Windows Search not finding desktop applications or files

Some people have been reporting that Cortana or Windows Search, is unable to find desktop apps. Its search includes results from the Windows Store but does not include desktop software and application. Then again, some have reported that it does not find anything. If Windows Search or Cortana cannot find desktop apps, programs, documents, music, Control Panel items or anything for that matter on your Windows 11/10 computer, this post will help you. Although no official solution is known for the given problem, users reported that the following steps helped them.

Cortana or Windows Search not finding desktop applications

Before you begin, make sure that the system is updated to the latest version and has all the Windows Updates installed and create a system restore point. Also remember that Cortana has been separated from the Search in recent Windows 11/10 versions.

1] Re-install Cortana using PowerShell

Cortana isn’t easy to reinstall, and it certainly cannot be done like a usual program. It has to be reinstalled using PowerShell.

Open an elevated PowerShell window and run the following command:

Get-AppXPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.Cortana | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

This re-installs Cortana. If it works, great, else restore your system back to the created system restore point.

2] Perform an SFC scan

A System File Checker scan helps scan protected files and replaces missing or corrupted ones with previously cached good versions.

Open CMD as administrator and run the following command:

sfc /scannow

Restart the system.

3] Windows Search Troubleshooter

Run the Windows Search Troubleshooter and see if that helps.

4] Reset Windows Search

Reset Windows Search and see if it helps you.

5] Rebuild the Windows Search Indexer

Rebuilding the Search Indexer may help in repairing the built-in search tool in Windows. To rebuild the Windows search index, head to Control Panel > Indexing options. Click on Advanced and ensure that you are on the Index Settings tab in the Advanced Options window.

The rebuilding will take some time, and once it is done, you can start searching for the files you need, and the Search should work properly. If you need more details, you will get them in this post titled Windows Search Indexer tips. See this post if you need to troubleshoot and fix Windows Search Indexer not working issues.

Let us know if anything helped you.

Need more ideas? See Start Menu, Cortana and Taskbar Search not working.