If Windows Search is only finding file names but not the text inside your documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, or presentations, the problem is almost always broken indexing or file content search being disabled. This issue happens in both Windows 11 and Windows 10 and also affects video, photo, and music discovery. The good news is you can fix it in 10–15 minutes by correcting a few hidden settings that most users never notice.
Method 1 — Turn on search inside files (very important)
Open File Explorer, click three dots, open Options, go to Search tab, enable Always search file names and contents, click Apply, click OK.
Method 2 — Enable file content indexing for all important formats
Type Indexing Options in Start and open it, click Advanced, open File Types tab, select .txt, choose Index Properties and File Contents, select .pdf, choose Index Properties and File Contents, select .docx, choose Index Properties and File Contents, select .xlsx, choose Index Properties and File Contents, select .pptx, choose Index Properties and File Contents, click OK.
Method 3 — Make sure your folders are included in indexing
Open Indexing Options, click Modify, expand your drive, tick Documents, Desktop, Downloads, and any custom folders where files are stored, click OK.
Method 4 — Rebuild the Windows Search index
Open Indexing Options, click Advanced, under Troubleshooting click Rebuild, click OK, wait 5–15 minutes while Windows recreates the database.
Method 5 — Restart Windows Search service
Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter, find Windows Search, right-click Restart, if stopped click Start, double-click it and set Startup type to Automatic.
Method 6 — Fix registry value that controls content search
Press Win + R, type regedit, press Enter, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search, double-click SetupCompletedSuccessfully, set value to 1, click OK, restart the PC.
Method 7 — Fix PDF search problem (missing iFilter)
Install or repair a PDF reader like Adobe Reader, restart the PC, rebuild the index once again from Indexing Options.
Method 8 — Run Windows Search troubleshooter
Open Settings, open System, open Troubleshoot, open Other troubleshooters, run Search and Indexing, choose Files don’t appear in search results, follow the repair.
After completing these methods, Windows Search will start finding words inside Word files, Excel sheets, PDFs, PowerPoint files, text files, and will also correctly locate videos, photos, and music.
Conclusion
Windows Search fails mostly because content indexing is turned off or the index database is corrupted. Once you enable file content indexing, include the correct folders, and rebuild the index, search becomes fast and accurate again across Windows 11 and Windows 10. This is a one-time fix that permanently restores proper file searching.
FAQ
Why is Windows only finding file names but not text inside files?
Because file content indexing is disabled in Indexing Options.
Why are PDFs not searchable in Windows Search?
Because the system does not have a proper PDF iFilter installed.
How long does rebuilding the index take?
Usually 5 to 20 minutes depending on number of files.
Do I need to do all methods?
Yes, for guaranteed fix, follow in the same order.
Does this work for both Windows 10 and Windows 11?
Yes, the steps are identical for both versions.
