Windows 10: Search bar crashing or not working in Windows 11

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Does the search bar keep on crashing on your Windows 11 PC? According to various user reports, the Windows search bar crashes whenever they try to open and perform a search. The search bar closes immediately after opening it. Also, some users have reported the search function is not working as intended. It doesn’t show […]

This article Search bar crashing or not working in Windows 11 first appeared on TheWindowsClub.com.

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Search bar in windows 11 does not work

Ever since I downloaded windows 11, I can't use the windows search bar to search for files.

I have too many files to not have the ability to use the search.

I've tried everything that the virtual assistant suggested.

Does anybody know how I can reinstall it or fix it?

I'm pretty desperate right now.

By the way it wont let me add a new user either. Which was suggested if I add a new admin then the search bar would come back. But can't add a new user at all

 

Search Bar/Cortana

Hello,

Thank you for posting your concern here in Microsoft Community and welcome to the Windows 10 family.

From the description, I understand that you are still receiving the pop up notifications, despite having disabled the search functionality in windows 10.

Steps to disable the Search Bar

• Right click on the task bar.
• Select the "Search" option.
• Select "Disable."

However, if the above steps don't work out, perform the below suggested steps and check if it helps to resolve the issue.

Open a CMD window started as Administrator.

Repair corruption: Dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth.

Run this command next: Sfc /scannow

Now run these two commands:

PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like "*SystemApps*"} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Hope the above information was helpful.

Thank You.

 

Windows search not working after Windows 11 upgrade

Hello ManishMK,

Recently, the issue has affected the users who migrated from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The Windows 11 Search bar error is a general bug where the search bar is disabled by not allowing you to type anything at all. As a result, you can't even access the Shutdown and Restart buttons! In fact, it is a common issue nowadays.

Thus, a few corrective measures are needed to reclaim your computer's search function.

1. Enabling Search Button on Taskbar:

On the Windows 11 systems, the search function is integrated with Taskbar options. If you notice that the Search button has disappeared from the Taskbar, you can re-enable it with the help of the below steps,

• Look for the "Settings" menu on the right pane. Click on "All Settings."
  
• Go to “Settings section -> Personalization -> Taskbar.”
  
• From there, Enable the "Search" taskbar item if it was disabled after the Windows 11 update.
  

Try using the search button with your device again. If it doesn't work for you, then try the following steps,

2. Check for the Windows Updates:

Microsoft keeps on releasing new updates and security patches for Windows in order to fix bugs and add some new features to improve the system performance. Thus, Sometimes an update and Restart in the system are all ways to fix the search bar error.

• Go to "Settings -> Check for Windows Update -> Update device if there are any priority updates available."
  
• First, check your device for any pending updates. Then, finish them and restart the computer to see if the bug has gone.
  

3. Run the Windows 11 troubleshooter:

• Go to “Settings -> System -> Troubleshoot.”
  
• Select "Other Troubleshooters."
  
• Click the "Run" option > beside "Search and Indexing."
  
• The Troubleshooter lists 5 options, selects the options based on the problem, and then click Next.
  
• The Troubleshooter will mainly look for the latest Windows Search service crashes incidents and fix the troubles you're facing.
  

4. Restart the Service of Windows Search:

The Windows search feature might not work if the Windows Search Service is stopped or not running. In that case, you will have to restart the Windows Search Service.

• Open "Services" from the Run menu using the keyboard shortcut "Windows logo key+R." Type "services.msc" and Enter
  
• Scroll down to find "Windows Search."> Right-click on it and then select Restart to stop and start the "Windows Search" services.
  
• Double-click on the Windows Search service or right-click and go to properties. In the general tab, you have to set the startup type to "Automatic." & Click "Apply" to save the changes.
  

Now, check if this issue persists after you restarted the Windows Search service.

After all these fixes, simply restart your device once to make the system stable. Once the system is up, check the Windows 11 device search function. It will be functional again. Normally it should resolve all the issues.

I hope one of the fixes mentioned above helped you fix the Windows 11 search issues.

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Regards,