Windows 11 lockscreen spotlight feature not working even after trying every possible solution online.

Sahebdeep Singh 25 Reputation points
2026-05-18T15:15:03.1133333+00:00

The spotlight feature of my windows 11 lockscreen is not working, it automatically switches to picture mode when i apply the spotlight preference and exit settings app. When i click spotlight in lockscreen settings, the losckscreen preview becomes grey with spotlight picture trying to load but it never loads and spotlight doesn't get applied.

I tried many fixes/solutions but nothing worked for me. I tried following fixes:-

  1. Resetting spotlight (clearing assets and settings folder in microsoft windows content delivery manager folder)
  2. Re-registering spotlight feature via power shell and restart.
  3. Turning metered connection toggle on and then off.
  4. Running dism clean image command in cmd as admin and then sfc scannow command to repair corrupted files if any.
  5. Choosing picture and then spotlight 2-3 times in hope of getting spotlight loscscreen applied.
  6. Updating my pc and keeping it up to date.

But none of the above method worked for me. Please resolve this bug as soon as possible or remove this feature if you can't provide proper and working one.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Desktop, Start, and personalization | Other
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  1. C. Denninger 5 Reputation points
    2026-09-04T08:24:27.52+00:00

    Since the July/August 2026 Windows 11 (Dutch) system update Spotlight (in Windows lock-screen) works again.
    Note: I did not test the Windows background and I expect Microsoft not to fix this bug in Windows 10.

    So it wasn't the use of a local account, nor corruption of an account nor several other things and steps in these posts. In short: It wasn't us. It was indeed a bug in Microsoft's programming and they finally fixed it!

    Thanks for non-acknowledging this @Microsoft and all the help and suggestions of everyone else here!

    Now this bug is finally fixed these feedbacks can be finally closed: https://aka.ms/AA8iflt | https://aka.ms/AAt4ceb | https://aka.ms/AAaslmf | https://aka.ms/AAz1ary | https://aka.ms/AAzt31k | https://aka.ms/AAztamk | https://aka.ms/AAzt31p | https://aka.ms/AAzt31t | https://aka.ms/AAztic7 | https://aka.ms/AAztamr | https://aka.ms/AAzticc

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  2. Dee_Start 5 Reputation points
    2026-08-12T11:32:23.83+00:00

    No one has given me a successful fix for this most annoying problem. I have even contacted Tech Support a few times and each time my system has ended up in an even worse state than before I contacted Tech Support! Someone in Tech Support even made the ridiculous suggestion that I do a clean install. For Windows Spotlight not working???! That's when I knew never to contact Tech Support again! Get yourselves together Microsoft. You are a multi-billion dollar company that seems incapable of solving an issue that should be easy to fix. How is this level of incompetence acceptable?

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  3. Carl-L 21,320 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-26T13:26:12.22+00:00

    Hello Sahebdeep Singh,

    Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides:

    How to run In-place upgrade in Windows 11 - Microsoft Community.

    I'm waiting for your reply.

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  4. Carl-L 21,320 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-21T13:49:48.8633333+00:00

    Hello Sahebdeep Singh,

    Thanks for the information.

    If that is the case, please try and follow this fix:

    Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems; however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article.

    • Type "regedit" in the search bar and press Enter.
    • Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager
    • Set RotatingLockScreenEnabled and RotatingLockScreenOverlayEnabled to 1 (If they don't exist, create them)
    • Restart your computer.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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  5. Carl-L 21,320 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-20T10:30:14.7566667+00:00

    Hello Sahebdeep Singh,

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    I see that you are having issue with Windows Spotlight. I do have some idea on what should we do now. But first, I'll need to know your Windows version and edition. You can check it by typing "Winver" in the search bar and press Enter.

    I'm waiting for your reply.

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