Cortana/Windows Search Not Working: Windows 10

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.

I appreciate your interest in Windows 10. We sincerely regret for the inconvenience caused.

I would suggest you to try the below methods and check if that helps:

Method 1: Run the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter.

Follow the below steps:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Select Troubleshooting.
3. Click on Search and Indexing Troubleshooter.
4. Run the Troubleshooter.

Method 2: Run the DISM Tool.

If the issue persists, I would have you run the DISM tool to check the system health and will try to restore the files. 

1. Click on 'Start'.
2. Enter 'Command prompt' in the Search box.  
3. In the list of results, swipe down on or right-click Command Prompt, and then tap or click 'Run as administrator'. 
4. In the Administrator: Command Prompt window, type the following commands. Press the Enter key after each command:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth 

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

To close the Administrator: Command Prompt window, type Exit, and then press Enter.

Note: The tool might take 15-20 minutes to finish running, so please do not cancel it.

Please let us know if you need further assistance.

Thank you.

I was having the same issue you were having.  The Search on the left would pop up, but there was no Folder Icon to check Cortana settings.  Then all of the sudden Search stopped working, and would do nothing when I clicked on it or typed, and Cortana wasn't working anyway.  I tried the two suggestions posted above and nothing.  I checked language settings, etc., and still nothing. 

So, I clicked on Action Center at the far right, All Settings, and typed Cortana in the search box (Find a Setting).  I got three choices, so I clicked on Cortana & Search Settings, and up popped Cortana, Search Started working again, and I finally had the Folder Icon to check Cortana Settings.  I hope this helps you.  It seems so simple, but it worked for me!

I tried both of these, but they did not work for me.  I finally got everything working with doing something really simple.  Thanks for trying to help.  I appreciate it.

I tried both of these, but they did not work for me.  I finally got everything working with doing something really simple.  Thanks for trying to help.  I appreciate it.

Could you please tell me what simple thing you did to get it to work :) thank you

I clicked on Action Center at the far right, All Settings, and typed Cortana in the search box (Find a Setting).  I got three choices, so I clicked on Cortana & Search Settings, and up popped Cortana, Search Started working again, and I finally had the Folder Icon to check Cortana Settings.  I hope this helps you.  It seems so simple, but it worked for me!