Window Server 2022 and Search-as-you-type not working unless you are have administrator rights.

Question

Hello!!!

We are upgrading a client's servers from Windows Server 2016 to Windows Server 2022 and are currently in the testing phase of the project but have found an issue.

Currently, all internal staff working on the older (2016) servers use the search as you-type function in the top right-hand of the file explorer window which changes/reduces the contents in the main search window as you type (without pressing enter). This is ideal for the client looking for product numbers/pictures etc as they can see the codes and images as they type.

The indexing has all been configured and works perfectly as an administrative rights granted user, as soon as we login with ANY user with non-admin rights, this feature stops working. If the user that wasn't working gets given administrator rights, after logging out and back in again this feature works perfectly!

Even logging in directly to the server with an admin user and a non-admin user produces the same results.

Can anyone please tell me how I can get normal users without administrator rights to have this search-as-you-type function?

Any help would be appreciated......

Gary Alsop

Answer 1

Hello

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

You can try the following to enable "search-as-you-type" functionality for regular users without admin privileges:

Group Policy Settings: Ensure that the necessary permissions are granted to non-admin users through Group Policy. You can configure Group Policy settings to allow non-admin users to use the search function. Open the Group Policy Management Editor by typing gpedit.msc in the Run dialog box and navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer. Ensure that the settings related to search functionality are properly configured for non-admin users.

Indexing Options: Verify that the indexing options are correctly set up for non-admin users. Go to Control Panel > Indexing Options and ensure that the locations and file types are properly indexed. Additionally, check the permissions on the indexed locations to ensure that non-admin users have read access.

Registry Settings: Sometimes, registry settings can affect the search functionality. Ensure that the registry settings related to search are correctly configured. You can use the Registry Editor (regedit) to check and modify the relevant settings under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search.

Permissions on System Files: Ensure that non-admin users have the necessary permissions on system files related to search. You can use the icacls command to modify the permissions on these files. For example, you can grant read access to non-admin users on the C:\Windows\System32\SearchIndexer.exe file.

Restart Windows Search Service: Sometimes, restarting the Windows Search service can resolve issues. Open the Services console by typing services.msc in the Run dialog box, find the Windows Search service, and restart it.

Fix problems in Windows Search - Windows Client | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards,

Wesley Li