Microsoft’s Solution: Repairing the Windows Start Menu Search Glitch

Microsoft has addressed a recent issue affecting the Windows Start Menu search feature on some Windows 11 23H2 devices with a server-side fix. The problem, caused by a server-side Bing update aimed at enhancing search performance, has impacted a small number of users since April 6. Reports of blank search results within the Start Menu, which were still clickable, have been circulating online for months.

To resolve the issue, Microsoft has removed the problematic Bing update and anticipates that the search problems will diminish as the fix is deployed to affected users. The company stated, “An investigation determined that the problem coincided with a server-side Bing update designed to improve search performance. To mitigate the issue, the server-side Bing update was rolled back, and reports of search failures are steadily decreasing.”

“This issue will resolve automatically as the server-side fix is gradually rolled out to affected devices. To receive this fix, make sure the device is connected to the internet and that Web Search has not been disabled by Group Policy.”

Additional Windows Start Menu Challenges

Recent years have seen various Start Menu issues affecting Windows users. In November, Microsoft offered a temporary workaround for a bug causing crashes in the Start Menu, File Explorer, and other system components following the installation of cumulative updates. Affected systems experienced Start menu crashes, missing taskbars, ShellHost process crashes, and the Settings app failing to launch.

While Microsoft is working on a permanent solution, impacted users must manually register the missing XAML packages. Additionally, in May, a bug disrupting Start Menu jump lists on Windows 10 22H2 systems was silently fixed, and in June 2023, an issue causing unresponsiveness in Windows Search and the Start Menu was addressed.

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