Windows 10 has been out for several months now, and there are bound to be some problems with it. One of the most common issues with Windows 10 is that the taskbar search no longer works. If you’re having this problem, don’t worry! We’ve got the fix for you right here! Windows 10 taskbar search not working Here’s the fix!
1) Before we begin
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Before we get into what’s causing Windows 10’s Taskbar search to fail, it’s important to understand how it works. Think of Windows Search like a recipe box: you toss all your recipes in there and when you need one, you grab them and use them. That’s exactly what happens with Taskbar search; if you type a file name into the Window 10 taskbar, Windows will filter through all those files and pull up any matches.
2) Search online, in device manager and in this article
Try searching online for a solution. Chances are someone else might have already figured out how to fix it. If you can’t find anything useful, try to look in your device manager to see if there are any yellow exclamation points or red Xs next to your devices. If you can’t find anything obvious, start looking through Device Manager and see if there is anything that looks like it may be disabled (yellow exclamation point). You should also check all of your system drivers and make sure they aren’t corrupted (red X) because both of these things could cause your taskbar search box to stop working correctly.
3) If all else fails, try these alternatives
If you’re still having issues with Cortana and your PC after trying these solutions, check out a few third-party alternatives to Cortana. Since many of them work similarly to Cortana (most have a keyboard shortcut or can be triggered by a keyword), they should be easy to switch to once you figure out which one(s) work best for you. Take Note allows you to set reminders, make lists, create tasks, and look up facts. You can also use it as an extension on Chrome and Firefox, but that’s completely optional.
4) The other way to run a search from your desktop
In addition to using Cortana or Windows Search from your Start menu, you can also use your desktop’s Taskbar to run a search. This is useful if you’re currently in an app and don’t want to switch back to your desktop just to run a quick search.
5) No matter what you do, don’t switch to Cortana
Taskbar Search Not Working in Windows 10? Don’t Switch to Cortana! One of Microsoft’s less publicized changes in Windows 10 is that you can now use Cortana to perform a number of tasks traditionally reserved for Taskbar Search, such as launching programs and files, finding and opening settings, searching through web content (if you allow it), and so on. It’s unclear why Microsoft made these changes—perhaps they saw Siri making big waves in mobile devices and wanted to cash in on voice control.
6) Use keyboard shortcuts for faster searching
If you’re a Windows PC user, you probably have some keyboard shortcuts drilled into your head. One shortcut that comes in handy when searching for files on your PC is Ctrl + F (if you’re using Chrome or Internet Explorer) or Shift + Command + F (if you’re using Safari). Just type what you want to find and it will instantly start filtering your results.
7) Set up Active Hours
First, open Cortana. You can do that by clicking in your taskbar search box, or by clicking Ask me anything from within any Start menu folder. From there, click Preferences and then turn on Let me use active hours. This lets Windows know when you’re most likely to be searching for things on your computer—so it won’t bother you as much then.
8) Resetting the taskbar will get it back to normal
Right-click on an empty space in your taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. Then, under When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, choose Show windows stacked. A dialog box should pop up saying that you need to restart your computer. Do it, and you’ll have your taskbar back to normal. If that doesn’t work for you, try using Windows’ System Configuration utility (msconfig). Open msconfig by searching for it with Cortana/the Start Menu. Then click Startup and disable anything there except for anything related to antivirus software—that can be a cause of problems too. After a restart, see if that helps.
Why is my task search bar not working?
The problem of taskbar search not working might be as a result of Microsoft having pushed out an update to Windows 10. When a new update is released, it is designed to correct existing bugs and increase system performance; however, there are occasions when things don’t work as expected. To fix your taskbar search not working problem, see our troubleshooting tips below
How do I get the search bar to work on Windows 10?
A quick Google search will tell you that a number of people have reported issues with the Windows 10 taskbar. The main complaint is that when they click on it, their computer cursor doesn’t move, and their keyboard stops responding. The problem has to do with some settings in your Control Panel and Registry, so keep reading to find out how to fix it right now.
When I click on the Windows search bar nothing happens?
Have you checked your settings to make sure it is configured correctly? In Windows 8.1 and above, click on Settings in Windows and go to PC Settings. Once there, go to Search & Apps and select Search from within that menu.
How do I turn on Windows Search?
Windows Search is pretty powerful and really handy if you know how to use it. In Windows 7, you could quickly turn on Windows Search by searching for search in your Start Menu. In Windows 8, all you had to do was hit [Win]+Q, then start typing your query. But how do you turn on Windows Search in Windows 10? Thankfully, it’s still pretty easy—just hold down [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [F]. Boom! Now you can start typing away and making searches a breeze (well, again). If that doesn’t work for some reason or isn’t an option for you at the moment, don’t fret: There are other ways to get it going.