Solved Windows Explorer Search History Not Displayed

Hi, I've seen a few problems mentioned regarding windows 11 not displaying search results, and a LOT of false leads going over the same old pointless procedures.
It seems the ability was removed to have search history displayed in the Explorer search box as it was up until Windows 10.
I know history is being recorded, confirmed by the search bar history dropdown, but nothing is shown in the search bar field itself.


I thought it was due to the upgrade I did from Win10 to 11 or from some tweaking I did, so I did a fresh install and see it occurs there, too.

I am looking either for a fix or for confirmation that this feature has been disabled in Windows 11.
Thanks!

That screenshot certainly doesn't look like file explorer to me. What 3rd party file explorer replacement app are you using?
Personally, I can give no great advice on file history as I do not use it and have it disabled, but see if any of these tutorials are of any help

Lloyd Phillips said:

I've seen a few problems mentioned regarding windows 11 not displaying search results

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Not problems. To my understanding, Windows File Explorer no longer remembers search history by design. This change was implemented in Windows 11 and now only uses instant results in File Explorer.

Use something like “Everything Search” or a 3rd party File Explorer.

Having said that, sometimes when I click in the search box, it will show some recently typed entries in the drop down. I have no idea why as I haven’t changed anything, nor do I use tweaks for File Explorer.

antspants said:

Not problems. To my understanding, Windows File Explorer no longer remembers search history by design. This change was implemented in Windows 11 and now only uses instant results in File Explorer.

Use something like “Everything Search” or a 3rd party File Explorer.

Having said that, sometimes when I click in the search box, it will show some recently typed entries in the drop down. I have no idea why as I haven’t changed anything, nor do I use tweaks for File Explorer.

Click to expand...

Whether or not the loss of search history in the search box is a "problem" or not depends on one's point of view.
It is causing me a problem or I would not have posted about it.
It HAS caused problems for plenty of people. It is a problem to be forced to change the way one works.
That feature was a part of Windows for 30 years, and now it was removed.
In this case, so far it seems (as you seem to understand as well) they decided to cause the problems.
So, it seems it is not a bug, but a ..."feature"?

I do use Everything & Grep and a couple of others on occasion, but none are as quick and light as the feature they removed.
Thanks for the partial confirmation.

glasskuter said:

That screenshot certainly doesn't look like file explorer to me. What 3rd party file explorer replacement app are you using?
Personally, I can give no great advice on file history as I do not use it and have it disabled, but see if any of these tutorials are of any help

Click to expand...

As I said, I found the same issue on a fresh install.
The top section , which I usually leave closed, is the standard Menu bar, which I dropped down to show the search history.
The lower, light-colored part is Open Shell.

Lloyd Phillips said:

Whether or not the loss of search history in the search box is a "problem" or not depends on one's point of view.
It is causing me a problem or I would not have posted about it.

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OK then, Lloyd, I’ll rephrase it. It’s not a Windows problem.

Lloyd Phillips said:

As I said, I found the same issue on a fresh install

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Read my post. Search history apparently went when Windows 11 was released.

Lloyd Phillips said:

The top section , which I usually leave closed, is the standard Menu bar, which I dropped down to show the search history.

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That’s not standard for File Explorer. There is no drop down that shows Recent Search options. You’re obviously using something to enhance File Explorer, like Classic Ribbon or something else. Explorer Patcher, or maybe OpenShell adds it?

Also, there is no Standard Menu Bar that I am aware of, again, you’re either using Classic Ribbon or some other enhancement. One can only guess. I’d agree that glasskuter is correct when she mentions that the screenshot doesn’t look like the native File Explorer.

Lloyd Phillips said:
As I said, I found the same issue on a fresh install

antspants said:

Read my post. Search history apparently went when Windows 11 was released.

That’s not standard for File Explorer. There is no drop down that shows Recent Search options. You’re obviously using something to enhance File Explorer, like Classic Ribbon or something else. Explorer Patcher, or maybe OpenShell adds it?

Also, there is no Standard Menu Bar that I am aware of, again, you’re either using Classic Ribbon or some other enhancement. One can only guess. I’d go as far as to say that @glasskuter is correct when she mentions that the screenshot doesn’t look like the native File Explorer.

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Yes I know you said that it apparently went when Windows 11 was released.
Read MY post.
That reply was to glasskuter to clarify that I found the same thing on a fresh install.
Yes the top "standard" menu bar as well as the Open Shell are modifications.
The only reason I posted that picture was to make it clear, as i said, that a search history is being kept in some way, and the change is that it is not being displayed in the search field.

OK then. No problem, Lloyd.

Lloyd Phillips said:

I am looking either for a fix or for confirmation that this feature has been disabled in Windows 11.
Thanks

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Seems to be a moot issue now. Use a 3rd party Explorer or stick to “Everything Search”
I have never seen an Add-on for File Explorer, let alone for Search functions, so I don’t believe there is much of a choice other than to soldier on.

Cheers.

Hang on, doesn’t Everything Search add an Everything Search box to File Explorer anymore? I seem to recall it did, once?

Maybe give Seek Fast a once over look. It boasts addons for File Explorer.





Othr images and info here.

antspants said:

Hang on, doesn’t Everything Search add an Everything Search box to File Explorer anymore? I seem to recall it did, once?

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Yes, it does.

antspants said:

Maybe give Seek Fast a once over look. It boasts addons for File Explorer.

Othr images and info here.

How to Search Files in Windows 11 - SeekFast Blog

Discover the best ways to search files in Windows 11 - Taskbar, File Explorer, advanced filters, AI semantic search and third-party tools.

seekfast.org

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Thanks for the tips, and I will try Everything Toolbar first and then Seek.