KB5068861 Breaks Searching Mapped Drives

Question

KB5068861 Breaks Searching Mapped Drives

Steven Nerey 0

I am experiencing the same issue described in this thread:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5646465/windows-update-kb5068861-breaks-smb-indexed-search

I cannot uninstall KB5068861, and installing the most recent updates do not resolve the issue.

Is there any workaround for this problem, or at least an expected date for a fix?

Neil D 32,295 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-12T21:04:14.5466667+00:00

Out of interest what sort of search are you using. Are you searching the mapped drive directly (by selecting the drive letter) or searching from within This PC or somewhere else.
Steven Nerey 0 Reputation points

2026-02-13T14:50:40.6666667+00:00

By opening the mapped drive and searching directly, of course. The affected user can browse anywhere within any mapped drive, but search says "No items match your search" even if I can see the file/folder in explorer before anything is searched.
Neil D 32,295 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-13T16:38:06.7633333+00:00

Okay, just thought I'd ask. Is the network drive a NAS and not using a domain. Is it just one user and others can find items using search.

I did try it myself to search a NAS and it works okay. Then again I have clean installed since that KB so didn't get the update. The problem doesn't seem to appear for me with the most recent updates installed since 19/12/25.

I wonder if a reinstall using Settings > System > Recovery > Fix problems using windows update, select Reinstall now might help.

2 answers

Your answer

Neil D 32,295 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-12T21:04:14.5466667+00:00

Out of interest what sort of search are you using. Are you searching the mapped drive directly (by selecting the drive letter) or searching from within This PC or somewhere else.
Steven Nerey 0 Reputation points

2026-02-13T14:50:40.6666667+00:00

By opening the mapped drive and searching directly, of course. The affected user can browse anywhere within any mapped drive, but search says "No items match your search" even if I can see the file/folder in explorer before anything is searched.
Neil D 32,295 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-02-13T16:38:06.7633333+00:00

Okay, just thought I'd ask. Is the network drive a NAS and not using a domain. Is it just one user and others can find items using search.

I did try it myself to search a NAS and it works okay. Then again I have clean installed since that KB so didn't get the update. The problem doesn't seem to appear for me with the most recent updates installed since 19/12/25.

I wonder if a reinstall using Settings > System > Recovery > Fix problems using windows update, select Reinstall now might help.

Answer 1

Hi Steven Nerey,
Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. I'm happy to help.

If you're certain KB5068861 has caused the issue, I have a workaround although it's not convenient to do so. It's performing an In-place upgrade.

Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides: How to run In-place upgrade in Windows 11 - Microsoft Community

After performing an In-place upgrade, you will have 25H2 without recent updates. You may then choose to update the system and uninstall the updates you don't want.

I hope that above information is helpful to you.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Lucus-V 5,625 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-18T16:32:11.9466667+00:00

Hi Steven Nerey,
I hope everything is going well on your end. Just wanted to check in and see how things are going for you lately, anything you'd like to share or discuss?

Answer 2

Currently, there is no specific workaround mentioned in the provided context for the issue with KB5068861 breaking SMB indexed search. However, it is recommended to keep your system updated with the latest patches, as they may contain important improvements and issue resolutions. If you are unable to uninstall KB5068861 and recent updates do not resolve the issue, monitoring for future updates from Microsoft that address this problem would be advisable. Unfortunately, an expected date for a fix is not provided in the context.

References:

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KB5068861 Breaks Searching Mapped Drives

2 answers

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