△ Performance
Windows Search not working — How to rebuild the index
When Windows Search stops finding files in the Start menu or File Explorer, the cause is almost always a corrupted index database. Rebuilding it takes 5 minutes and resolves most cases.
- Time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Applies to
- Windows 11, Windows 10
- Updated
- May 25, 2026
Symptoms
- ▸Start menu shows no results for files you know exist
- ▸File Explorer search returns nothing
- ▸Search bar in the Start menu is blank
- ▸Settings → Search shows 'Indexing complete' but searches return nothing
Likely causes
- ▸Corrupted Windows.edb index database
- ▸Windows Search service stopped
- ▸Indexed folders no longer exist
- ▸Recent Windows update broke the indexer
How to fix it — step by step
- 01
Restart the Windows Search service
services.msc → Windows Search → Restart. Test search after 1 minute. - 02
Rebuild the search index
Settings → Privacy & security → Searching Windows → Advanced indexing options → Advanced → Rebuild. Takes 30-60 minutes. - 03
Re-register Cortana / Search
Run in elevated PowerShell:
Get-AppXPackage Microsoft.Windows.Search -AllUsers | Foreach { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml" } - 04
Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter
Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → Search and Indexing.