How to Fix Search Bar Crashing in Windows 11

How to Fix Search Bar Crashing in Windows 11

This is one of the oldest and longest-running problems/bugs on Windows 10 and now 11 but there are a few different things you can do to solve the problem. However, if you are in a rush you can quickly unstick the problem by doing the following.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

• Scroll down to Windows Explorer.

• Right-click on it and select Restart.

• Once your UI is back, go to the Details tab in the Task Manager.

• Scroll down to find SearchHost.exe.

• Right-click and select End Task.

This will close and restart the tool. However, this is a temporary fix. To solve the problem properly you'll need to work through the steps below.

Repair the OS using DISM and SFC Tools.

• Type in cmd in Windows search.

• Right-click the Command Prompt result and pick Run as administrator.

• User Account Control will ask whether you want to allow changes – click Yes.

• Type this command and press Enter:

• Wait for the scan to finish.

• Then, use the following commands, pressing Enter after each:

• Restart your computer.

Rebuild Search Index

• Open Control Panel.

• On the top-right corner, click on View by option and select Small icons.

• Pick Indexing options.

• Click Modify.

• Mark the locations that you want to be indexed and click OK (you can also use Show all locations at the bottom-left of the window if you can't see the location you are looking for).

• In the Indexing Options window, click Advanced.

• Click Rebuild under Delete and rebuild index. This might take a while, depending on how large your drives are. During the rebuilding process, you might not be able to use the search bar or receive incomplete results.

• Click OK.

Install Windows updates.

If you have pending Windows updates make sure to install them.

• Right-click on Start and select Settings.

• Go to Update & Security/Windows Update (depending on Windows version).

• If updates are pending, click Install Updates.

• Otherwise, click Check for updates and wait.

• If there are optional updates available, install them as well.

• Restart your system to implement the changes.

Repair Your Windows Installation.

If all of the steps above didn't solve the problem you will probably need to repair your Windows Installation.

• Visit the official Microsoft website and download Windows 10 installation media (Windows 11 version).

• Double-click the installer and select Yes when UAC shows up.

• Agree to terms.

• Select Upgrade this PC now and select Next.

• Windows will now download all the necessary files – it might take a while.

• Agree to terms once again and click Next.

• Before installing, make sure that you are happy with your choices (otherwise, you can click Change what to keep option).

• Click Install to begin the upgrade process.

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