How to Fix Win­dows Search Bar Is Miss­ing Issue

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How to Fix Win­dows Search Bar Is Miss­ing Issue – Guide

When you want to search something on your PC quickly and will use the Windows 10 Start menu. In order to get things done quickly, you click on the search bar, only to realize it wasn’t working.

While Windows 10 is a phenomenal operating system and a much-desired improvement over its predecessors, it’s still subject to a deficit of issues, like the Start menu search issue not working.

Here we will learn how to fix Windows 10 Start menu search without any hassle.

But before proceeding with the solutions, make sure the taskbar is located at the bottom of the screen.

Method 1: Activate the search bar in Cortana’s settings

If the issue appeared after an update to Windows 10 or after installing a major update, the splash bar was most likely hidden by a change in Cortana’s settings. This is commonly found with users who are using desktop mode and is a very common occurrence after applying the anniversary update.

If this is the cause of the problem, you can get the search bar back by right-clicking on the taskbar, expanding the Cortana menu, and clicking Show search bar.

Keep in mind that if you are using tablet mode, the search bar will not appear even if the Cortana menu is set to Show search bar.

If this method did not allow you to retrieve your search box, continue to Method 2.

Method 2: Disable tablet mode

The taskbar search box may not be displayed because you are using Tablet mode. Tablet mode is a new Windows 10 feature which will automatically activate when you disconnect a tablet from its dock.

However, tablet mode is designed for use with a touchscreen. This will only allow you to run apps in full screen and you will have certain restrictions. Among other restrictions, the search box is not available in tablet mode.

If you want to get your search box back, make sure Tablet mode is disabled. The quickest way to do this is to open the notification tray menu and click on Table mode to disable it.

Note: If you find that Tablet Mode automatically reactivates without your saying so, you can set it to remain off. To do this,

1. Open a Run box (Windows key + R), type ms-settings: tablet mode

   and press Enter to open the Tablet mode tab of the Settings app.

2. On the Tablet mode tab, use the drop-down menu associated with When I sign in to change the default behavior to Use desktop mode. With this setting turned on, you’ve just ensured that Tablet mode won’t re-enable on its own.

Once Table mode is turned off, you should retrieve the search box feature on the taskbar. If the search box is still not visible, continue down to Method 3.

Method 3: Disable using a small taskbar Buttons

Another popular reason why your taskbar no longer shows the search bar is the use of a small taskbar buttons is enabled. Keep in mind that if the Use small taskbar buttons is enabled, the search box will not be visible if you specifically enable it in Cortana’s settings.

here is a quick guide about how to make sure you don’t use a small taskbar buttons:

1. Right-click anywhere on the taskbar and choose Taskbar Settings.
2. Within the Taskbar tab of the Windows Settings app, make sure to toggle associated with Use small taskbar buttons is set to Off. Note: You can get to the same location by opening a Run box (Windows key + R), typing control.exe / name Microsoft.TaskbarandStartMenu

   and pressing Enter.

3. Since the use of a small taskbar buttons is disabled, right-click on the taskbar, go to the Cortana menu and make sure the Show search box option is checked.

If you still cannot use to see the search box on the taskbar, proceed with Method 4.

Method 4: Define Up a local user

Microsoft decided to prevent users from disabling Cortana – which is interfering with the classic search box. You can no longer disable Cortana’s menu assistant on PCs that have already applied the anniversary update. However, there is a way to forcibly disable Cortana and get the old search box back.

By configuration up and by using a local user with admin rights, you will ensure that Cortana will not replace the classic search bar. Cortana will only work while you are using a Microsoft account.

here is a quick guide about creating a new local account:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run box. Then type ms-settings: otherusers

   and press Enter to open the Settings app’s Family & Others tab.

2. On the Family & Others tab, click Add another person to this PC (under Others)
3. On the next screen, click I don’t have this person’s login information. Then click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
4. Enter a username and password (optionally) and click Next to complete creating the new user account.
5. Then click the newly created account under Family & Others and select Change Account Type.
6. On the next screen, use the drop-down menu to change the default user account type to administrator and click OK to save the changes.
7. Then log out of the current user and log in with the newly created local account. Then follow the onscreen instructions to initialize the new account.
8. You will notice that Cortana is turned off. In addition, a search box is integrated into the Start menu.
9. If you want to include a visible search box in the taskbar, right-click anywhere on the taskbar and go to Search > Show Search Box.

If this method does not apply to your situation or you wish to continue using a Microsoft account, please continue with the next method below.

Method 5: Activate the Search Box through Registry Editor

You can also force the old search box to be displayed on the taskbar by making some changes using Registry Editor. By creating the SearchboxTaskbarMode value and setting the appropriate value, you can hide, display, or replace the search box with the Cortana icon.

here is a quick guide about how to enable the search box through Registry Editor:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run box. Then type “Regedit” and press Enter. Then click Yes at the UAC (User Account Control) prompt to open Registry Editor with administrative privileges.
2. In Registry Editor, use the right pane to navigate to the following location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion SearchNote: If the search key is not created, right-click on CurrentVersion and choose New > Key and name it Search.
3. With the search key selected, right-click inside the right pane and choose New > Dword Value (32-bit). Then name the newly created Dword SearchboxTaskbarMode.
4. Double-click SearchboxTaskbarMode, set Base to Hexadecimal and Value data to 2.
5. Once the modification is made, close Registry Editor and restart the computer to apply the changes. On the next boot, you will see that boot is back to its boot.

If this method was not effective or you are looking for a different approach, continue with Method 6.

Method 6: Disable Cortana through Registry Editor

If you want to continue using your Microsoft account, another workaround that will allow you to put the search box back on the taskbar is to make a small registry change that will disable Cortana.

Keep in mind that with Cortana turned off, the previous search bar behavior will apply as soon as you restart your computer. here is a quick guide about how to disable Cortana through Registry Editor:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run box. Then type “Regedit” and press Enter, then choose Yes at the UAC (User Account Control) prompt to open Registry Editor with administrative privileges.
2. Within Registry Editor, use the right pane to navigate to the following location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Policies Microsoft Windows Windows Search.
3. With the Windows search key selected, right-click in the right pane and choose New > Dword Value (32-bit). Then name the newly created Dword AllowCortana.
4. Double-click the AllowCortana value and set the Base to Hexadecimal and the data value to 0. Then press Ok to save the new value.
5. Close Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect. On the next boot you will notice that Cortana is disabled. If the old search bar isn’t immediately visible, right-click on the taskbar and choose Search > Show Search Box.

Method 7: Enable Taskbar for All Monitors

If you are using more than one monitor with your system, then by default the taskbar will not be displayed for multiple monitors. In this case, enabling the taskbar for multiple monitors will cause the Search Box to appear on all monitors and the issue will be resolved.

1. Press the Windows key and type Taskbar in the main window where the search bar is present. Then, in the resulting list, click Taskbar Settings.
2. In the Taskbar Settings window, scroll down until you find the Multiple Monitors option.
3. Now toggle Show taskbar on all monitors to On and check if the issue is resolved. If there is no effect, restart your computer or unplug and plug in all your various monitors again.

Final note

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