The latest Windows 10 update seems to have broken the Search box On Windows 10. Many Windows 10 users experienced the issue last week, but Microsoft says it fixed the issue. However, Brad Sams from Thurrott.com voiced his problem with getting Windows Search to respond.
I have restarted and killed search multiple times…this is still broken :/ pic.twitter.com/MAeUSPdeMK
— Brad Sams (@bdsams) February 10, 2020
While many replies to Sams’ tweet suggest downloading and running a Windows Search script via PowerShell, there are other options to get Windows Search back up and running on Windows 10.
Personally, I encountered the Windows Search box not appearing only a handful of times, so it is not as irritating for me as it may be for other Windows 10 users. Let’s take a look at the fixes available for Windows Search.
Run the Windows Search troubleshooter
1. Go to Windows Settings & select Update & Security
2. Go to Troubleshoot > Search and indexing and select Run the troubleshooter
3. Follow the troubleshooter prompts to best indicate the Windows Search issue that you are having 
Alternatively, you can use command prompt to run the troubleshooter too. Hold down the Windows logo button + R to open a command prompt. Cut and paste the following line into your command prompt:
msdt.exe -ep WindowsHelp id SearchDiagnostic
From here, select any problems that apply to your Windows 10 device. The Windows troubleshooter will try to detect and fix any issues you are having automatically.
Restart Windows Search or Your Windows 10 device
Another option that is available to fix Windows Search is to end the SearchUI process in Task Manager in order to restart Windows Search within Windows 10. Follow these steps:
1. Press and hold down Ctrl+Alt+Del simultaneously, and then choose Task Manager
2. In the Task Manager window, choose Details as indicated, and choose SearchUI.exe
3. Right-click SearchUI.exe and choose End task. Windows 10 will prompt you again to end SearchUI.exe, confirm by choosing End Process.
Windows Search will restart automatically the next time you go to search for anything in Windows 10. If this doesn’t help fix Windows Search, you may need to restart your Windows 10 device. Sometimes, restarting your Windows 10 device can help with finishing the installation of any pending Windows 10 updates, or your device might just need a quick restart.
Check for Windows 10 updates
Finally, you can check to see if your device has all the latest Windows 10 updates. If you just came across this guide, it’s possible that Microsoft released a fix for Windows Search in a recent update. Oftentimes, it is an update that may cause some Windows 10 features to break or not work consistently. Depending on your Windows 10 PC setup, checking for updates might be the one thing stopping you from fixing an issue that might be driving you crazy.
Have you experienced issues with Windows Search? Do you have a fix not mentioned here? Let us know in the comments.
