Windows 10: Edge shows up in windows search but not Firefox

In fact, if you type 'C' and get Control Panel as 'Best match' below that is should say 'Apps' and list just those app beginning with 'C' that you regularly launch from a search.

Click on the word 'Apps' to get a full list of everything that Indexing has found that qualifies as an app and begins with 'C'. Your most used app should be the 'Best match' for the 'apps: C' search. Try launching CCleaner from there a few times.

 

ccleaner never shows up under apps when i type any portion of it

 

Type C and click on 'Apps' as I suggested (or just type apps: C ). Does CCleaner appear anywhere in the full scrollable list of 'apps: C' search results?

 

does not show up

 

does not show up OK, that's odd - it does for me.

Next, let's check the CCleaner entry on the Start menu itself. Click Start and scroll down the All apps list to find CCleaner. I have a CCleaner folder with two entries:
CCleanerCCleaner
CCleaner HomepageRight-click on CCleaner (the one with the CC icon) and select More > Open file location. For me that opens File Explorer at:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\CCleaner

Does it do so for you? If not, where does it take you?

 

i removed the shortcut from its folder long ago. i don't like folders on my start menu.

the cc shortcut is located in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

curious!
i decided to type out CCleaner fully and trace its location. its in C:\Program Files\CCleaner

 

That could go some way to explaining it then. I have noticed before that when the indexing has found the .exe itself rather than a shortcut to it on Start you always have to type it out in full. An example of that is the Netplwiz control panel tool. That's indexed as being Windows\System32\netplwiz.exe and I always have to type it out in full. Search seems designed to prioritise results it finds from the Start Menu over those it finds elsewhere.

Did you also rename the CC shortcut when you moved it out of the original folder? If so that may also have confused Search.

I would now try moving the shortcut for CCleaner out of the All users Start menu (say, to your Desktop), make sure it's named just 'CCleaner' then copy or move it back to the All users Start menu. This may encourage Search to add it to the indexing correctly.

You do not have permissions to create a new shortcut in the All users Start menu, only to copy or move one to there. I know that shortcuts I have manually added to Start in this way show up in Search after the first few letters are typed, so re-adding CCleaner to Start may get it to shows with just 'CC'.

 

hadn't renamed the shortcut.

okay i moved it to my desktop then back to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

still does not show in search when typing C

 

I have to type CC to find it, a single C isn't enough. Try removing the original shortcut again. Then make a new shortcut to CCleaner on your desktop, name it CCleaner and move that into the All users Start menu. You may also need to wait for indexing to catch up with the changes.

 

You have to remember that the windows search is primarily an indexed search, it is set to return results in a preset order As @Bree has suggested once it finds them in the index - It may be worthwhile checking that the relevent file locations are still listed in the Index and then refreshing the actual index

Shawn's batch file here is something that you may consider adding to your backup regime, as a post backup option

Rebuild Search Index in Windows 10 Windows 10 Tutorials

 

did as you said Bree and also rebuilding index. will report back


here is my index by the way

 

I do not have Program Files or Program Files (x86) included in my indexing. I also note that I have Start Menu in mine whereas you do not. This could explain why your search just finds the .exe for CCleaner.

 

used the bat file to fix it. still wont shw in search\

 

any other ideas? Am i at the point where i should install Windows again?

 

No further ideas, except to say that if/when you reinstall Windows (and Firefox, and CCleaner, et. al.) I would recommend not 'tidying up' your Start menu this time. Leave it as it is for now and see if the search works as it should, learning to get Firefox and CCleaner after just the first one or two letters.

Only then would I begin to change the Start menu (if you must) and then only one app at a time, checking that search still works after moving each of the shortcuts.