The search bar in Windows is a useful utility as it lets you access your favorite apps, settings, and files quickly. What’s more useful is that the Windows 11 search can also fetch results from the web. However, since Windows 11 is not free from bugs, several users face problems with the Search bar on Windows 11. Few users have reported that they cannot type anything on the search bar. It has also been reported by some users that the Windows 11 search is not opening at all. If you are experiencing this issue, you are reading the right guide.
List of 5 Best Methods to Fix Unable to Type in Search Bar on Windows 11
In this article, we will list down some of the best methods to fix the search bar problem in Windows 11. All of the methods will be very easy; just follow them as directed.
1. Run Search and Indexing Troubleshooter
In this method, we will use the Search and Indexing troubleshooter to fix the search bar problem. Here are some of the simple steps you need to follow.
First of all, click on the Windows 11 start button and select Settings.
On the Settings page, click on the System tab.
On the right pane, click on the Troubleshoot option as shown below.
On the Troubleshoot page, click on the other troubleshooters option.
Next, click on the Run button behind the Search and Indexing troubleshooter to fix the Search bar problem.
That’s it! You are done. This is how you can fix the unable to type in search bar problem in Windows 11.
2. Restart the Windows Search Service
Windows 11 runs a background service called ‘Windows Search’. It constantly runs in the background and provides property caching, content indexing, and file search results. Sometimes, the service fails to run correctly on a system, leading to a search bar not working issue on Windows 11. Hence, it is necessary to restart the Windows Search Service to resolve the issue.
First of all, press the Windows Key + R button on your keyboard. This will open the Run Dialog box, type in services.msc, and hit the Enter button.
On the Windows Services pages, find the Windows Search option.
Right-click on the Windows Search service and select Restart. That’s it! You are done. This is how you can restart the Windows Search service in Windows 11.
3. Run CTF Loader
Well, CTF loader is a process that’s required for text support. If this process is not running, you can’t type anything on the Windows Search box. So, in this method, we need to manually run the CTF loader to fix unable to type in the search bar on Windows 11. To run the CTF loader, press the Windows Key + R button. This will open the RUN dialog box; type in ‘C:\Windows\system32\ctfmon.exe’ and hit the Enter button.
That’s it! You are done. This will run the CTF loader on your Windows 11. Every time you restart your computer, you need to run this RUN command.
4. Run SFC & DISM Command
If the system files of Windows 11 are corrupted, you might face lots of issues, including the search bar problems. So, to fix corrupted system files, you need to run an SFC scan to restore missing or corrupted files.
First of all, press the Windows Key + X button to open the secondary start menu. Then, select the Windows Terminal (Admin) from the option.
On the Windows Terminal, type in sfc /scannow and hit the Enter button.
SFC command will run and will try to fix the problems. If it finds any problem, you need to run the DISM scan.
To run the DISM scan, press Windows Key + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin).
Now, enter the following commands on the Windows terminal.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
That’s it! You are done. This will fix the unable to type in the search bar problem in Windows 11.
5. Re-Register the Default Apps
If you are still unable to type in the Windows 11 search bar, you need to re-register the default apps on Windows 11. Here’s what you need to do.
First of all, press Windows Key + X button and select ‘Windows Terminal (Admin)’
On the Windows Terminal, type in the given command and press the Enter button. Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object {$.InstallLocation -like “SystemApps”} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml”}
After running the command, restart your PC. If you cannot type after the restart, follow the steps below.
First of all, press Windows Key + X button and select ‘Windows Terminal (Admin)’
On the Windows Terminal, type in the given command and press the Enter button. $manifest = (Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore).InstallLocation + ‘\AppxManifest.xml’ ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest
After executing the command, restart your PC, and the problem will be fixed. These are the best possible ways to fix unable to type in the search bar on Windows 11. I hope this article helped you! Please share it with your friends also. If you have any doubts related to this, let us know in the comment box below.
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