windows 11 search box and start menu search turns completly blank and empty after searching something

Question

windows 11 search box and start menu search turns completly blank and empty after searching something

Kian Jafari-Jozani 0

Ive just purchased this new windows laptop, and the first issue ive ran into is having the search box and the start up menu box being completely empty/blank, i do not recall of when this happened but it was just there. Ive made a new user and on the new user account my search box and start up menu search works completely fine. im on the latest windows 11 and ive tried ending task for search host and restarting explorer. Screenshot 2026-09-03 124019

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi Kian Jafari-Jozani,

Thank you for the update. Please try the guidance in the AI Answer first and let me know how it goes.

As an additional check, I suggest testing Windows Search in a clean boot environment to determine whether a third-party startup application or background service is interfering with the Search interface:

Press Windows + R, enter msconfig and press Enter.
On the Services tab, select Hide all Microsoft services, then select Disable all.
On the Startup tab, select Open Task Manager and disable all enabled startup items.
Restart the computer and test Search in the affected account.

*Disclaimer: A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It helps to determine whether a background service is interfering with your game or program and to isolate the cause of a problem.

These steps of "clean boot" might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step so that it will help you get back on track.

If Search works during the clean boot, re-enable the disabled items gradually to identify the conflicting application or service.

If the issue persists after completing all the above steps, the current account may be corrupted. In that case, I recommend backing up your important files and moving to the working new user account. Alternatively, you can perform an in-place repair installation of Windows 11 to repair Windows components while keeping your personal files and installed applications.

Please let me know how it goes and I'll happy to assist further.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Clary-N 15,745 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-05T08:32:01.3766667+00:00

Hi Kian Jafari-Jozani,

May I know if you have got any chance to check my answer?

I am glad to help if you have any other questions.

Answer 2

Since the issue does not happen in a newly created user account, the affected profile is the likely scope. A supported repair path is to reset the Search package data for the affected account.

Try these steps in order:

Check for Windows updates Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates. Install any available updates, then restart.
Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter Open Command Prompt and run:
```
   msdt.exe -ep WindowsHelp id SearchDiagnostic
```
Select the problems that apply and let Windows attempt repairs.
Restart the Windows Search process Since ending SearchHost was already tried, confirm it this way:
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete > Task Manager
- Open Details
- Right-click SearchHost.exe and select End task
- Search again so Windows starts it automatically
- If needed, restart the PC to also install pending updates
Reset Windows Search Resetting Search does not affect files, but search relevance can be temporarily affected.
- Go to Start > Settings > System > About and confirm the Windows version
- For Windows 11, use the PowerShell reset method:
  1. Open an elevated PowerShell window
  2. Run:
```
        Get-ExecutionPolicy
```
  3. If the result is not Unrestricted, record the current value and run:
```
        Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
```
    Accept the warning by selecting Y.
  4. Download ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1 and save it locally.
  5. Right-click the script and select Run with PowerShell.
  6. When Done appears, if the execution policy was changed earlier, restore it:
```
        Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy <PreviousValue>
```
If only the original account is broken, regenerate the Search AppData folder for that profile This is the strongest profile-specific fix in the documented steps. Warning: this procedure includes deleting a registry key and profile package data. Incorrect registry changes can cause serious problems. Back up the registry first. Steps:
1. Sign out and use another account, or use Windows Recovery Environment.
2. Verify Search works in a newly created account.
3. For Windows 11, delete this folder for the affected profile:
```
      %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS\_cw5n1h2txyewy
```
4. Sign in with the affected account, open Registry Editor, and go to:
```
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search
```
5. Delete the Search registry key.
6. Open an elevated PowerShell window and run:
```
      Add-AppxPackage -Path "C:\Windows\SystemApps\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\Appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register
```
7. Restart the computer.
8. Test Search again.

That last method matches the symptom that Search works in a different user account but fails in the original one.

References:

Fix problems in Windows Search