Search guides

Fix a Windows that has search that will not work

We'll rebuild the search index, restart Search, and fix search when it will not work.

Troubleshooting · Home maintenance
15–45 min
What you'll need
  • Administrator account
  • Time for index rebuild (15–30 min)
Step 1 of 4

Quick triage — pick your path

Get started

Choose the option that matches what you see. You can jump straight to that section.

Show full guide

Steps

Goal: Get Windows Search working again.

  • Confirm Windows Search service is running.
  • Good: Proceed to Rebuild index.
  • Bad: Start the service first.

Restart Search service

Goal: Restart the Search service.

  • Services > Windows Search > Restart.
  • Good: Search works. Bad: Proceed to Rebuild index.

Rebuild index

Goal: Fix corrupted index.

  • Indexing Options > Advanced > Rebuild. Wait 15–30 minutes.
  • Good: Search works. Bad: Run Search repair; restart PC.

When to get help

Call a technician if:

  • Search still does not work after rebuild and repair.
  • Consider Reset this PC.

Verification

  • Win+S or Start search returns results.
  • File search finds known files.
  • Search completes without crash.

Escalation ladder

Work from the device outward. Stop when the problem is fixed.

  1. Restart service Services > Windows Search > Restart.
  2. Rebuild index Indexing Options > Advanced > Rebuild.
  3. Repair Search Settings > Apps > Search > Repair.
  4. Call a pro Consider Reset or reinstall.

What to capture if you need help

Before calling support or posting for help, have these ready. It speeds everything up.

  • Error message: from Search or Event Viewer
  • Index status: rebuilding or completed?
  • Windows Search service: Running?
  • Steps already tried

Is Windows Search service running?

Stopped service causes Search to fail.

Services (services.msc) > Windows Search. Check Status = Running. If stopped, Start. Good: service running—rebuild index. Bad: start service; set Automatic.

Yes No

You can change your answer later.

Does index rebuild fix Search?

Corrupted index causes no or wrong results.

Indexing Options > Advanced > Rebuild. Wait 15–30 min. Good: Search works. Bad: run Search repair; restart PC.
Question

Search working?

Continue

You can change your answer later.

Start Windows Search service

Services > Windows Search > Start. Set Startup type = Automatic. Retry Search.

Done

Repair Search and restart

Settings > Apps > Search > Repair. Restart PC. If still fails, consider Reset.

Done

Reviewed by Blackbox Atlas

Frequently asked questions

Why would Windows Search not work?
Corrupted index, Search service stopped, indexing disabled, or disk errors. Rebuild index and restart Search.
Can I fix Search myself?
Yes. Rebuild index, restart Windows Search service, run Search repair. Index rebuild can take 15–30 minutes.
When should I call a technician for Search?
Rarely. Search is a Windows feature. If rebuild and repair fail, reinstall or reset Windows may be needed.

Rate this guide

Was this helpful?

Continue to