How To 

How to fix Taskbar Search not working in Windows 10



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Taskbar Search is a very useful feature of Windows 10, yet like everything else in the OS, is a little temperamental at times. I have heard of issues with search both before and after the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, so it is nothing new. However, it can be simple to address. Here is how you fix Taskbar Search not working in Windows 10.

Fix Taskbar Search not working in Windows 10
Search changed in Windows 10. Even if you don’t use Cortana or voice commands, the Cortana process still controls search. The Cortana process is usually a good place to start when troubleshooting search as I have seen is disabled by users thinking they were just stopping voice commands.

1. Right click on an empty section of the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
2. Locate the Cortana process and click End task.
3. Wait for it to reappear in Task Manager.

As a core process Cortana automatically restarts so you need do nothing more. In the cases I have seen this has been enough to fix search. If it didn’t work for you, try this.

1. Right click on an empty section of the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
2. Select the Services tab and then ‘Open Services’ at the bottom.
3. Locate the Windows Search service and make sure it is running and set to Automatic.

If the service was stopped, start it and retest.

Finally, if those two didn’t work, try the Search Troubleshooter.

1. Right click the Windows Start button and select Control Panel.
2. Select All Control Panel Items, Troubleshooting and System and Security.
3. Select Search and Indexing and Next. Follow the instructions within the wizard.

Those are the three main ways to fix Taskbar Search not working in Windows 10. One of them is sure to help!

More Windows 10 fixes:
How to fix Windows 10 Black Screen issue
How to fix the Windows 10 Bad System Config Info error
How to fix Windows 10 error ‘Boot Device Not Found’