3 Fixes for Microsoft Teams Search Not Working

Quick Tips

• Restart Teams: Simply close and reopen the Teams app.
• Try the Web App: If restarting doesn’t work, switch to the web-based version of Teams at https://teams.live.com/v2/. This can help identify if the issue lies with the desktop app or your account itself.
• Reinstall Teams: As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall the Teams app.

In 2023, many people started to report problems with the search function on their Microsoft Teams app. However, Microsoft has now fixed the issue so, if the search bar isn’t working, it shouldn’t indicate a problem with the service. It’s more than likely just a temporary glitch, which you can fix using one of the three methods below.

Method #1: Fix Microsoft Teams Search Not Working by Restarting the Teams App

Step 1: In many cases, you can fix Microsoft Teams search not working by closing and reopening the application. Use the X symbol in the top right corner of the app to close it.

Step 2: To reopen Teams, use the Search bar at the bottom of Windows — just type in “Teams,” and you should see it appear as an app option in the right of the search window. Click Open.

Step 3: Type something into the Search bar at the top of the Teams window once the app has reopened.

Step 4: If restarting the app has worked, you should now start to see names appear that correlate to your search request. Note: Always test the feature by choosing a name you are certain is listed in your Teams contacts. If the problem only occurs with a single name or person, try reinviting them to Teams.

Method #2: Fix Microsoft Teams Search Not Working by Trying a Different Platform

Step 1: If you are using the Team app as shown above, try switching to the web-based version to see if the problem continues. Open any web browser window on your laptop or desktop computer and head to https://teams.live.com/v2/.

Step 2: On the web-based version, try performing another search request. Handily, the layout is just about identical and the search bar is in the same place at the top of the window. Here you can see the search request was immediately successful, suggesting that there’s a problem with the app rather than the service itself or the contacts list.

Method #3: Fix Microsoft Teams Search Not Working by Reinstalling the App

Step 1: To fix this type of application problem, uninstall and reinstall the Teams app. Click Start and then Settings (the gear icon) to begin this process.

Step 2: Click on Apps on the left-hand side, then Installed apps.

Step 3: Scroll until you find Microsoft Teams. Click the three dots next to the app, then click on Uninstall. Follow any onscreen prompts to finish uninstalling the app.

Step 4: To reinstall Teams, open Microsoft Store either from the Start menu or by using your Search bar, as shown.

Step 5: Once in the Microsoft Store, type Teams into the search bar and click on the option that says Microsoft Teams app.

Step 6: Click the big, blue Install button and follow any on-screen prompts.

Once re-installed, test the search function as shown at the end of Method #1.