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Hi, I have a PC that runs Windows 11 25H2. When I was in Windows 11 24H2, my windows spotlight in lock screen worked normally and didn't have any issues. But when I upgraded to 25H2 version, it stopped working. Firstly, it showed me a picture but then it just show the default windows 11 lock screen wallpaper. Helpp
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Have same problem with lockscreen and wallpaper -both. Lockscreen is always dead and the wallpaper when I choose Spotlight - it switches back to Wallpaper. Started after update to 25H2
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Yes! Tried everything and I still see that ugly blue screen. I don't know what happened in Microsoft but since releasing Windows 11 it's been going downhill. Nothing works the way we're used to. Nothing can be fixed. You have to find workarounds for basic stuff. Madness.
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Have you found a solution? Is this a server issue? I've really tried everything proposed here and on the internet. NOTHING WORKS.
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Been having issues on a laptop. Been through so many convoluted “fixes” as to nearly brick my system. At one point after enabling BITS, the assets folder populated and the Spotlight feature began working. Within 2 days all the files in the folder deleted and it stopped working again. BITS was not the final answer. Many command line instructions only made it worse. These were AI generated responses to questions. I am increasingly wary of these worthless ideas.
at one point after a UIP of the OS it booted to a blue screen failure. That seemed linked to Secure Boot. With it off, it booted, but on and it crashed. More AI commands, while functional and understandable, did not resolve that issue. I ran across a genuine comment bog a KB patch that may have failed. After getting an .msi of it from Update Catalog, it successfully installed and cleared the issue. Device is booting fine with Secure boot on again, but Spotlight remains broken. Certainly I have tired of these tedious, and often dangerous, command line instructions only, let alone the “tips” to alter the registry. I chatted with a MS rep online who claimed no issues with Spotlight. I question that. The feature has been working well on a desktop, and had worked on laptop, but now will not stay working. MS claimed there should be no difference between the platforms. AI recommendations only lead down rabbit holes to make more critical setting changes.
I am increasingly wary of opinion that the feature is indeed broken in this OS build. It will be welcomed if MS would admit and rectify the problem. Yes, it is a kind of bling feature, but nice when it works. I will just add that those recommending Dynamic Theme as an alternative, it does not work with Norton installed.
love to hear from any savvy users that have credible insight.
PS. I tried turning off VPN, and a few minutes later, assets folder populated and Spotlight began working. Was that it? Not a real clue. Jury is still out.
It had been 3 days without an image update on laptop. I again turn off VPN temporarily, and a few minutes later it updated. I then tried an online chat with Norton to see if it is a known issue. Chat with live person kept failing, and I bailed on that. But interesting to see these results.
Yesterday the laptop downloaded new Spotlight images. VPN was on at the time. That does not seem to be the determining factor.
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I personally encountered a bug in the Windows Spotlight Lock Screen feature when using a local account in Windows and OneDrive from around September 2025 to around April 2026. Microsoft appears to have fixed the bug in that scenario. For the past couple of months, Spotlight has been working as it should on all my devices. A good command to reset Spotlight is Get-AppxPackage *ContentDeliveryManager* | Reset-AppxPackage This command rebuilds all Spotlight files and folders and is otherwise harmless.
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It seems that 25H2 has silently removed the Spotlight feature.
My advice is NOT to try to mess around with the registry or go through longwinded processes or resets.
MS should really come clean on this and categorically state that the feature has been removed in the latest build, before clients do irreparable damage to their systems.
I have Spotlight on my 25H2 PC.
It has not been removed.
So if it's not been removed why is not working for a lot of people? Is it based on location? It has been days that is behaving this way, it would be fantastic to have an explanation
CrazyKats, please confirm if you have Spotlight set for your Lockscreen or only for your Background wallpaper.
Please file the issue in the Feedback Hub,
so Microsoft gets the proper information.
Alex, please file the issue in the Feedback Hub
and share the link here and I will Upvote.
Spotlight does not work on the Lock Screen,
but does on Background.
Here's the link > https://aka.ms/AAymx4z
I've found several feedback, so I supported one of them with mine: https://aka.ms/AA1hl4j
Spotlight, when it works, does so on 25H2. What is broken? How to truly fix it? I think we will fully solve the intimate details of the JFK assassination first.
It looks like a Microsoft server-side issue.
Try for example https://assets.msn.com/service/Windows/Spotlight/
or, for the lockscreen, https://arc.msn.com/v3/Delivery/Placement?pid=LockScreen
Both are throwing errors.
Now even the presentation stopped working. So I'm stuck with the ugly Windows blue screen of lock.
How can this be so faulty? I hate Windows 11 so much
No solution worked so far. I had one day with about 10 minutes of working spotlight for the past year.
!!
I fully understand your frustration. Spotlight stopped working for me around September 2025. Since then, I have only been getting the blue screen. I have tried all the classic solutions online, but nothing works. After several clean installs, I was able to isolate the cause of the problem as a bug in the scenario where Windows is used with a local account together with OneDrive (see the post of Danilo Bonamoneta below). I have left several messages in the Feedback Hub, but unfortunately, nothing has come of it. Despite the fact that many users are affected, the problem remains under the radar at Microsoft.
Thanks! I'll try the thing with OneDrive - I don't use it anyways! And good job on the feedback - I also sent them several direct emails, but they don't really care
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I discovered that the problem is related to logging into OneDrive. If you delete your Microsoft account credentials from the Credential Manager, and also delete all the cache files in this path "%localappdata%\Microsoft\TokenBroker\Cache", Spotlight starts working again, but OneDrive, if it is still connected, will work for a few hours after which it will ask you to re-enter your credentials, creating the block again. The alternative is to enter the credentials into the Windows account, since the problem only occurs if the Windows user is a local account. Has Microsoft decided to block the functionality for those who do not use a Microsoft account in Windows? They have been pushing for a long time to prevent the use of local accounts.
but is it safe to delete my Microsoft account credentials from the Credential Manager?
Dear Danilo Bonamoneta,
What you write there is very interesting. I think you're right.
Personally, I am in the same situation: Windows local account, OneDrive, and Windows Spotlight Lock Screen suddenly stopped working in the fall of 2025 and only displayed a blue default image.
I tried to bring this to attention myself (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5661008/windows-spotlight-lock-screen), but the answers I received were not at all to the point. I also raised the issue in the feedback hub, but without much success.
Do you have any information about this? My only hope is that Microsoft will pick up on it and resolve it in one of the next Windows Updates.
AI answer
It seems that after upgrading to Windows 11 version 25H2, you are experiencing issues with Windows Spotlight on your lock screen. This could be due to several reasons, including potential compatibility issues or settings that may have reverted after the upgrade.
Here are some steps you can try to resolve the issue:
C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.LockApp_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState and delete the contents of the folder. Then restart your PC.If the problem persists, it may be a known issue with the version you are using, and you might want to check the Microsoft support forums or the Windows release health page for any updates on this issue.
References: