The search bar feature in Windows 11 may not work because it is disabled. The issue primarily affects users who have upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Of course, there may be other problems, why the search button is not pressed, and the Search itself does not open its menu, which we will also touch on. In addition, if your Search in Explorer does not work for you, start from point 8. We have discussed how you can fix the “Search bar not working issue” in Windows 11.
How to Fix Search Not Working in Windows 11
1. Re-enable Search
Head over to the path: Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Enable Search if it has been disabled. Also, if it is enabled, then disable and enable it back.
2. Update Windows 11
Open Windows Update 11 and install the latest updates, if available.
3. Troubleshooting
Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters and Search and Indexing.
4. Restarting search processes
Type Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut key to open the Task Manager. In the manager, go to the “Details” tab. Next, find and end the SearchHost.exe and SearchUI.exe process, and then restart your PC.
5. Restarting Explorer.exe
Open the task manager again by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc, and in the ” Processes ” tab, find the name, Explorer. Select it with one mouse click and click the ” Restart ” button.
6. Restarting the search service
Press Win + R on your keyboard and type services.msc to open services. Locate the Windows Search service and right-click on it, then select Restart.
7. Rebuild the index
Press Win + R and type control.exe srchadmin.dll to quickly open indexing options. In the window that opens, click on the bottom on “Advanced” and a new window “, Rebuild”. Reboot your PC after completing the process, which can take minutes to 7.
8. Search in Explorer does not work
If you cannot type words in the explorer search, press Win + R, enter C: \ Windows \ system32 \ ctfmon.exe, and restart the PC.
9. Checking system files
Press Win + X, select PowerShell administrator or Terminal (administrator), and enter the following two commands in the console to restore the integrity of the Windows 11 system.
sfc /scannow DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
