 Enterprise. Things I've tried so far:

• Rebuilding the search index
• Ensuring that the various start menu folders are specifically being indexed and not excluded like C:\Users\$username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
• Changing the indexer from "Classic" to "Enhanced"
• Manually restarting the Windows Search service via the services window
• Enabling/disabling Cortana
• Running the search & indexing troubleshooter -- interestingly, whenever I run this I always get "Problems Found: Windows Search is not working", and then marks that problem as "Fixed" it's definitely not fixed -- I can run troubleshooter over and over again and it will always say it's not working and then fixed
• Running SFC and DISM. Neither report any errors/issues.
  
• Making a new localadmin user. So this does seem to work somewhat - a different set of apps shows up in the results, though again not all and I'm pretty sure I've installed every application "for all users" so nothing should be specific to my user account.

I'm out of ideas, and haven't found anything left on the Internet that I haven't tried already. I'm not going to "refresh" or reinstall windows to fix this if that means I have to reinstall all of my apps, but I would love to hear any other suggestions or troubleshooting tips.


Thanks!

:)

 

Certain apps don't show in search results

Some of my applications don't show in search results when I search for them.

E.g. Visual Studio, it shows only a local directory named "Visual Studio 2017" but it doensn't show the application itself.

Some other applications are listed as wrong version (already uninstalled), and some others dont't show at all (e.g. Putty)

I've already rebuilt the index and ran sfc /scannow several times, and got shortcuts for the apps in both

• %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

and

• %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

I'm running Windows 10 Pro Version 1607 (Build 14393.1358)

Any suggestions?

 

Start menu Search can't click on search results leading to Settings pages + Settings search results not loading

After I installed the Creator's Update (Version 1703, OS Build 15063.296), I found some results in start menu search being not clickable (i.e., no repsonse when clicking on them) while other results being fine.

I tried everything I could find by google:

• Restart Cortana through task manager
• Restart WSearch service through services.msc
• Rebuild windows search index
• Reinstall/Re-register windows apps through Dism.exe
• Modify windows registry

Nothing workable.

However, when logged in with another account, I found the start menu search working fine.

Then I read this article (SOLVED: Video: How To Hard Reset or Remove Cortana In Windows 10 – Up & Running Technologies, Tech How To's) and follow his steps 1-3:

• Create a new administrator on your Window 10 and sign in as that user
• Delete (or rename) C:\Users\<PROBLEM USER>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy
• Sign back in as the PROBLEM USER
• Open PowerShell as an admin and type (or paste)
  
  Add-AppxPackage -Path “C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register

I didn't walk through all 4 steps, cause when I logged in with the "PROBLEM USER" I found everthing was okay.

I guess the start menu search (or cortana search) works as following procedures:

• Build a private database, including start menu programs, control panel items, etc.
• When users try to search something, it starts from the private database
• Then it shows the results queried from WSearch databases

Hence, if something wrong with the items in its private database, the result is not clickable. Clear its private database will fix the problems.

 

Cortana don't show hidden folder in "Start Menu App List"


Hi,
Why Cortana don't search hidden folder in Start Menu? I copied a folder that contains my portable apps shortcut, when I copy that folder to Start Menu folder [in ProgramData], Cortana lists that folder in Start Menu App List and Cortana search works but when I hide that folder [and hide from Start Menu App List, that I want to be hide in Start Menu App List] Cortana only shows my search result [for example, shows my portable app shortcut] but nothing work!!! when I click on portable app shortcut [that I put on that folder]. *Think