Windows search finds nothing even after indexing: solutions and causes

If you're reading this, it's because Windows search finds nothing even though it appears to be indexing correctlySearches get stuck or the results are incomplete. This is a very common problem in Windows 10 and Windows 11, and it can be due to minor configuration errors, disabled services, corrupted indexes, or even problems with the file system itself.

Throughout this guide we will see all the typical causes and the most comprehensive solutions For when Windows Search breaks down: from checking basic services, restarting key processes like SearchUI.exe or SearchHost.exe, rebuilding the index, using troubleshooters and tools like SFC or DISM, to more advanced scenarios like regenerating the search app folder or controlling the size of the Windows.edb database. The idea is to have everything you need to get Windows Search working properly in a single article. Let's explain why. Windows search finds nothing even though it indexes.

Main symptoms: the search engine appears to index but finds nothing

When something goes wrong with Windows Search, the symptoms can vary widely, but some patterns almost always repeat themselves: No results appear, the box remains gray, searches take a long time, or they only work in some folders.Just because the system says it's indexing doesn't mean the index is being used correctly.

In Windows 10 and 11 it is common to see that The search bar does not return any files, folders, or applications.even though we know they're on the disk. Sometimes local search stops working completely and only tries to show web results (Bing), other times the problem is limited to File Explorer, or it only affects specific locations like Google Drive or a Music folder.

There are also cases where The search bar on the taskbar is stuck.It either doesn't allow you to type anything, or the results box remains completely empty and gray. In some Windows 10 builds (such as 1903/1909) there were massive bugs that rendered the Start menu and search completely unusable, and some of the solutions are still valid today.

Finally, some users notice that The system says it's indexing, but performance is degrading.The index either never finishes or consumes too many resources. In these cases, the problem could be the number of indexed items, the size of the Windows.edb file, or even the way very large file types (such as Outlook PST) are indexed.

Common causes of Windows search not working

Before getting into solutions, it's helpful to understand what usually breaks the search engine. Most of the time, the problem stems from one of these points: search service stopped, damaged index, conflicting web integration, or corrupted system files.

Among the most common causes we can find that The "Windows Search" (wsearch) service is disabled or malfunctioning.that the index database has become corrupted, that an antivirus or "optimization" tool has touched where it shouldn't have, or that I downloaded a Windows update but didn't install it. and has introduced a bug related to Cortana or Bing.

Another classic source of problems is the very content we are trying to index: Too many items, very large file types, poorly configured folders, or poorly integrated cloud locationsIf the indexer becomes overwhelmed or encounters constant errors while reading a disk, performance drops sharply and may even stop.

Finally, we must not forget the system's deepest flaws: damaged Windows files, disk errors, or corrupted Registry keys related to the search. In these cases, the symptoms are usually more serious: the service does not start, the search options appear grayed out, or the indexing settings cannot be opened at all.

Check and restart key search services

One of the first checks you should do when the search finds nothing is Verify that the services related to Windows Search are active and in good working order.If the service has been disabled or blocked, everything else will fail.

To begin, it's a good idea to check the main search service. You can open it from the Run dialog box (Win + R). services.msc and locate “Windows Search”. Here it’s important to check two basic things: that the status is “Running” and that the startup type is set to “Automatic (delayed start)”. If it’s not running, starting it is usually enough to get the search engine working again.

Another service that has had problems in recent versions is the Windows font cache serviceAlthough primarily related to fonts, Microsoft documents that restarting the Windows Font Cache Service can resolve issues with Windows Search. From the Services console, simply search for "Windows Font Cache Service," stop it, test a search, and restart it.

If the search engine still doesn't respond after restarting these services, it is recommended to restart the process related to the search interfaceThis process, which is called SearchUI.exe in Windows 10 and SearchHost.exe in Windows 11, can be terminated from the Task Manager, under the "Details" tab. When you use search again, Windows will automatically recreate the process.

In some specific scenarios it also helps restart the Explorer.exe processSince File Explorer and the taskbar are part of the same process, closing it from Task Manager and letting it restart can resolve issues with the Explorer search box. programs that start automatically can help.

Rebuild and adjust the search index

If the service is good but The search returns incomplete results or simply fails to find files that are right in front of your nose.The index is most likely damaged or misconfigured. Rebuilding it usually solves the problem.

The Windows index is nothing more than a database that stores a list of all the items that the system has decided to index (files, emails, metadata, etc.) to speed up searches. Over time, this database can become corrupted, filled with junk files, or simply become outdated if you've significantly changed the folder structure.

To rebuild the index in Windows 10 and 11, you can open the Indexing options From the Control Panel or by searching for "Settings," you'll find an "Advanced" button and, in that window, the "Rebuild" option. Clicking this will cause Windows to delete the current index and begin generating a new one, which can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on the number of items.

During this process it is very important to be clear which locations are included in the index and which are notFrom the "Edit" button, you can select or deselect folders: if your music, photos, or D:\ drive are not selected, it's normal that the search won't find anything there. In some cases, such as with Google Drive or certain special folders, it's a good idea to make sure they are actually within the indexed locations.

It should also be noted that the search mode options “Classic” and “Enhanced” Windows 10/11 features significantly affect the scope of the index. Classic mode only scans libraries and some standard paths, while enhanced mode attempts to scan the entire computer. Enhanced mode automatically adds certain folders to the "excluded" list for performance and privacy reasons, which can be confusing when users delete them and they reappear (for example, paths like C:\Users\Default\AppData).

Indexer performance and practical limits

It's not enough for the index to exist; it also has to be manageable. Microsoft acknowledges that Above approximately 400.000 indexed items, performance begins to decline.And although the theoretical limit is around one million elements, reaching that point is a sure recipe for noticing high CPU, disk and memory consumption.

The size of the index file, normally Windows.edb or Windows.dbThe index grows as the number of items increases and also depending on the type of content being indexed. Many small files can inflate the index just as much as a few very large files. The file is usually located in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows, and you can check how much disk space it's actually using from its properties.

If the size of the index has skyrocketed, there are several strategies: Exclude entire folders from indexing (for example, large backup repositories, virtual machines, or very heavy workloads), change how specific file types are handled from the "File Types" tab in the advanced options, or even defragment the Windows.edb file with the EsentUtl.exe tool under supervision.

On systems where Outlook indexes giant mailboxes, another practical measure is Reduce the email and calendar synchronization windowThis prevents years and years of messages from being indexed. This not only reduces the size of the index but also significantly improves the application's performance.

Troubleshooters and commands to repair search

When basic solutions aren't enough, Windows includes several tools specifically designed for detect and repair errors related to search and indexingIt is recommended to use them before delving into the Registry or reinstalling components.

On one hand there is the "Search and Indexing" troubleshooterThis tool is accessible from Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot (in Windows 11, under System > Recommended troubleshooters or similar). When running it, it's advisable to select options such as "Files are not appearing in search results" and, when prompted, choose "Attempt to troubleshoot as an administrator" to enable more thorough repairs.

That same troubleshooter can also be launched from a command prompt window with the command msdt.exe -ep WindowsHelp id SearchDiagnosticThis directly opens the diagnostic search wizard. From the advanced options, you can specify that solutions be applied automatically, simplifying the process for less experienced users.

In certain episodes where the integration with Bing and Cortana was the cause of The Start menu search will remain blank.Many users resorted to disabling this integration through the Registry. Using a command prompt with administrator privileges, the BingSearchEnabled and CortanaConsent keys can be created in HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search, and their value set to 0 to limit searches to local content.

This technique, however, is usually a temporary workaround while Microsoft releases an update that fixes the underlying problem. After applying these changes, you need to restart your computer for the search to reset with the new settings.

Repair corrupted files with SFC, DISM, and disk check

If you suspect that the system itself is damaged (for example, the search service doesn't start, the settings options appear grayed out, or strange error messages are displayed), then it's time to turn to the Windows repair tools: SFC, DISM, and CHKDSK.

The system file scanner, known as SFC (System File Checker)It analyzes critical Windows files and replaces any it detects as corrupt with correct versions from the system cache. It is run from a command prompt with administrator privileges using the command sfc /scannowand the process can take a while to complete.

When CFS isn't enough, other factors come into play. DISM (Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management)which repairs the Windows image used by SFC to restore files. A typical command is DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealthThis should also be run from a console with elevated privileges. Once it finishes, it's advisable to run SFC again for a final pass with a corrected image.

In parallel, it's always a good idea to check if the hard drive or SSD has any errors. The command chkdsk /rLaunched from the command prompt, this tool scans the drive for bad sectors and file system structure problems. It's a Windows classic that, although somewhat outdated, remains very useful when there are indications of hardware failures that may be affecting the index database or the system files themselves.

Once this battery of checks is complete, if the search still doesn't work due to corrupted files, the normal thing to do is start responding much betterIf everything remains the same, it's time to consider more aggressive measures with the specific components of Windows Search.

Completely reset Windows Search and the search app

In more extreme situations, especially when The search doesn't even start, or the settings pages appear grayed out.It may be necessary to completely reset the Windows Search feature or even regenerate the modern search app.

On computers with Windows 10 version 1809 or earlier, local search was closely tied to CortanaMicrosoft suggested resetting the Cortana app from its settings to fix many problems: Start button, right-click on Cortana, "More" > "App settings," and then use the "Reset" option. This removes temporary data and returns it to a near-factory state.

In more recent versions of Windows 10 (1903 and later) and in Windows 11, the approach changes. Microsoft offers a PowerShell script called ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1 This tool completely reinstalls and resets Windows Search. To use it, you need to temporarily allow PowerShell to run scripts (by setting the ExecutionPolicy to "Unrestricted" for the current user), download the script from the Microsoft support website, run it by right-clicking > "Run with PowerShell," and follow the on-screen instructions.

When finished, the script displays a "Done" message, and if you modified the execution policy, you'll need to restore it to its original value using Set-ExecutionPolicy again. This operation Reconfigures the search engine, regenerates components, and cleans corrupted configurationsTherefore, it often solves problems that did not respond to other techniques.

When even this is not enough, one can move on to an even more advanced phase: Regenerate the AppData folder of the Microsoft.Windows.Search package (in Windows 10) or MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS (in Windows 11), delete the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search associated with the affected user and re-register the system package with Add-AppxPackage and the corresponding Appxmanifest. This operation leaves the search engine virtually as if it were newly installed for that account.

Specific problems in Explorer, Google Drive, and folder searches

Beyond the taskbar, many users find that Searching within File Explorer itself doesn't do the jobThat is, within a specific folder, a file name or extension (for example, ".png") is searched for and the system finds nothing even though the files are there.

In the case of cloud integrations, such as Google DriveThe problem can be twofold: on the one hand, the Drive client might be showing "on-demand" files that don't fully download until you open them, and on the other hand, the Windows index might not have that location or provider properly registered. The result is that Explorer does show the folders, but the built-in search ignores many items or only locates a portion of them.

It is also common that A specific folder, such as Music, fails to search while other paths on the disk work fine.This usually indicates that there is something wrong with how that folder has been indexed: perhaps the path is not included in the indexing locations, or it has been partially indexed and the index is corrupted only for that part of the tree.

In these types of cases, it's advisable to carefully review the Indexing Options, making sure that Problematic routes are marked and permitted.And if necessary, temporarily remove that location from the index, apply the changes, add it back, and rebuild. Sometimes this "partial reset" is enough to restore normal search functionality in that folder.

If Explorer directly blocks the search bar (you can't even type), in addition to checking the Explorer.exe process, you should also check if A specific Windows update has introduced a known bugIn such cases, searching for recent cumulative patches, installing them, and restarting the computer is usually the most logical solution.

When the search engine indicates anomalous indexing statuses

The search settings interface itself shows status messages that help you understand what's happening with the indexerPaying attention to these messages can save you a lot of diagnostic time.

If indicated “Full indexing”In principle, the index is healthy and nothing should be missing as long as the locations are correctly selected. However, messages such as “Indexing in progress,” “Indexing speed is slow due to user activity,” or “Indexing is waiting for the computer to become idle” indicate that the process is still working and needs time and resources to complete.

Even more serious are states of the type “Insufficient memory to continue indexing” or “Insufficient disk space to continue indexing.” In these cases, the index is deliberately stopped to avoid overloading the system, and the solution involves closing applications that consume a lot of RAM, upgrading memory if possible, or freeing up disk space and reducing the index size by excluding unnecessary content.

Other messages, such as “Indexing is paused,” “Indexing is paused to conserve battery power,” or “Group policy is configured to pause indexing while using battery power,” indicate that the indexer has been stopped in a controlled manner: either by user choice, company policy, or to conserve battery power. In these cases, there is no actual error; you simply need to... manually resume service or connect the equipment to the power supply.

The worst-case scenario is when The search page appears dimmed and no status message is displayed.or when a missing status is reported. This usually means that the Registry keys or the indexer database are seriously corrupted. The official recommendation at this point is to delete the contents of C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data, let Windows regenerate the structure, and, if necessary, update the system to the latest available version to replace corrupted components.

Best practices to prevent the search from breaking again

Once you've managed to revive the search, it's only natural that you'd want to to prevent the problem from recurring at the slightest provocationThere are several simple habits that can make a difference in the medium term.

In systems with traditional mechanical hard drives (HDD) is still useful perform maintenance tasks such as periodic defragmentationThe defragmentation and optimization tool included in Windows helps make file access more sequential and less chaotic, which makes the indexer's job easier. However, using the classic defragmenter on SSDs doesn't make sense, as their internal workings are different.

It is also key optimize indexing options It depends on how you use your PC. There's not much point in indexing folders full of temporary files, backups, or content you'll almost never search for. The more you narrow down the search to truly important locations (Documents, a projects folder, etc.), the faster and more reliably your search will work.

Another good practice is to avoid, as much as possible, "Cleaning" or "speed-up" tools that disable Windows Search to save resources. Some of these utilities indiscriminately modify the wsearch service or delete the Windows.edb file, causing precisely the kind of problems you're trying to solve.

Finally, it's worth getting used to Keep Windows updatedEspecially when there are reports of specific bugs related to search. Microsoft usually fixes these bugs with cumulative patches, and failing to install them can cause you to carry over previously resolved problems.

With everything we've seen, it's clear that when Windows search finds nothing even though it indexesThe problem can range from a simple stopped service to a corrupted index or damaged system files; by checking services, restarting processes, fine-tuning the index, using troubleshooters and system repair tools, and then applying a few good maintenance practices, it is perfectly possible to have a fast, accurate, and stable search again on your Windows PC.