This article explains how to enable Windows search service on Windows server. The Windows Search service allows clients that are compatible with the search service to perform fast file searches on a server.
When you install the Windows Search service on a server, you can use the Windows File Explorer to quickly search for files and file contents. The Windows Search service must be running to enable quick searching.
The search service is also available for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users. This service provides content indexing, property caching, and search results for files, e-mail, and other content.
On Windows 10/11, if you’re using Microsoft Visio to lookup for newly installed stencils, the Windows Search service should be running. Otherwise, you’ll encounter the error “Visio cannot provide fast search results because Windows Search is not running or is not configured properly for Visio. Please contact your system administrator.”
Also Read: Install Windows Server 2022 Core: A Step-by-Step Guide
What is Windows Search Service?
The Windows Search Service (WSS) can search files and documents for useful information. Indexing can be quite CPU-intensive, depending on the number of files on your system, but Microsoft has ensured that the service will throttle or even pause indexing if it may negatively impact the user experience. By using indexing, users will experience faster file-server searches. For more information, read the article by Microsoft on Windows Search Overview.
Ways to install Windows Search on Server
There are two ways to install the Windows Search service on Windows server:
- Using the Add Roles and features wizard
- Using PowerShell
We’ll cover both the above methods in this article.
Also Read: Patch Server Core Installation with latest Windows Updates
Steps to enable Windows Search Service on Windows Server
Here are the steps that you need to follow to install the Windows Search service on Windows Server 2022.
Log in to the Windows Server and launch the Server Manager. Click Manage and select Add Roles and Features.
On the Installation Type page, select Role based or feature-based installation option and click Next.
Select the destination server on which you want to install the Windows Search service. If this is a local server, click Next.
On the Server Roles page, click Next. On the Features page, select the Windows Search Service checkbox and click Next.
On the Confirmation page, click Install.
The Windows Search service installation is now complete. You don’t have to restart the server after installing the Windows Search service. Close the Add Roles and Features Wizard.
Fix Windows Search is disabled in Windows Server 2016
By default, the Windows Search service is set to Disabled in Windows Server 2016. That’s because the indexing of the volumes can cause problems in certain scenarios, including
- Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV)
- Running Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) with multiple simultaneous sessions.
If you need the search functionality on Windows Server 2016 from the start menu, you can re-enable the Windows search service using the following steps:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
- Type services.msc, and then press Enter.
- Right-click Windows Search, and then select Properties.
- Change the startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start).
- Select Apply, and then select Start.
- Select OK, and then close the Services console.
After making the above changes, you may want to restart the Server once. Now the Windows Search service starts along with other services.
Install Windows Search Service using PowerShell
Using PowerShell is probably the quickest way to install the Windows Search service on a server. Launch the PowerShell as administrator. Run the following PowerShell command to install the Windows Search service on Windows Server.
Install-WindowsFeature Search-Service
Install Windows Search Service on Server 2008 R2
On older versions of Windows Server, such as 2008 R2, the procedure for installing the search service slightly varies. To enable the Windows Search service in Windows Server 2008 R2, follow these steps:
- Launch the Server Manager and click Roles in the left navigation pane.
- Click Add Roles in the Roles Summary pane.
- On the Server Roles page, select the File Services role, and then click Next.
- On the Role Services page, select the Windows Search Service role service, and then click Next.
- On the Confirmation page, verify that Windows Search Service is listed, and then click Install.
Restart Windows Search Service on Windows Server
Recently, one of our customers reported that the search service was taking up a lot of CPU resources on their server. This can happen when you have a large volume of files to index or your search operation involves searching too many files.
On a Windows server, if you notice that Windows Search is not functioning properly, you can try restarting the service using the following steps:
If you need the search functionality on Windows Server 2016 from the start menu, you can re-enable the Windows search service using the following steps:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run box.
- Type services.msc, and then press Enter.
- Right-click Windows Search service and select Restart.
- Close the Services console.
Still Need Help?
If you need further assistance on the above article or want to discuss other technical issues, check out some of these options.
If you’re using the Windows Server 2016 start menu and the search is not working, even though you know for sure that what you’re searching for exists in the start menu, this post describes a few techniques to resolve this issue.
Windows Search Service
Firstly, you need to install the ‘Windows Search Service’ feature:
Windows Server 2016
Unlike Windows Server 2012 R2 in which the ‘Windows Search’ service is already started, on Windows Server 2016, you have to change the startup type to Automatic and Start the service.
Once the indexing is complete, you should then be able to find shortcuts in your Windows Server 2016 start menu.
Administrator
If you’re logged in as Administrator, you may also need to enable UAC Admin Approval mode:
Start > Run > secpol.msc > Local Policies > Security Options > User Account Control: Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator account
Then restart the machine.
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When we try to use Cortana search on the Start menu or on a Windows Server 2016-based computer using Windows Server 2016, we won’t receive any results or inconsistent results.
the reason
By default, the Windows Search service in Windows Server 2016 is set to Disabled. This is because in some cases (such as using Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) and running Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH)), indexing of volumes can cause problems for multiple simultaneous sessions.
step:
If you plan to use Windows Server 2016 as a client desktop computer, or if you want to use the Windows Search feature from the Start menu, you can re-enable the Windows Search service. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Press the Windows button + R Open the Run box, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Right-click on Windows Search and click Properties.
3. Change the startup type to automatic (delayed startup); click Apply, then click Start. Click OK and close the Services console.
Or you can set the service status by command line:
A.net start starts the WSearch service:
net start WSearch
The b.sc command sets the service status and starts the service:
sc config WSearch start= demand net start WSearch
The Windows search feature provides the fastest way to search for apps, files and settings. This article describes how to use Windows search in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016.
Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
Step-by-step guide
The steps are as follows:
-
Press the Windows key on your keyboard or click on the Windows button on the bottom left of your windows desktop. The Start menu opens.
You can also click on the Search button (or use the shortcut keys Windows+S) beside the Windows button on the bottom left of your windows desktop.
- The search bar is available at the bottom of the window that is opened.
- Type a few characters of your search and the best matches will be displayed.
Windows Server 2016
Step-by-step guide
The steps are as follows:
-
Press the Windows key on your keyboard or click on the Windows button on the bottom left of your windows desktop. The Start menu opens.
You can also use the shortcut keys Windows+S to open Windows search.
-
Now click on the Search button and type a few characters to initiate the search.
Generally, the Start menu searches everywhere it can (since Everywhere remains selected by default) but If you want to narrow down the search then click on the drop-down and select the required location to search.
The available options are: Everywhere, Settings and Files.
Introduction
This will be a tutorial on how to improve our search for our windows
file servers, using the Windows Search Service. What we will be working
with is Windows Server 2012 R2, however, this will also work for both
2016, 2019, etc.
Getting Into the Server
The first thing we are going to do is go to our server dashboard and add
a role. To do this we are going to select the button that says, “Add
roles and features”. Click “Next”, leave it on the option that says
“Role-based or feature-based installation”, and click “Next” again.
Then, choose your server and select “Next”. While in Server Roles, we
are going to select “Next” at the bottom once again as what we are
searching for is a feature. Under “Features”, we are going to search for
a feature called “Windows Search Service”. Once found, click on the
checkbox next to it and select “Next”. We will then click “Install” to
get this installed.
Filter Pack
Our next item we are going to add is the filter pack. The filter pack
will allow us the ability to search inside of documents. To download
this, we are going to open a web browser, and navigate to this link:
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17062
Once there, you will notice it says, “Microsoft Office 2010 Filter
Packs”. That is okay as this will provide us with what we need. Make
sure to get the 64-bit version when installing. We will then run the
download. Click “Next”, accept the checkbox and click “Next”, and click
“Ok” and it should be installed.
Turning on the Windows Search Services
Our next step is to turn on the Windows Search Service. To get to that,
go to your Server Manager Dashboard and you should see “Tools” at the
top right. Click on that and select “Services”. We will then need to
find “Windows Search” which may be very far down as it is alphabetical.
If it is not already started, click on it and start it up as well as
make sure “Automatic (Delayed Start)” is selected for startup type.
Control Panel
To Launch the control panel, you can right click on the Windows Icon at
the bottom left of your screen and select “Control Panel”. Whilst in
there, you will search at the top for “Index” and select “Indexing
Options”. Now we are going to add the share drive location. We will
click on “Modify” and navigate to the drive we want and select “Ok”.
Index Location
While in the Indexing options from the previous part, we will select
“Advanced”. We can then change the location that we are storing the
indexing files. This is very important as this file could grow large
depending on how often this is used. Some good options are to create a
separate drive to put this in, or make sure your C: Drive has plenty of
space on it. You can also change the file types that are being indexed
by going to the tab “File Types” if you would like. We can then click
“Ok”.
Indexing Speed
While back in the Indexing Options, you may see that “Indexing speed is
reduced due to user activity”. This is caused by a user being logged in
as it slows down to not use up the PC nearly as much. It is best
practice to leave this running overnight. When it finishes, the file
search will now be much faster and more efficient. All devices connected
will also have much quicker search speeds as well.
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