Methods to Fix Unable to Type in Search Bar on Windows 11

You may have noticed that there are multiple ways to locate files or apps in Windows 11. Nearly all of the options rely on Windows’ search engine.

Windows’ search bar is a helpful tool that enables you to easily access your preferred files, settings, and applications. The Windows 11 search feature’s ability to retrieve results from the internet is even more helpful.

However, a number of customers report issues with Windows 11’s search bar due to the operating system’s vulnerabilities. There have been a few reports of users being unable to input anything in the search bar.

Additionally, a few users have stated that Windows 11’s search function is completely broken. You are reading the appropriate guide if you are having problems with this.

The Best Ways to Fix Windows 11’s Inability to Type in the Search Bar
This post will outline some of the most effective solutions for Windows 11’s search bar issue. It will be quite simple to follow the methods; just do as instructed.

1. Launch Windows Explorer again
Windows Explorer is a crucial Windows 11 function that manages the graphical user interface of several utilities & tools. In the event that this process is not responding, you can have issues such as not being able to text on Windows 11.

1. To access Task Manager, use a right-click on the Start button.

2. Select the Processes tab in the Task Manager.

Learn more: How to Take Screenshots on Windows 11

3. Currently locate the Windows Explorer instance.

4. To restart Windows Explorer, right-click on it and choose Restart.

The Windows Explorer process will restart as a result. Launch Windows Search now, and enter anything. On Windows 11, the search function will allow you to type.

2. Launch the Indexing and Search Troubleshooter
In this way, the search bar issue will be resolved by using the Search and Indexing troubleshooter. These are a few of the easy steps you must do.

1. To begin, click the Start button in Windows 11 and choose Settings.

2. Select the System tab from the Settings page.

3. Select the Troubleshoot option from the right pane.

4. On the Troubleshoot page, click on the other troubleshooters option.

5. Next, click the Run button behind the Search and Indexing troubleshooter to fix the Search bar problem.

This is how you can fix the unable to type in search bar problem in Windows 11.

3. Restart the Windows Search Service
Windows 11 runs a background service called ‘Windows Search’. It constantly runs in the background, providing 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, restarting the Windows Search Service to resolve the issue is necessary.

1. 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 Enter.

2. On the Windows Services pages, find the Windows Search option.

3. 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.

4. Run CTF Loader
Well, CTF loader is a process that’s required for text support. You can’t type anything on the Windows Search box if this process is not running. 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.

This will run the CTF loader on your Windows 11. Every time you restart your computer, you need to run this RUN command.

5. Rebuild the Search Index
While rebuilding the search index isn’t a sure-shot fix to the problem, doing so will benefit you in multiple ways. You can try rebuilding the search index of Windows 11 to prevent issues like unable to type on Windows search. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Open the File Explorer (This PC) and click on the drop-down icon on the address bar.

2. On the menu that appears, select Control Panel.

3. On the Control Panel, select Indexing Options.

4. On the Indexing options prompt, click on Advanced.

5. On the Advanced Options, click the Rebuild button beside Delete and rebuild index.

The process may take a while to complete. Once completed, restart your computer and start using the Windows 11 Search.

6. Run SFC & DISM Command
If the system files of Windows 11 are corrupted, you might face many 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.

1. Press the Windows Key + X button to open the secondary start menu. Then, select the Windows Terminal (Admin) from the option.

2. On the Windows Terminal, type in sfc /scannow and hit the Enter button.

3. The SFC command will run and try fixing the problems. If it finds any problem, you need to run the DISM scan.

4. To run the DISM scan, press Windows Key + X and select Windows Terminal (Admin).

5. Now, enter the following commands on the Windows terminal.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This will fix the unable to type in the search bar problem in Windows 11.

7. Re-Register the Default Apps
If you cannot type in the Windows 11 search bar, you must re-register the default apps on Windows 11. Here’s what you need to do.

1. First of all, press the Windows Key + X button and select ‘Windows Terminal (Admin)’

2. On the Windows Terminal, type in the given command and press Enter.

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.

1. First of all, press the Windows Key + X button and select ‘Windows Terminal (Admin)’

2. On the Windows Terminal, type in the given command and press Enter.

$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.

8. Install Pending Windows Updates
Windows updates are very crucial for better stability & security of a device. There is a chance that the version of Windows you’re using has a bug preventing you from typing anything on the search.

The best way to eliminate such bugs is by updating Windows 11 to the latest version. Follow the steps shared below to download & install pending Windows updates.

1. Select Settings by clicking the Windows 11 Start button.

2. Select the Windows Update tab after the Settings program appears.

3. Select the “Check for updates” button on the right side.

Windows 11 will now look for updates automatically. To resolve the issue, download and install any available updates.

9. Clear Windows 11
Resetting your computer is the final option if nothing else resolves the issue of being unable to input in the Windows search box. To solve every issue, you can restore Windows 11 to its original factory settings. Resetting the device will, however, remove all saved Settings.

1. Click on the Windows 11 Start button and select Settings.

2. When the Settings app opens, switch to the Windows Update tab on the left.

3. On the right side, click on Advanced Option.

4. Select Recovery from the screen that appears.

5. Next, navigate to the section labeled “Reset this PC.” Click the Reset PC button after that.

6. Choose “Keep my files” from the prompt that displays.

7. Choose Cloud download at the ensuing prompt.

To resolve the inability to type anything on the Windows 11 search screen, follow these steps to reset Windows 11.

These are the greatest solutions for Windows 11’s inability to text in the search box. Learn more