Windows 10 Lock Screen Spotlight Not Working?

The Windows 10 computer comes with some great and cool features, but the one that is loved by many users is Spotlight. Why?

It changes your computer’s boring lock or login screen display into a colorful and more attractive one by adding an image to it. The images that are displayed by Spotlight are downloaded from the Bing page. However, some users are unable to utilize the Spotlight feature completely. On this page, you’ll learn how to fix the “Spotlight not working” issue on the Windows 10 computer.

Causes

A corrupted image or the Windows Spotlight system files might stop the Spotlight from working.

During the Windows update, the Spotlight service might get crashed.

Resolving the Spotlight feature not working issue on Windows 10

Even if this issue seems tricky, it can be resolved easily by re-registering the Spotlight feature using the Powershell application. There is also some quick troubleshooting solution to fix this issue. The below section covers all the possible ways to fix the Spotlight feature not working problem on Windows 10.

Method 1: Checking the network connection

As said above, the images displayed on the lock screen are downloaded from the Bing page. So, to download and load the image on the login or lock screen, your Windows 10 computer should be connected to the Internet. If your computer is offline, then there is a chance for this issue to occur.

So, as the first step of troubleshooting, check to make sure that your computer is connected to an active Internet (over a wired or wireless connection).

Method 2: Reinitialize the Spotlight service

On the Settings screen of your Windows 10 computer, select the Personalization option.
Click on the Lock Screen option.
From the drop-down menu given, select the Background option.
Choose the desired background option from the suggestions and save it.

Now, restart your computer.
After your computer restarts, go to the Personalization window and set the Background option to Spotlight.
Now, check if the Spotlight feature is working on your computer. If not, perform the next method given below.

Method 3: Re-registering the Spotlight service

Now, run all these following commands one by one: powershell
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like "*SystemApps*"} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
After running all these services, start the Spotlight service on your computer.

Make sure that the service is enabled.
Now, restart the computer.
Check if the Spotlight feature is working on your Windows 10 computer. If not, perform the next method given below.

Method 4: Deleting the Spotlight files

If the Spotlight files are corrupted, you will encounter this issue. To fix it, delete all the files related to Spotlight.
Open the Windows Explorer window or Run. Go to the “%USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets” path.
Now, you can find a set of files displayed on the screen.
Select and delete all the files.
After deleting all the files, restart the computer.

Method 5: Turning on the Microsoft Edge app

The Spotlight feature will not work properly if the Microsoft Edge app is turned off.
Click on the Privacy button on the Settings screen of your Windows 10 computer.
Select the Background apps option.
Locate the Microsoft Edge app and check its status.
If this app is turned off, then turn it on.

Method 6: Performing the Windows update process

The outdated Windows files might also cause these kinds of issues. So, check if your Windows computer is up-to-date. If not, update it. To check and update your Windows 10 computer, follow the below instructions.

On the Settings screen, click on the Update & Security option.
Select the Windows Update option followed by Check for updates.
Now, if an update is available for your computer, then it will be initiated shortly.

After updating the OS, restart your computer and re-configure the Spotlight feature.
Sometimes, outdated or corrupted device drivers might also stop the Spotlight feature. To avoid it, ensure that your computer drivers are up to date.

Method 7: Restoring your Windows computer

If none of the methods fixes the Spotlight feature not working issue, then restore your Windows system.

Important Note:Usually, the Bing application can take up to 1 day to sync the downloaded images with your computer’s lock screen. So, before performing the Windows restore, wait for 24 hours.

Initially, back up your important files from the computer.
Next, on the Control Panel screen of your computer, click on the System and Security option.
Select System > System Protection > System Restore > Next > Next > Finish > Yes.

Now, the system restores process will be initiated.
Once it is done, re-sign into your Windows 10 computer and configure the settings from the beginning.