Windows 10: Spotlight is broken

Hi there! Windows Spotlight seems to be broken in my system. I already tried the tutorial here to reset the feature (Reset and Re-register Windows Spotlight in Windows 10), but it doesn't work. Every time I choose "Windows Spotlight" as the lock screen, click the back arrow, and click "Lock screen" again check to see if it works, it reverts back to "Picture". This is getting really frustrating. Please help

:)

 

Windows 10 Version 1709-Blank Lock Screen

Hello,

Check if you set Lock Screen to Windows Spotlight? It might be possible Windows Spotlight is unable to pull new images and is broken after update.

Regards.

 

Windows 10 Spotlight

Nothing has worked, Spotlight is still broken. I've read all responses and tried several things. I give up and it will just have to stay broken. Thanks all

 

Hi, I found it's relatively easy to break this if you fiddle with its basic operation, hard or not possible to fix. The final thing I was missing - the preview screen- didn't return until I upgraded to the CU.

It can take some unobvious actions to try to repair it. (I make no recommendation).
E.g.
Broken Lock Screen prefs: Windows Spotlight not working Solved - Windows 10 Forums

Windows spotlight NOT WORKING! - Windows 10 Forums
post #6

 

Like @dalchina, I've found it (all too) easy to break.

It may not be Spotlight in this case, it may be something in your user profile. I've found when it's broken it can still be working for other user accounts.

Spotlight seems to work better in the Fall Creators Update (1709). For the first time ever it's now setting the sign in screen to the Spotlight image on a cold start or a restart (1703 and before showed 'the cave').

It's still fragile though. I've already had to Reset and Re-register Windows Spotlight in Windows 10 once or twice.

 

I created a new user account and that fixed the problem. This is actually the second time that I have encountered this, and both times, making a new user account remedied the issue.

Windows and its bugs...

 

@Bree just curious here did you have to reset Spotlight since the latest update? Mine has been working fine since then but the past few days it's reverted back to the default picture (the red house on a cliff). Must be the default one as there's no option to like it or change it. It hasn't changed yet so wondering if it's broken or just taking its time to change

 

As I said earlier, since I got the Fall Creators Update (1709, os build 16299.19) Spotlight, while it now sets the sign in screen to the Spotlight picture consistently, it has also stopped working once or twice for no obvious reason (I use a metered connection, perhaps that's part of it?). Brink's tutorial always fixes it though...

...make that three times now.

 

Ah sorry misread the post. I'm not on metered connection and it's stopped working. I'll give it another few days then try the fix

 

The metered connection may not be connected, Spotlight won't download new pictures over a metered connection, but it will continue to change pictures until it runs out of ones it as already downloaded. On 1703 I would then turn off metering, let it collect a few more, then turn metering back on.

Since 1709 something seems to randomly stops Spotlight working, it may (or may not) be connected to running out of new pictures - it may be something else entirely. There's no pattern I've been able to find (yet).

 

Ah right. At first I thought the new default picture was a different Spotlight one. It's only when I realised I couldn't see the "Do you like what you see" popup in the top right corner that I realised they must have done away with the red plane

 

Mine sprang back into life this morning after about four days on the default red cottage picture

 

Interesting, maybe mine would have sprung back to life If I had just left it to its own devices for a week - I'll wait and see next time. It's certainly the case that even after a reset/reregister it can take several minutes before it springs to life.

BTW, I don't think I've ever seen a 'red cottage' picture. On all my machines, for 1709 the default picture now seems to be a lake in the mountains, replacing 'the cave'. That's C:\Windows\Web\Screen\img103.png instead of img100.png

 

This is/was mine:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=C:...NT7ogNcwPNp2M:

 

I've now found one 'obvious reason' that stops Spotlight working and reverts to the default 'mountains and lake' picture (for a while anyway, it started working again after 5-10 minutes).

I have just booted to Advanced Start-up from Settings > Update & security > Recovery. On the next boot to normal Windows Spotlight didn't work at first.