Windows search menu has weird red and black squares appearing on all the letters appearing

Question

Windows search menu has weird red and black squares appearing on all the letters appearing

Rodrigo P 20

So whenever i want to search something up, i see red and black squares on EVERY letter in the search menu, i need a quick fix for this. OR IM GOING TO GO INSANE i swear (all my drivers are updated by the way and i have every windows update BUT it might be a windows update causing this) User's image

Gabriel R 0 Reputation points

2026-03-21T22:51:07.5533333+00:00

This worked for me: Press Win + R, type %localappdata%. And find the file named iconCache.db and delete it. Restart your pc.

Answer accepted by question author

John DeV 169.7K Independent Advisor

Have you tried the methods below?

Please try to return to the login screen

While holding the Left Shift key, click the Power icon at the bottom right > Restart

This will bring you to Windows Recovery Environment

Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Uninstall Updates

Uninstall latest quality update

If this doesn't work, Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore

Choose the restore point at an earlier date where everything is still working.

Click Next then Finish

0 comments

2 additional answers

Your answer

Gabriel R 0 Reputation points

2026-03-21T22:51:07.5533333+00:00

This worked for me: Press Win + R, type %localappdata%. And find the file named iconCache.db and delete it. Restart your pc.

Answer 1

Hi, good day!

When was the last time it worked properly?
Have you made any changes to your computer recently?
Have you tried the AI suggested methods?

Please try to restore the default System Fonts to default.

Open Notepad then copy and paste all the text below

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts]
"Segoe MDL2 Assets (TrueType)"="segmdl2.ttf"
"Segoe Print (TrueType)"="segoepr.ttf"
"Segoe Print Bold (TrueType)"="segoeprb.ttf"
"Segoe Script (TrueType)"="segoesc.ttf"
"Segoe Script Bold (TrueType)"="segoescb.ttf"
"Segoe UI (TrueType)"="segoeui.ttf"
"Segoe UI Black (TrueType)"="seguibl.ttf"
"Segoe UI Black Italic (TrueType)"="seguibli.ttf"
"Segoe UI Bold (TrueType)"="segoeuib.ttf"
"Segoe UI Bold Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuiz.ttf"
"Segoe UI Emoji (TrueType)"="seguiemj.ttf"
"Segoe UI Historic (TrueType)"="seguihis.ttf"
"Segoe UI Italic (TrueType)"="segoeuii.ttf"
"Segoe UI Light (TrueType)"="segoeuil.ttf"
"Segoe UI Light Italic (TrueType)"="seguili.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semibold (TrueType)"="seguisb.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semibold Italic (TrueType)"="seguisbi.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semilight (TrueType)"="segoeuisl.ttf"
"Segoe UI Semilight Italic (TrueType)"="seguisli.ttf"
"Segoe UI Symbol (TrueType)"="seguisym.ttf"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes]
"Segoe UI"=-

After that, click File then Save as

Rename it to Restore_default_system_font.reg

Save as type: select All files

Click Save

After that, double click it then select Yes to merge

Click Ok

Restart your computer (not shutdown)

I look forward to receiving your update and I'm willing to collaborate with you till we resolve the issue. Do keep me informed by clicking "Add comment" below.

Rodrigo P 20 Reputation points

2026-03-12T13:57:48.19+00:00

This method didnt work, the last time it worked properly was March 9th and no i havent made any changes as this happened while i was sleeping and i shut off the computer, i've tried all the AI methods but none of them work. I have a feeling this has something to do with my NVIDIA drivers (not so suspicious of it because i just reinstalled them) or a Windows Update (Most Suspicious of)

Answer 2

The red and black squares over the letters in Windows Search are typically caused by a font or font‑cache problem.

Try these steps:

Restart the Windows Font Cache Service
1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. In the Services list, find Windows Font Cache Service.
3. Right‑click it and select Stop.
4. Test Windows Search – the overlay may disappear even while the service is stopped.
5. Go back to Services, right‑click Windows Font Cache Service, and select Start.
Install missing optional fonts (if some characters still show as boxes)
1. Open Start > Settings.
2. Go to Time & language > Region & language.
3. If a specific language is affected and used often, select Add a language and add it; Windows will install its font pack automatically.
4. If the language is unknown or should not change your display language:
  - Open Settings > System > Apps & features.
  - Select Manage optional features > Add a feature.
  - From the list, install the relevant Supplemental Fonts package (for example, Japanese, Korean, Arabic Script, etc.).
Check for Windows updates
1. Open Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
2. Select Check for updates, install anything offered, and restart.

If the issue was introduced by a recent update and persists after these steps, temporarily uninstalling that specific update or performing a system restore to a point before the problem started can also help, but only after ensuring fonts and the font cache are correct.

References: