Fix: Spotlight Not Working on Windows 11/10

Windows Spotlight is a nice feature we have on Windows 10 and 11 computers. It fetches images from Bing and sets them as the background for your Windows computer’s login or lock screen. It also shares location information and other details. But what if Spotlight not working on Windows 11/10?

In such a case, it will not impact your day-to-day computer operations. However, Windows spotlight is a nice feature to have on. But not to worry, in this article, I will share a few methods to fix the Spotlight not working issue.

What is Windows Spotlight?

Windows Spotlight is one of the new yet cool features introduced with Windows 10, and it also made its appearance in Windows 11. The feature is included by default in all versions of Windows.

The feature works on the lock screen of your computer. When you log out of your account or turn on your computer, you see a picture on the lock screen. The image changes in a few days and works by fetching a random image from Bing’s collection of high-quality images.

As a result, you get to see new images on your lock screen from time to time. Also, Microsoft shares location information along with the images. So the user gets to know more about the feature.

Why is Spotlight not working?

There are several reasons why Windows spotlight might not work on your Windows Machine. Some key reasons are:

• Windows updates might have crashed the service and stopped it from loading new Bing images for your lock screen.
• Windows Spotlight system files might have crashed or corrupted. Hence, it is not able to fetch new images.
• There might be issues with your internet.
• Incorrect regional language settings.

Fix: Spotlight Not Working on Windows 11/10

To fix the spotlight issue, let’s first try basic troubleshooting, followed by advanced solutions to fix the problem.

• Basic Troubleshooting
  1. Active internet connection
  2. Turn off metered connection
• Advanced Troubleshooting
  3. Reset Windows Spotlight
  4. Install Dynamic Theme App
  5. Re-register Spotlight Using PowerShell

Make sure to use an administrator account for these suggestions.

Basic Troubleshooting

1] Make Sure you have an active internet connection

First, ensure that you have an active internet connection. Since Windows spotlight fetches images from Bing’s server to display them on the Windows lock screen. So if there is no internet connection, then Windows spotlight will not be able to fetch images from the Bing server.

To check for an active internet connection, try launching your web browser and see if you can open up any websites or not. Also, if you think your internet is working, but your PC has some issue detecting internet connection, check Windows internet settings and troubleshoot the network adaptor.

2] Turn off metered connection

If you have a metered connection turned on, it can also be why Spotlight is not working. To check and disable the metered connection, follow the below steps:

• Go to Windows Settings using Win + I
• Click on Network & Internet and then go to Ethernet.
• Over here, toggle off the setting that says Metered connection.

If it’s already turned off, move to the below fixes.

Advanced Troubleshooting

1. Reset Windows Spotlight

In case your Windows Spotlight is broken or stuck on the same image, then resetting Windows Spotlight would be the best idea. For this, follow the below steps:

• Go to Windows settings > Personalization > Lock Screen.
• Now from Personalize, your lock screen dropdown select Picture.

• Next, press Windows Key + R to launch Run.
• In Run, copy and paste the following path and press Enter:

 %USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets

• Select all the files by pressing Ctrl + A and then press the Delete key to clear all the old images.
• Then launch RUN again by pressing Windows key + R and paste this following command, and press enter:

 %USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings

• After that, right-click on settings.dat and roaming.lock files individually and then rename them as settings.dat.bak and roaming.lock.bat individually.
• Then restart your computer.
• Afterward, go to Settings > Personalization > Lockscreen and change Personalize your lock screen back to Windows Spotlight.

Now press Windows Key + L to lock your account and see if you get to see new Bing Images. If you do, go back to the Windows Spotlight folder and delete the settings.dat.bak and roaming.lock.bak files.

2. Install Dynamic Theme App 

Don’t want to go through complicated steps to fix Spotlight not working in Windows? If yes, then you can download and install the Dynamic Theme App.

It is a free theme available on Microsoft Store. It offers dynamic background and lock screen picture with Daily Bing or Windows Spotlight features. Also, it supports lots of cool features like different modes like static images or slideshow, viewing recent daily Bing images, and so on.

To use this app, follow the below these steps:

• Go to the following link and click on the Get button
• Then click on the Get button to download and install the app.

• Click on Open after it is installed.
• From Sidebar, select the Lock screen and click on the System Settings dropdown menu.
• From here, select Windows spotlight, and you are all done.

3. Re-register Spotlight Using PowerShell

You can also try re-registering Spotlight using PowerShell. It will force Windows to implement Windows Spotlight and might fix the issue.

However, before you follow the below steps, set Windows Spotlight as the background for the lock screen by going to this option: Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. Without enabling Windows Spotlight, you will encounter an error.

• Go to Windows Search (Win + S) and type down PowerShell.
• Right-click on Windows PowerShell and select Run as Administrator.
• Now enter this following command and press the Enter key.

Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }

• Let the command run and once it is completed, restart your computer.
• Finally, check if this has helped you to fix the issue. If not, you can try resetting your Windows, which will fix the issue.

Conclusion

So those were all the fixes for Spotlight not working on Windows 11/10 error. I hope these above methods will help you fix the issue. If you get stuck on anything, feel free to comment below.

Does Windows 11 have Windows Spotlight?

Yes, Windows 11 comes with Windows Spotlight feature by default. Windows Spotlight was introduced with Windows 10 and is available on Windows 11. Windows Spotlight can be enabled by going to Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen.

Where are the Windows 11 Spotlight pictures stored?

In Windows 11 Spotlight, you can find the saved images by launching Run and then paste this path and press enter:

%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets.

However, in Windows Windows, spotlight images are saved as system files, and you cannot save them as pictures in a straightforward way.