How to reset Windows Search settings on Windows 11

Why should you reset Windows Search settings?

Windows Search keeps track of files and folders on your hard drive so you can find them faster. However, over time, search settings and preferences can become corrupted, resulting in inaccurate search results or slow performance. To get the best results from Windows Search, you should periodically reset your search settings.

Reset search settings on Windows can improve search speed and accuracy. It removes useless data and resolves errors or conflicts caused by stored information. This can ultimately enhance computer performance and provide a more efficient search experience.

Now, let's discover how to reset Windows Search settings.

How to reset Windows Search settings on Windows 11

1. Tweaking Registry Editor

If you want to reset Windows Search settings to default, you can modify the Registry Editor. It involves directly changing certain keys in the Windows Registry, which can sometimes become risky if done incorrectly.

To avoid this issue, make sure to make a backup of the registry before proceeding. Once done, follow these steps.

1. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run command.

2. Type regedit in the dialog box and press the Enter key.

3. When the UAC prompt appears on the screen, click Yes to continue.

4. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows Search

Note : You can also copy and paste the path into the address bar at the top of the window and press the Enter key. This will take you to the Windows Search section.

5. Now move to the right pane and look for the key named SetupCompletedSuccessfully.

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6. Select this key, right click on it and select Modify.

7. Set the value to 0 and click OK to save the changes.

Tip : If the SetupCompletedSuccessfully key is missing, you will have to create it manually. To do this, right-click the Windows Search key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value . Name this newly created key SetupCompletedSuccessfully and set its value to 0 .

After performing the above steps, close Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

2. Using Windows PowerShell

If you prefer command line solutions, you can use PowerShell to reset Windows Search settings. It involves running a few simple commands to restore search settings. Here's how to do it.

Open Microsoft's download page and download the PowerShell script ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1. Once downloaded, right click on the file and select Run with PowerShell .

If you see the error message "Cannot be loaded because the running script is disabled on this system" , you need to enable script execution first. To do that, open PowerShell with admin rights. Then type Get-ExecutionPolicy and press Enter.

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If the output is Restricted , execute the following command to allow PowerShell scripts:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

After setting the policy to execute, try running the ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1 file again. When the script is executed successfully, it will reset Windows search settings.

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After resetting the Windows Search settings, you can restore the enforcement policy to the original settings. To do that, open PowerShell again with admin rights and execute the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy Restricted

When the enforcement policy is set back to its original value, restart your computer. Windows Search settings will now be restored to their default state.

Reset Windows Search settings can fix any issues you may have with your search experience. Hope you are succesful.

Samuel Daniel

Update 12 May 2023