Where is the search bar in Windows 10 computers? Generally, the search box is located at the bottom left corner of your desktop. If you can’t see the search bar there, the search bar is missing.

But don’t worry! Sometimes it’s just because the search bar is hidden from the taskbar. We’ll help you resolve your confuse and fix the search bar problem for you.

How to show search box on taskbar in Windows 10

Here are some tips you can try. You shouldn’t have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the search box back on track.

  1. Make sure to enable search box from Cortana settings
  2. Make sure to disable small taskbar buttons
  3. Disable Tablet Mode
  4. Make sure to show taskbar on all displays
  5. Create another user account
  6. Bonus Tip

Method 1: Make sure to enable search box from Cortana settings

It’s possible that the search bar has been disabled or hidden from the taskbar, so you should check the search bar settings to enable it.

First of all, press the Windows logo keyand S at the same time to bring up the search box and see if the search box shows up. If not, try the following steps.

  1. Right click on the empty area in the taskbar.

  2. Click Cortana > Show search box. Make sure Show search box is checked.

  3. Then see if the search bar shows up in the taskbar.

Method 2: Make sure to disable small taskbar buttons

One of the usual reasons why your search bar is missing is that the feature of small taskbar buttons is enabled. You should make sure this feature is disabled. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Right click on the empty area on the taskbar, then click Taskbar settings.

  2. On the new pane, make sure Use small taskbar buttons is Off.

  3. Close the pane and see if the search box appears.

Still not working? Don’t worry. There is something else to try.

Method 3: Disable Tablet Mode

Using the Tablet Mode in your computer will lead to the search box missing if you’re using the default settings. So make sure Tablet Mode is not enabled.

  1. Click the Action Center icon at the bottom right corner on your desktop.

  2. Then make sure Tablet Mode is grayed out.

If you want to have the search box showing up while using the Tablet Mode, you should disable the feature to hide the taskbar in tablet mode.

  1. Press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Personalization.

  3. Click Taskbar on the left, then toggle the button to turn Off Automatically hide the taskbar in tablet mode.

  4. Then the taskbar, the search box included, will show up on your desktop even in the tablet mode.

Method 4: Make sure to show taskbar on all displays

The taskbar and the search box will disappear in multiple displays. So if you’re using more than one displays, you should check the following settings in order not to hide the search bar.

  1. Press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Personalization.

  3. Click Taskbar on the left.

  4. Scroll down to the Multiple displays section, and toggle the button to turn on Show taskbar on all displays.

Restart your computer and see if the taskbar and the search box shows up on all your displays.

Still no luck? Okay, there’s one more thing to try.

Method 5: Create another user account

If all the solutions above doesn’t resolve your search box issue, you can try creating a new user account in your computer, which is likely to fix it.

  1. Press the Windows logo key and I at the same time to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Accounts.

  3. Click Other people on the left, then click Add someone else to this PC.

  4. Another pane will popup and guide you to add another user account. Enter the email or phone and click Next.

  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.
  6. Restart your computer, and log into your Windows system with the newly-created account.

Check if the search bar shows up on your desktop.

Bonus tip

A missing or outdated device driver can bring various problems to your computer (for example the search box missing in this case because of the graphics card driver issue), so updating device drivers should be an always go-to option to prevent your computer from further problems.

You can update your drivers manually or automatically. The manual process is time-consuming, technical and risky, so we won’t cover it here. Nor do we recommend it unless you have excellent computer knowledge.

Updating your drivers automatically, on the other hand, is very easy. Simply install and run Driver Easy, and it will automatically find all the devices on your PC that need new drivers, and install them for you. Here’s how to use it.

  1. Download and install Driver Easy.
  2. Run Driver Easy and click Scan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.

  3. Click the Update button next to the flagged device to automatically download the driver (you can do this with the Free version), then install it in your computer.

    Or click Update All to automatically download and install all the drivers that are missing or out of date (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when clicking Update All).

  4. Restart your computer to take effect.

So there you have it – five tips to fix your search bar problem. Hope this post helps with your issue of where the search bar is in Windows 10.

Please feel free to leave your comments and ask any questions.

8
8 people found this helpful
guest
1 Comment
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments