[Solved] Spotlight does not work after after upgrading to win11 from win10 19044

However, it is recommended that you install all updates, and if any apps don't work, try uninstalling and then reinstalling them. It is recommended to restart computer after uninstallation and also clean registry.

 

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Was anyone able to get this to work? None of the fixes on the internet seem to work, e.g. Resetting spotlight using powershell, and also deleting files as below:

“Now delete any files in C:\Users > YourUsername > AppData > Local > Packages > Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_random letter > LocalState > Assets”


I just get the default lock screen image. When i try to set the spotlight background in control panel it just reverts to “picture”.

It seems to be a “bug?” Some have had it work briefly only for the problem to resurface down the road. Do I just live with it?

 

Do you have a clean installation or an update, and if an update, from what, to what and when was the last clean installation done. And does before update it worked as should.
Also, is it a normal installation or has something been changed.
Important - are background apps enabled, partially disabled or fully disabled and also, is Edge installed properly or have you done anything to it?

 

I've updated from Windows 10 to W10 21H2 > W1022H2 > W11 21H2 > W11 22H2

Somewhere along the way the feature stopped working, I only realized it when I was on W11 21H2. Other than that its just a vanilla installation, just disabled some privacy settings and location. I don't believe the background apps is a setting in this version, looked for it but couldn't find it. Edge is installed using the defaults.

At this point in time if a clean installation is the only thing that can bring it back I will have to live without it.

 

I think it should get to work then, but I'm a bit busy at the moment. No script not needed, simply some things needed to rename, some restarts and some settings first tun off and then again on.
Usually, if only Spotlight doesn't work and everything else is OK, it starts work after that. So wait a bit, Iäll end my work here and then I'm ready. It may take 10-15 minutes.

 

So, now I'm back.
First of all, make so that you can restart computer, if needed, ie save all what needed and close other programs and apps
Then open Settings and turn off Show lockscreem picture and after that turn of Windows Spotlight, ie put it on other picture or better to at all change picture to new one
If done, open folder where is Assets folder and rename it to Assets.bak, then find folder Settings, it is in
%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy
there should be two files settings.dat and roaming.lock
Now rename also them to settings.dat.bak and roaming.lock.bak
Then go again to Settings panel and turn on again Windows sppotlight, it must be greyed up, if so, log off and then restart computer. Now it must download new pictures and maybe You must also turn off Windows spotlight and then again on.
Sometimes it goes back faster, sometimes is needed a bit wait and/or do one more restart.
If even then doesn't show spotlight picture, there should be something more incorrect or damaged. Then is needed to reinstal whole spotlight app.

 

Hi, so it looks like even after renaming the files and rebooting the spotlight still reverts to picture.

Is there a way to reinstall the app without having to reimage the whole machine?

 

First, tell if he downloaded the new pictures and made new Assets folder and the new files are in it now.
What images are in the new Assets folder now.
These are all .jpg images, so you can copy them to a new folder on your desktop, for example, and put the extension .jpg, then you can view them.

 

Funny thing is, after the reboot the location %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy has been populated by 8 new folders, but none of them is named "Assets".

There is one subdirectory is named "LocalState" but it also does not contain an "Assets" folder, it contains "TargetedContentCache" and "Tips" folders

 

That's what I thought, that you have something more broken there, if you have changed so many times different versions all the time using the update method. This is usually what happens. I think that sooner or later you have to do a clean installation or at least such a System Reseting that you keep only your files. No other method is likely to fix this problem, and if there are already problems, more will be come all the time.
So, decide for yourself, but my opinion is that it is necessary to do a clean installation.
It is already completely unpredictable what is wrong there.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

So after clicking around I found the cause of the problem. When i originally installed windows I tinkered around with GPO settings so that I can retain as much privacy as possible. In computer configuration > Administrative templates > Windows components > App Privacy, there are some settings i had disabled, and the one that appears to have caused the issue, is the "Let Windows Apps run In the background", which moments ago i reset to "not configured" and that brought back windows spotlight. There is one other change I made to disable location, and I intend to enable it back to see whether it will also cause the issue. But for now the issue appears to be resolved.

Waaay back when i started out in tech support as an intern I remember my boss who was then a system admin warning me to not tinker around in GPO settings lest I would start talking to myself and pulling my hair out. It appears I never took his advice seriously because this problem has caused me unbelievable frustration.

 

Don't you happen to remember that I already asked you in my first post that didn't you haven't disabled background apps.
It's there the very last line
"Important - are background apps enabled, partially disabled or fully disabled and also, is Edge installed properly or have you done anything to it?"
https://forums.mydigitallife.net/th...to-win11-from-win10-19044.85465/#post-1810745

 

I agree that you did. I responded and said that in W11 22h2 there doesn’t appear to be an easy way to find the background apps setting, like one would easily find in earlier versions. So it appears that this setting in GPO, was configured at some point in time when the background apps was visible in settings application, in an earlier release of Windows. When the upgrade happened, and the setting was quietly hidden from view it became near impossible to figure out what was going on.

So kudos for pointing me in that direction!

 

Well, it's nice that it's okay now and you also know that you can't disable them if you want, that there will not appear problems.
To be more precise - you can actually ban, but not all at once.
Yes, it's true that it used to be easier, you could also disable them one by one in the settings panel, unfortunately that's not the case anymore.
But good luck to you in future.