New search function on Windows 10 is its most noteworthy feature. Cortana has considerably improved searching items on Windows PC. Cortana Search on Windows 10 makes it easy to for users to quickly find files, folders, data saved on PC as well as search any information on the web using type or voice search commands. By default Cortana search is directed to Bing search engines on Edge browser, but you can set Google as default search engine on Cortana. It improves users experience but sometimes errors can cause it to stop working properly. Windows taskbar or Cortana search may fail to load or work as normal due to unexpected errors. Online Windows forums are full of users complaining about Cortana and taksbar search not working on Windows 10. Some say that Cortana fails to load or taksbar becomes unresponsive all of a sudden. Here you can see how to fix Cortana and taskbar search not working on Windows 10.
Luckily it not that hard to fix Cortana or taskbar errors on Windows 10 as you can see in solutions section below. Without wasting any further time, let’s get to work as see how you can address Cortana and Windows 10 taskbar search not working errors.
How to Fix Cortana and Taskbar Search not Working on Windows 10 PC:
Follow solutions below one by one to find out how you can fix Cortana search and frozen taskbar on Windows 10 PC and laptop.
Fix 1 – End Cortana/Search Process from Task Manager
If Cortana is not working on your PC then its time to end Cortana process and restart it to see if that solves the problem. In countries where Cortana feature is not available on Windows 10 copy, it is replaced by Search function which performs similar tasks minus voice command feature. Here’s how to shut down Cortana:
- Right-click on the taskbar and click Task Manager option from the list to open it.
- See Cortana or Search function on the list of running programs.
- Click on Cortana or Search and hit End Task button.
This should do the trick and bring Cortana taskbar search back to normal.
Fix 2 – Troubleshoot Taskbar Search Error
If you see error message saying ‘Taksbar Search is not working’ on PC then see how you can fix it. Troubleshooting Taskbar Search is one such remedy.
- Press Windows + X keys and click Control Panel to open it.
- Type Troubleshooting in Control Panel search box or change ‘view by’ to large icons and click on troubleshooting from the list.
- Next, click on System and Security option.
- Right-click on Search and Indexing and then Run as Administrator options.
- Click Next, then select Files don’t appear in search results and click Next button again.
- Follow on-screen instructions to fix Windows taskbar search and Cortana search error.
Fix 3 – Restart Windows Explorer
This solutions works most of the time to fix taskbar errors and issues. Although, this is a temporary fix, sometimes it can fix the issue permanently otherwise see long-term solutions below. Here is how to restart Windows Explorer to fix Cortana and Taskbar error on Windows 10:
- Right-click on Taskbar and select Task Manager.
- In Task Manager Windows under Processes tab find Windows Explorer option and right-click on it and then click Restart.
- When it back after restart, you should be able to search again with Cortana and Windows Taskbar.
If that didn’t solve the error then see next solution.
Fix 4 – Restart PC
This simple trick mostly fixes most the Windows related errors. If above tricks failed to address taskbar search error then try restarting PC. If the problems is solved when the PC is back on then well and good, or else, see more solutions below.
Fix 5 – Rebuild Search Index
Anyone can follow this simple trick to solve search problem on Windows 10, see steps below:
- Open Control Panel.
- Type Indexing in the Control Panel search box and click on Indexing Option from search result.
- Click on Advanced button on Indexing option window.
- Now click Rebuild.
Wait for the process to finish, it could take up to several minutes for the process to complete so be patient. At the end of the rebuild, taskbar should be back to normal.
Fix 6 – Disable Anti-virus or Security Software
Try opening Cortana or taskbar search after disabling antivirus or system security software installed on it. Disable them and then try search function to see it that works otherwise close search, enable antivirus and move on to the next step.
Fix 7 – Change Windows Search Options
Sometimes when you start the PC, Windows OS fails to recognize and load search app during the startup. In such a case, change Windows Search options startup and restart to see if that works. Mostly this resolves Cortana and taskbar search error. Here’s how:
- Open Run command box by pressing Windows + R keys.
- Type services.msc and hit enter
- Locate ‘Windows Search’ option and click to open it.
- Now select Automatic (Delayed Start) or Automatic Startup Type and click OK button.
- Now right-click on Windows Search and restart PC.
When the PC restarts, try entering search command on taskbar search or Cortana search box, they should work now.
Fix 8 – Register Cortana App Again
This is a bit technical to follow, so be careful when implementing instructions below but it also fixes Cortana search problems in almost all cases. If Cortana search is not working then do the following:
- Click Start button and type PowerShell.
- Right-Click on PowerShell icon from the search result and run it as administrator.
- Now paste the following command on PowerShell screen and hit enter.
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
- Wait for the process to execute completely after which restart PC.
This should fix Cortana Search on Windows 10.
Hopefully above mentioned methods fixed Cortana issue on your PC, if not then check which app or software might be causing search problems on PC. Also, try disconnect your Main Windows 10 account and login with local account to search again, if that worked then switch back to main Microsoft account. Any thoughts? If you known of any more solutions then do share with us in the comments sections below.
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