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Do you want to type something into the Windows search bar but need help? After that, does your device pop up a message that says “Search Bar Missing on Windows”? On Windows 10, Windows Search is an important feature that lets you quickly find documents, pictures, videos, system files, apps, emails, and settings, among other things.
Also, because it works with Bing search, you can use the feature to get to web pages and answers to common questions quickly from the preview of the search results. Even though Search Bar Missing Issue on Windows is a useful feature that we use every day, there will come a time when it won’t work as it should. For example, sometimes a search will return no results or only part of the results. The search box in the taskbar won’t work or won’t open at all, and other things will happen as well.
Search Bar Missing Issue on Windows: 7 Ways to Fix it

Restart your PC
- Click the “Start” button and then click the “Power” icon.
- Press the Windows key and click on the Power icon is another option.
- Select Restart.
Check for Windows updates
- In Windows 11, all it takes to fix the Search Bar Missing Issue on Windows error is sometimes an update and a restart.
- Press Win + I to go to “Settings” on your Windows computer.
- Choose “Windows Update > Check for Update” from the menu on the right.
- Check to see if your device needs any updates.
- If you still need to install one or more, do so and then restart the computer to see if the bug is gone.
Use Search and Indexing Troubleshooter in Windows 11
To fix the Search Bar Missing Issue on Windows devices come with a built-in troubleshooter that can fix both big and small problems. Most users should be able to get rid of the search bug by using the search and indexing troubleshooter. Here are the steps to take:
- Settings > System > Troubleshoot.
- Click on “Other Problem Solvers.”
- Next to “Search and Indexing,” click “Run.”
- Wait a few seconds so that “Search and Indexing” can figure out what’s wrong.
- You’ll see “Search and Indexing” list the problems that are happening because search isn’t working. Click on all that apply, especially “Can’t start a search or see results.”
- It might help to say more about the problem.
- The troubleshooter will figure out that Windows search isn’t working. As an administrator, you need to fix the problem. Click to move forward.
- Wait a few seconds (or minutes) while “Search and Indexing” restarts the Windows search application to fix the problem.
- There will be a message that says troubleshooting is done. The troubleshooter will make some changes to your system. If Windows search is now working on your device, you should see green checkmarks next to all kinds of search problems.
Tweak the Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service
- Your search results might be frozen if there are problems with the “Touch Keyboard,” which is linked to the Windows search bar. The “Touch Keyboard” on Windows devices has a way to unfreeze it.
- Go ahead and click on “Touch keyboard and handwriting panel service” on the “Services” dashboard.
- You can double-click it or right-click it and choose “Properties.”
- Change the “Manual” startup type to “Automatic” under the “General” tab.
- Set “Subsequent failures” to “Restart the service” on the “Recovery” tab.
- Change the “Reset fail count after” variable from “1” to “0” at the same time.
- Press the “Start” button and then go back to the “General” tab.
Use CTRL + ALT + DEL
- Before trying the main way to Fix Search Bar Missing Issue on Windows, try Ctrl+Alt+Del in the Task Manager.
- Scroll down below the “Details” tab to find the “SearchHost.exe” app or “SearchIndex.exe.”
- By right-clicking and choosing “End task,” you can stop those processes and start them up again. This will immediately restart your search services. If the things can’t be seen, move on to the last option.
Restart the Windows Search Service
If your Windows search bar still doesn’t work, you might be able to fix it by restarting the Windows Search service. Type services.msc and press Enter after pressing Win+R. When you do this, the Services console will show up. Find the Windows Search service and double-click on it. This will open the Properties window for the service. Click the button that says Stop. Click the Start button when the service stops.
Create a New User Account
If you still can’t figure out why your Windows 10 search bar is missing, try making a new user account on your computer. But if you try to make a new user account, you’ll have to move all your personal files and folders. Here’s how to set up a new user account. Visit Microsoft Support center for Further help
- Go to Settings and click Accounts from there.
- Go to the Family & other users tab and click Add someone else to this PC in the Other users section.
- Click I don’t know this person’s sign-in information, and then click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
- Enter the User name and password (optional), then click Next to finish making a new user account.
- Click the Family & other users tab and then click the new account to choose Change account type under the Other users section.
- Change the Account type from Standard User to Administrator, and then click OK to save the changes.
- Sign out of your current account and sign in with the new one.
- Cortana is turned off, so right-click the Taskbar, click Cortana, and then click Show search box.
FAQ
Why does my search bar keep disappearing
When you use full screen mode, the address bar may not be there. On Windows, you can exit full screen mode in Chrome by pressing F11 or Fn + F11. To get out of full screen mode in Chrome on a Mac, move the mouse to the top of the screen and click the green circle at the top left.
How do I enable Windows search again
- Find Windows Search in the Name column and double-click it to bring up the Windows Search Properties pane.
- Click the down arrow to show more options in the Startup type drop-down menu, choose Automatic (Delayed Start), and then tap the Apply button to continue.
How do I reinstall Windows Search bar
Start by pressing Win + I to open the Settings app. Then, press I to turn it on. Choose Personalize from the menu on the left. Next, move to the right side of the window and click Taskbar. Make sure that the button next to Search in the Taskbar items section is turned on on the next screen.