Top 9 Ways to Fix Can’t Type in Windows 11 Search Bar

The Windows Search Bar is a useful tool that not only lets you access your favorite apps, settings, and files quickly but also allows you to search the web directly from the taskbar. However, if you haven’t been able to reap its benefits due to the inability to type in the Windows 11 search bar, this guide is for you.

Such issues with the Windows search bar should not force you to look for your files manually. In this guide, we’ve listed a few troubleshooting tips that will help fix the Windows 11 search bar in no time. So, let’s take a look.

1. Restart the Windows Explorer Process

Windows Explorer is a system process that handles the graphical user interface (GUI) for several utilities, including the taskbar. If this process encounters any problems, it can affect your ability to use the search bar. You can try restarting the Windows Explorer process to see if that fixes the problem.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager. In the Processes tab, locate Windows Explorer. Right-click on it and select Restart from the context menu.

2. Run the CTF Loader

The CTF (Collaborative Translation Framework) loader is a process that allows you to switch between various input languages. Naturally, if the process is not running, you might have trouble typing in the search bar.

To fix this, press the Windows key + R to launch the Run command. Type the following command and press Enter.

C:Windowssystem32ctfmon.exe

If running the CTF Loader solves your problem, you can configure it to launch automatically at startup. To do so, use these steps:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type C:\Windows\system32\ in the Open field and press Enter.

Step 2: In the System32 folder that opens, locate the ctfmon.exe file. Right-click on it and select Show more options.

Step 3: Select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).

Step 4: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command again. Type in shell:startup and press Enter.

Step 5: Drag and drop the ctfmon.exe – Shortcut from your desktop to the startup folder.

3. Run the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter

Windows 11 includes a troubleshooter for almost every utility, so if you’re having trouble inputting search queries in the Windows search bar, you can try running the search and indexing troubleshooter.

Step 1: Open the Start menu and click the gear-shaped icon to open the Settings app.

Step 2: In the System tab, click on Troubleshoot.

Step 3: Go to Other troubleshooters.

Step 4: Scroll down to locate Search and Indexing and click the Run button next to it to begin troubleshooting.

4. Restart Windows Search Service

The Windows Search service is a background program responsible for content indexing, property caching, and delivering search results for files, emails, and more. If the service fails to start correctly, it can cause the Windows search bar to malfunction. You can try restarting the Windows Search service to see if that helps.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run command, type in services.msc, and press Enter.

Step 2: In the Services window, scroll down to locate Windows Search. Right-click on it and select Restart from the menu.

5. Re-Register Microsoft Store Apps

At times, issues with the default apps on Windows can also lead to such abnormalities. You can try re-registering the default apps on your PC to see if that solves your problem.

Step 1: Open the Start menu, type in Windows PowerShell, and click on Run as administrator.

Step 2: Select Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.

Step 3: In the PowerShell window, paste the following command and press Enter.

Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers WindowsStore | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Restart your PC after this and check if the issue is still there.

6. Rebuild the Search Index

If the search index library on your PC is corrupt or inaccessible, you might have trouble using the Windows search bar. To fix this, you will need to rebuild the search index on your PC. Note that this process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on your system and the amount of data.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + S to open Windows search, type in indexing options, and press Enter.

Step 2: Click the Advanced button.

Step 3: Click the Rebuild button under Troubleshooting.

Wait until the process is complete, and then check if you can type in the Windows search bar.

7. Run the SFC and DISM Scans

Search issues on Windows can also arise due to corrupt or damaged system files. You can try running the SFC (or System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scans to repair the system files on your PC.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin) from the resulting menu.

Step 2: Paste the command mentioned below and press Enter.

sfc /scannow

After completing the scan, you’ll see a message appear that will convey whether or not the scan was successful. If the SFC scan fails to find any issues, run the DISM scan.

Launch Terminal with administrative privileges again and run the following commands one by one.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

The DISM may connect to the Microsoft servers online during the scan to download and replace damaged files if required.

8. Install Windows Updates

The Windows search bar may become unresponsive due to a buggy Windows update. If you suspect that to be the case, check for pending system updates.

Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and head to the Windows Update tab. Click the Check for updates button and install all the pending updates.

9. Reset Your PC

If you still can’t type into the Windows search bar at this point, your only option is to reset all the settings on Windows and start over. Don’t worry, it’s possible to reset Windows 11 without losing your data. Here’s how you can go about it.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. In the System tab, click on Recovery.

Step 2: Click the Reset PC button.

Step 3: Select the Keep my files option and then follow the on-screen prompts to finish resetting Windows 11.

After Windows 11 resets everything, you should be able to type into the Windows search bar as before.

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Dealing with search bar issues can be a frustrating experience. Hopefully, one or more of the above solutions have helped fix the search bar issues on Windows 11 and things are back to normal.