There has been a drastic change in the Windows interface from Windows 7 to Windows 10. One of the changes is the addition of search box, tiles and Cortana in Windows Start menu.

However, along came a lot of imploding issues with the Search button, which brings Cortana-related issues as well.

So, if your Search is staggered and stopped and Cortana is not working, then check out these methods to fix the issue Windows 10 search not working.

Method 1: System File Checker

Using System File Checker to repair the Start menu search is one of the easiest methods. Follow these steps to try fixing the search not working:

Note: Since Search option is not working, we can’t simply type on Start Menu search and open it.

Step 1: Open Start menu and look for Command Prompt Under Mostly Used apps.

Step 2: Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run As Administrator.

Note: You can also access Command Prompt,

• Press Windows and R, type taskmgr to open Task manager.
  
• Click File-> Run New task.
  
• Type CMD and put a checkmark beside Create this task with administrative privileges.
  

Step 3: Once you have Command Prompt up and running, type sfc/scannow

A scan will be initiated, and it will search your system for errors and issues & will fix them in the process. This process could fix your issue as the Start menu search is a system process.

Method 2: Register Cortana Again

If you think Cortana is the reason of your Start menu search not working, then you need to register the Cortana app once again.

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Press Windows and E to get Windows File Explorer and go to location
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Note: Replace Username with your Username on computer

Step 2: Look for Windows Powershell folder.

Step 3:  Right-click on Windows Powershell and select Run As Administrator

Note: Right-click on the Start button and from the context menu, search for Windows Powershell (Admin)

Step 4: Once Powershell is up and running, type this code and press enter.

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

Once done, Exit the Powershell windows and restart your computer. You will have your Start menu Search up and running.

If not then follow the next step.

Method 3: Windows Troubleshooter

One of the basic things that you should do, if you run into trouble with inbuilt Windows apps, is using Windows tools.

Note: We can’t guarantee that this trick could work, but you can always try.

Step 1:  Press Windows and R to open the Run Window, type Control Panel.

Note: You can launch  Control Panel by clicking on Start menu and scrolling the most used apps list to Windows System folder->Control Panel

Step 2: On Control Panel Window, go to Troubleshooting, then System & Security.

Step 3: Under System & Security-> click Search & Indexing.

Step 4: Click Next on the Search & Indexing window.

Step 5: Another screen would come up asking “What Problems Do You Notice?”

Step 6: Put checkmarks beside the issues which you are facing and click Next.

This will automatically run the scan and try fixing the probable issues.

Method 4: Examine Windows Search Service

Your Start menu search might not be working as Windows search service is not running. Windows Search service is a system service which runs on the system startup automatically.

Step 1: Press Windows and R and type services.msc.

Step 2: On the services window, navigate to find Windows Search service.

Step 3: Check the status of the service, if it is running then service is working. If not, then you can start it manually.

Step 4: Right-click on Windows Search service and click properties

Step 5: On Properties window, click General tab, then Service status, click Start to make the process running.

Also, check if the Startup Type is set to Automatic (Delayed Start) or Automatic. This will make sure every time when Windows starts up, the service starts running

Step 6: Click OK to make the changes.

This will resolve the Windows 10 Search Not Working issue

Method 5: Restart Windows Firewall or Other Antivirus

We don’t recommend to disable and remove your third-party Antivirus app, you just to restart the app as some of these programs may cause Windows Search to totter. So, restart your Antivirus program and try to use the Windows Start menu search.

Another way could be activating Windows Firewall. It seems that Search and indexing are quite sensitive to Security settings, which is weird. However, it might help you with the cause.

Method 6: Restart Cortana Process

As we have established Cortana could be the mischievous one behind all this chaos. If that could be the slightest possibility, then we can restart the Cortana process to resolve the issue

Step1: Press Windows and R, type taskmgr to open Task manager.

Note: Right-click on Taskbar and click Task manager from the list.

Step 2: On the task manager window, click on the Processes tab and find Cortana.

Step 3: Right-click it and select End Task button.

This will restart the Cortana process and might solve the Cortana not working and Start Menu Search Not Working issues.

Method 7. Restart Windows Explorer

Whenever we are getting issues with your PC, the first thing that we do is restart our PC. However, restarting Windows Explorer process can work for this issue.

• Press Windows and R, type taskmgr to open Task manager.

        Note: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to go to Task Manager.

• Click More details (if you get a small window)
• Go to Windows Explorer and right click on it.
• Select Restart from the context menu.

So, these are some of the fixes to resolve Start Menu Search Not Working issue on Windows 10. Try the methods and tell us which worked for you. Also, if we have missed any of the methods that could help, please mention in the comments section.