The Windows Spotlight search feature is a fantastic tool, and it’s the one feature that got a lot of people to switch from Mac OS X to Windows. But when the feature stops working, how do you fix it?
In case you missed the memo, Windows Spotlight has been a big feature of Windows 10, and it shows you all the files in your device, whether they are pictures, music, documents or videos. The issue is that sometimes the Spotlight feature doesn’t work. The thing is that Windows 10 uses the operating system’s indexing system (Caffeine) to find all the files and files folders and to sort them into relevant categories.
Spotlight search is a feature that we all rely on and it works perfectly in windows 10. Unfortunately, sometimes it stops working in the blink of an eye. If you are stuck in that situation, you can fix your windows spotlight issue with the solutions mentioned below.. Read more about windows spotlight not working 2020 and let us know what you think.The Windows Spotlight feature lets you use beautiful backgrounds with relevant information when the screen is locked. Although Spotlight is a classic feature introduced by Microsoft, it has its problems. Many users complain that Windows Spotlight does not work as expected.
It can be annoying to see the same image every time you lock the screen. If the problem with Windows 10 Spotlight is more severe, you may not see an image on the lock screen. Whatever the problem with this feature is, this guide will help you solve it easily.
16 solutions to the problem Windows Spotlight does not work
Common causes of Spotlight problems include corrupted system images or files, device driver issues, and outdated Windows updates. You can check out the list of solutions below and solve the Windows Spotlight not working problem.
1. Checking the Internet connection
The images you see on the lock screen are downloaded from the Internet. If you do not have an internet connection, you will see the same image. Make sure you have a stable internet connection, and then see if Spotlight changes the lock screen images or not.
If you are experiencing problems even with a stable internet connection, you should consider other solutions.
2. Wait a day
If you recently installed Windows 10 on your computer, give it a day. The Spotlight feature sometimes takes 24 hours to work properly. For this reason, we recommend that you wait a little longer before trying out long-term solutions.
3. Stop and restart the Spotlight feature in Windows 10
You can pause and then restart the Windows Spotlight feature. This will help you solve the problem of Windows Spotlight not working.
Step one: Press Windows + I to open the Settings window and click Customize. Open the customization area
Step two: In the left frame of the Personalization Settings window, tap the lock screen.
Step three: Now choose Image or Slideshow from the Background drop down menu. Change Background Settings
Step four: Restart your computer.
Step 5: After turning on your computer, go to Settings ➜ Personalization ➜ Lock Screen. Set the background setting to Windows Spotlight.
Now lock the screen and see if you can see the background of Windows Spotlight without any problems.
4. Updating Windows
You can upgrade your Windows operating system to solve the problem of Spotlight not working. In many cases, a faulty update can cause unwanted problems, but these can be quickly fixed with a new update.
Press Windows + I to open the Settings application and go to Update & Security. Make sure you are in the Windows Updates pane and click Check for updates.Checking for Updates
Download and install all available updates. You must have a stable internet connection to download the update.
When the computer restarts after the update, press Windows + L to lock the screen and check whether or not Windows Spotlight works.
5. Start some applications in the background
Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Store, and App Settings must be enabled in the background for Windows Spotlight to work properly. If the required apps are disabled, you may experience issues with feature support in Windows 10.
Open the Settings application and go to Privacy. Now click on Background Applications under Application Permissions in the left pane. Open the Background application
Now find Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Store and Settings in the list and turn them on. To do this, you need to flip the switch.Activating background applications
Lock the screen after activating the applications and check whether Spotlight works or not.
6. Manually resetting Windows Spotlight
You can manually reset Windows Spotlight to fix the issues. The process takes a lot of time, so follow the steps below carefully.
Step one: First, disable the Windows Spotlight feature. For this you can consult solution 3 (steps 1 to 4).
Step two: Press Windows + R to open Run and type the following command.
%USERPROFILE%/AppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewyLocalStateAssets
Click on OK.Open the Assets folder in File Explorer.
Step three: Select all files in the Assets folder by pressing Ctrl + A. Right-click on the selected files and select Delete.Remove All Files
Step four: Open Run again and type -.
%USERPROFILE%/AppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewySettings
Press OK to open the Settings folder.
Step 5: You will see two files in the Settings folder; rename them both.
Rename roaming.lock to roaming.lock.old and settings.dat to settings.dat.oldRename files
Step six: Restart your computer
Seventh step: After restarting your computer, set the background setting back to Windows Spotlight.
Lock the screen by pressing Windows + L and check if the background changes as before or not.
7. Perform CFS scan
If the problem is related to corrupted system files, you can use a built-in utility in Windows 10 called SFC (System File Checker). SFC analysis can find and repair corrupt system files on Windows 10 computer.
You need to open the command prompt with administrator privileges and run the command sfc /scannow.
The execution of the command may take some time, so do not close the terminal window between execution of the command. After running the command, check whether the Windows Spotlight problem that is not working is solved or not.
8. Update device driver
The problem of Windows Spotlight not working may be caused by outdated and faulty drivers. You can update the drivers to solve the Spotlight problem.
Press Windows key + X and click on Device Manager to open it. In the Device Manager window, expand all partitions and look for a driver with a sign/icon next to it. The symbols can be an exclamation point, a question mark and a yellow sign.
You can update all these drivers manually through the Device Manager. After updating the driver, check that the Spotlight feature works as expected.
9. Starting the system maintenance troubleshooting program
You can run the system maintenance troubleshooter to resolve the Windows Spotlight failure. This troubleshooter is not accessible from the Settings program; it must be launched from the Control Panel.
Open the Control Panel by looking for it in the Start menu. In the Control Panel search box, type the search term Troubleshooting, and click Troubleshooting in the search results.Open the Troubleshooting section.
Click View All in the left pane.Click View All
Then click System Maintenance from the list of troubleshooting tools that appears on the screen.Click System Maintenance.
In the System Maintenance window, click Advanced and then check the Apply Repairs Automatically box.
Press the Next button to begin the troubleshooting process.Performing System Maintenance Troubleshooting
Once the troubleshooting is complete, the Spotlight issue will be resolved.
10. Registering Windows Spotlight with PowerShell
You can re-register the Spotlight feature from the PowerShell terminal. This solution may seem complicated, but is easy to implement by following these instructions. You must log in with an administrator account to perform the following steps.
Before proceeding with the solution, disable the Spotlight feature. See solution #3 for help.
Now press Windows + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) to open it. You can also open PowerShell as an administrator from the Start menu.
In the PowerShell window, type the following command and press Enter to run it.
Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage $($_.InstallLocation)appxmanifest.xml -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }
After running the command, close the terminal and restart the computer.
You can reset Windows Spotlight as a background setting from the Settings app and see if it works or not.
11. Using a different local account
Many users have solved the Spotlight problem by simply switching accounts. Sometimes the account may be corrupted and system problems may occur.
In such situations, you can create a new local account and log in with it. If Spotlight works in this account, you can transfer the content to the new account.
12. Test port disconnection
If your current network has a meter connection enabled, you will see the same lock screen image for Windows Spotlight because new images cannot be downloaded. You can disable the measured connectivity to fix the glitch in Windows Spotlight.
Open the Settings application and go to Network and Internet. Make sure you’re in the status area.
Then click the Properties button under the connected network.Open the properties of the connected network.
Turn off the switch under Set up as a metered connection. Disconnect the meter
Restart the computer for the changes to take effect, and then check whether or not the lock screen background has changed.
13. Disable proxy server
Many users have solved the problem of Windows Spotlight not working in Windows 10 by disabling the proxy.
Open the Control Panel and search for Proxy in the search box. In the search results, open Internet Options.Open Internet Options
Now go to the Connections tab and click on LAN Settings.Open LAN Settings
Clear the Use proxy server for local network check box, then click OK.Disable Proxy
Restart the computer and check whether the problem is solved or not.
14. Check that the correct region is selected
If the correct region is not selected, Windows Spotlight cannot download the correct background for the lock screen. Follow the steps below to check your regional settings.
Step one: Open the Settings app and go to Time and Language.
Step two: Go to the region settings in the left frame of the window.
Step three: Now select the desired region and regional format. Choose region and regional format
If you have already chosen the desired field, you can proceed to the next solution. However, if the region was incorrectly selected and you have now changed it, restart your computer.
After a reboot, the problem with your PC’s Spotlight function is resolved.
15. Deleting mail and calendar from the lock screen
Sometimes the synchronization of mail and calendar does not work as expected, causing problems with the Windows Spotlight feature. You can remove your email and calendar from the lock screen to solve the problem with Spotlight.
Search for Weather in the Start menu search bar and open it from the search results.
On the Weather app, click on the Settings icon and make sure you are on the General tab. Then select the default location as the start location. Modification of weather parameters
From the Start menu, find and open the Lock Screen Settings option. Tap the Mail icon under Choose applications that display quick status on the lock screen and select No.Select No.
Now do the same for the calendar icon.
After making the changes, lock the screen by pressing Windows + L and check whether the Spotlight problem is resolved or not.
16. Performing a system restore
The last option to fix Windows Spotlight that doesn’t work is to restore your Windows 10 computer to the point where everything was working fine. System restore does not delete personal files and data. However, only applications installed after the restore point was created will be deleted.
After restoring your system, Windows Spotlight will work again on your computer as before.
Latest thoughts on Spotlight not working on Windows
You can explore different places, animals and landscapes with wallpapers displayed by the Windows Spotlight feature. Although this feature may seem uninteresting to many Windows users, it is very important. In most cases, Windows Spotlight changes the background itself when the screen is locked.
However, there can sometimes be problems with this Windows feature. With the solutions described above, you now know how to solve the problem of Windows Spotlight not working. You can view them and get Spotlight working again on your computer.Windows Spotlight is a new feature in the Windows 10 operating system, and it allows users to define different categories of files for easy scanning, and making it easier to find the files they want. It also allows users to create custom searches and to display results in a feed. Unfortunately, Spotlight is not great at recognizing certain file types, and many users are complaining of bugs and issues with it.. Read more about windows spotlight not working 2021 and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you fix it when Windows spotlight is not working?
In order to fix the spotlight not working on Windows, you can try the following: -Restart your computer -Uninstall and reinstall the spotlight software -Update your computer -Check your computer for viruses
How do I reset Windows spotlight?
To reset Windows spotlight, follow these steps: 1. Click the Windows Start button. 2. Click on Settings. 3. Click on System. 4. Click on Spotlight. 5. Click on the Spotlight settings. 6. Click on the Reset button. 7. Follow the on-screen instructions. How do I turn off the Windows spotlight? To turn off the Windows spotlight, follow these steps: 1. Click the Windows Start button. 2. Click on Settings. 3. Click on System. 4. Click on Spotlight. 5. Click on the Spotlight settings. 6. Click on the Off button. 7. Follow the on-screen instructions.
How do I fix windows spotlight lock screen?
Windows spotlight lock screen is a feature of Windows 10 that automatically turns on the screen when you use your computer. It is designed to help you save power and reduce your computer’s battery life.
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