Windows 10 Search Stops Working

Hi Sorren,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community. I understand that the search feature in Windows 10 is not working as it should. I will certainly help you with this.

Method 1:

I suggest you try rebuilding the index and check if issue is resolved. To rebuild all the index, kindly follow the below given steps:

1. Press Windows key, type Indexing and hit enter.
2. Click on Advanced button.
3. Click Rebuild under Troubleshooting section and click OK.
4. Try searching and see if issue is fixed.

Method 2:

If issue persist, I suggest you to run System file checker. System File checker (SFC) scan is done to check if there are any corrupted system files that could be causing this issue. Kindly follow the below given steps:

1. Press Windows key + X, select Command prompt (Admin) to bring up elevated Command prompt.
2. In Command prompt type sfc/scannow and press enter.
3. Restart the computer.

Method 3:

If no corrupted system files were found in the previous state, then I suggest you to try the following steps: 

1. Open command prompt by pressing Windows key + X and selecting “Command prompt admin”.
2. In command prompt, type the following commands and press Enter after each command:

                DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

    3. Close the command prompt and restart the PC and check if it works.

Hope this information helps. Reply to the post with updated issue status for further assistance.

Thank you.

Some further info - I think the search stopped working after I uninstalled/reinstalled a program. I found that using the sign out/sign in function seemed to cure it and it is working again (for now).

Obviously, seems very flaky though.

Just confirming that I see the exact same problem. Search randomly stops working after using it a few times.

It stops accepting text in the search.

tried all of the above. that dint work.

signed in with microsoft account then it started working.

later switched back to local account. started working there as well!.

try this!!

I suggest you try rebuilding the index and check if issue is resolved. To rebuild all the index, kindly follow the below given steps:

1. Press Windows key, type Indexing and hit enter.
2. Click on Advanced button.
3. Click Rebuild under Troubleshooting section and click OK.
4. Try searching and see if issue is fixed."         WILL NOT WORK as when I type in that search bar all I get is an empty white box.

THERE'S NOWHERE TO TYPE "INDEXING" when I press the Windows key.

There's no search box.

Cortana / search stops working after a few uses.

This is extremely frustrating.

I started step one in Method 3; when nothing happened after twenty minutes, I gave up.

The failure of search takes place for my wife and me on two computers, entirely too often, sometimes less than twenty-four hours after the last reboot. I had one instance when I had to reboot twice to get search to start working again.