Legacy Update: Get back online, activate, and install updates on your legacy Windows PC

Use this script to reset Windows Search

• Fix problems with Windows Search by running the ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1 PowerShell script. You must have Administrator permissions to run this script.

Files

Status: Live This download is still available on microsoft.com. The downloads below will come directly from the Microsoft Download Center.

File	Size
ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1 SHA1: 3bd7d5c2d36b5e73deb921cdec1a2e521dde4025	2 KB

File sizes and hashes are retrieved from the Wayback Machine’s indexes. They may not match the latest versions of files hosted on Microsoft servers.

• Windows 10 May 2019 Update

• If the Windows 10 May 2019 Update or a later update is installed, use Windows PowerShell to reset Windows Search. To do this, follow these steps.
  
  Note You must have administrator permissions to run this script.
  1. Click the Download button and save ResetWindowsSearchBox.ps1 to a local folder.
  2. Right-click the file that you saved, and select Run with PowerShell.
  3. If you are asked "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?," select Yes.
  4. The PowerShell script resets the Windows Search feature. When the word "Done" appears, close the PowerShell window.
  5. If you receive a "Cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system" error message, enter the following command on the command line of the PowerShell window, and then press Enter:
     
     Get-ExecutionPolicy
     
     Note The current policy appears in the window. For example, you might see Restricted. We recommend that you note this value because you'll have to use it later.
     
  6. Enter the following command on the command line of the PowerShell window, and then press Enter:
     
     Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
     
     Note You'll receive a warning message that explains the security risks of an execution policy change. Press Y, and then press Enter to accept the change.
     
     To learn more about PowerShell execution policies, see About Execution Policies.
     
  7. After the policy change is completed, close the window, and then repeat steps 2–4. However, when the "Done" message appears this time, DON'T close the PowerShell window. Instead, press any key to continue.
  8. Revert to your previous PowerShell execution policy setting. To do this, enter the following command on the command line of the PowerShell window, press the Spacebar, enter the policy value that you noted in step 5, and then press Enter:
     
     Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy
     
     For example, if the policy that you noted in step 5 was Restricted, the command would resemble the following:
     
     Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy Restricted
     
     Note You'll receive a warning message that explains the security risks of an execution policy change. Press Y, and then press Enter to accept the change and revert to your previous policy setting.
     
  9. Close the PowerShell window.
  Note If your organization has disabled the ability to run scripts, contact your administrator for help.