User cannot search in Windows Server 2019

[Iwan vd Meerendonk]

Users who log in for the first time cannot search in Windows Start menu (new profile).

On the second login the issue is no longer present.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Create new local admin user
2. Login using RDP
3. Try search:

(search does not display results, search result area stays black)

We found out that just killing the SearchUI.exe process resolves the issue immediately (without re-login).

Someone recognozes this issue?

[#2]

@Iwan vd Meerendonk 

Good morning, buddy!

I had the same problem, I had to change the Windows registry. See if it helps you, here it worked perfectly.

1. In the Registry Editor (regedit) use the left sidebar to navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search

2. Right-click the Search icon and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value BingSearchEnabled.

3. Double-click the new BingSearchEnabled value to open its properties dialog. The number in the “Value data” box should already be 0—just ensure it’s still 0. Click OK to continue.

4. Below BingSearchEnabled, you should see CortanaConsent. Double-click this value to open its properties dialog. Change its “Value Data” box to “0”.

5. If you don’t see CortanaConsent, create it by following the same steps you used to create BingSearchEnabled.

6. You can close the Registry Editor now. If you search your start menu, you should now see only local results. If the change doesn’t take effect immediately, restart your PC.

[#3]

@lruiz91 ,

Sadly your solution did not work for us. We've started a support call to Microsoft. they gave us the following solutions for testing:

 GPO1

-User Configuration

                -Administrative Templates

                                -Windows Components

                                                -FileExplorer

                                                                -Turn off display of recent search entries in the File Explorer search box

GPO 2

 Workaround 2 (This one while disable email search):

-User Configuration

                -Administrative Templates

                                -Start Menu and Taskbar

                                                -Do not search communications

[#4]

@Iwan vd Meerendonk 

Could you please provide little more details how to fix it .

[#5]

mind that search issues can happen if there are issues with DNS, expired certificates in the Microsoft system (outside your scope) that relies on the start search engine. We had that in the past for Windows Server and client.
If this would be the case the search does not work at all, including local content. I'd advise to open a support request with Microsoft Support if you can reproduce this issue on more than one WS 2019 and recent patchlevel (01-2024)