Windows 11: How to Fix Windows Search Not Opening

Question

Windows Search is not opening on my system, and assistance is needed to resolve this issue. Is there a fix available?

Answer 1

Hello Rayhan. Thanks for getting back. Since the above steps did not worked, the most viable solution to restoring the Windows Search feature in Windows 11 is to repair it by disabling and re-enabling the Search Engine feature with DISM. This method works well because it addresses the Windows feature that is responsible for Search functionality at the systems level and not at the user profile or application level, therefore issues of corruption or misconfiguration at either of these levels will not impact DISM-based repairs. First you would run

dism /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"SearchEngine-Client-Package"

, reboot the PC and then run

dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"SearchEngine-Client-Package"

and reboot again. If you still do not have Search restored, the next best and most reliable workaround is to do a "Reset this PC" under Settings > System > Recovery > clicking Keep my files. This will rebuild Windows while preserving personal files, and gives you the ability to repair system-level corruption that often times tweaks and customization won't address.

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Answer 2

Hello Rayhan. When Windows Search won't open in Windows 11, the next step is to try rebooting the search process. You can do this by opening Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, moving over to the Details tab, finding SearchHost.exe, and ending the task. It should restart automatically and possibly fix the issue at hand. Then I would run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter available in Settings under System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters. This is a built-in troubleshooter designed to detect search issues and apply fixes. If propelling the troubleshooter does not fix the search, it is worth trying another option of rebuilding the search index. You can find this option in Settings > Privacy & Security > Searching Windows. Once you find Searching Windows click on Advanced indexing options. In indexing options navigate to advanced, and select rebuild. When activated it takes some time to rebuild, but perhaps you will have search functionality again.

You can also restart the Windows Search service itself. You can do this by typing services.msc into the Run box (Win + R), then find Windows Search in the list and confirm that the startup type is Automatic. If it's not running, your option will say "Start" instead of "Stop", click "Start" to run the service. Then apply your changes. You can also go beyond that and keep going even further by repairing system files using the System File Checker and the DISM tools. You will start by running Command Prompt as administrator on your computer. Then run the following lines: sfc /scannow. Then run the command DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. Running these commands may repair problems in the background that interfere with search behavior. If that still has not helped, you can reset Windows Search through PowerShell. Run PowerShell as admin. You will enter one simple command to re-register the ShellExperienceHost component and that will usually restore the damaged search functionality.

Here's the reference: Fix problem Search not working Windows report

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