The Windows 11 update was a much-awaited upgrade to the current Windows 10. With so many improvements and aesthetic changes, it has its problems. One such issue is that the lock screen spotlight not working on Windows working all of a sudden or after an upgrade. If this is the case for you, you are not alone.
Numerous users have reported the same issue, in which the lock screen spotlight does not work as expected. It is a common problem that anyone can resolve in various ways. In this post, we will share suggestions to help you fix the situation.
What Is Windows Lock Screen Spotlight?
First introduced with Windows 10, Windows Lock Screen Spotlight displays new background images of beautiful landscapes each time you restart your device, giving users a unique look. These images appear to you on the sign-in screen.
You might be wondering where these breathtaking photos on your Windows lock screen come from; these photos are directly fetched from Bing. Advertisements are sometimes shown along with the image, facts, and the image location. However, if you keep seeing the same image, it’s clear that you’re having problems with the Lock Screen Spotlight feature in your Windows 11 device.
Fix: Spotlight Not Working On Windows 11/10
Corrupted image or system files, outdated Windows updates, and bad device drivers are some of the significant causes of Spotlight not working. We’ve listed six tried-and-true methods for overcoming this problem in this article.
- Check your internet connection.
- Turn off Metered connection.
- Run System Maintenance troubleshooter
- Run SFC Scannow command
- Re-register Spotlight using Powershell
- Clean Spotlight assets
Let us go over these methods one by one.
1. Check Your Internet Connection
As we’ve already mentioned, the images displayed to you via the spotlight feature are directly fetched from Bing daily. If you have a poor internet connection or no connection, you can stick to a single monotonous image until you reconnect to a good internet connection.
To fix the Spotlight not working on Windows 11/10, ensure that you have a stable and fast internet connection. Also, follow our guide on how to fix internet connection issues. If you are using a VPN, it might be responsible for blocking the images from Bing or the internet may not be working with the VPN at all.
After that, check if the images have started to change or not. If the issue remains, proceed to our next solution.
2. Turn Off The Metered Connection
If you’re not aware, a metered connection limits the amount of data you can use. If you exceed that data limit, your internet connection will automatically disconnect. Windows also allow you to configure a metered connection on your private network, Wi-Fi or Ethernet. It assists you in managing your data consumption.
We need to make sure your device hasn’t reached its data limit, so we’ll temporarily disable this feature to see if the Spotlight feature works properly again. Here’s how you can go about it.
- Open Settings, navigate to Network & Internet. Make sure that you’re in the Status Window.
- Under the connected network, you’ll find an option called Properties. Click on it.
- Click on the option named Set as metered connection to ensure that it is turned off.
- Restart your computer to make these changes applicable, see if the Spotlight feature is functioning correctly or not.
3. Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter
The system maintenance troubleshooter is a handy utility that can assist with a series of automatic common fixes for the lock screen, desktop icons, and various other components. We strongly advise you to give it a shot at least once. Here’s how you can do it.
- Open the Control Panel from the search box, change the View by type to Large icons, then Troubleshooting.
- After opening the Troubleshooter window, click on System and Security.
- Click on System Maintenance.
- In System Maintenance, click on the Advanced link, check the checkbox for Apply repairs automatically, and click Next.
- The Troubleshooter will automatically detect the underlying issues and apply the recommended fixes.
4. Run SFC Scannow Command
One of the primary reasons the Spotlight feature isn’t working is due to corrupt files. System File Checker (SFC) is an inbuilt Windows utility that you can use to scan and replace corrupt files on your Windows 11/10. Here’s how you can run the SFC command.
- Open the Windows Powershell as an administrator. Input SFC /scannow command, and press Enter.
- Do not close the Windows Terminal or Command Prompt while the SFC command progresses. It may take a while to complete.
- When the command completes, check the Spotlight feature and see if there’s an improvement and it is functioning correctly.
5. Re-register Spotlight Using PowerShell
It can also happen due to potential irregularities in the Spotlight feature. To try to fix it, you can re-register the Spotlight using PowerShell. It is one of the best methods that you can do to fix this problem. Let us give it a try.
- Type PowerShell in the Search option, run it as an administrator by right-clicking the Windows PowerShell option.
- Please copy and paste the given command and hit Enter to execute it.
Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml" -Verbose}
- After doing it, close the PowerShell utility, and restart your computer to check if it is working as expected.
6. Clean Spotlight Assets
It is the last fix that we’re going to discuss, and it is the most effective one so far. You can delete all the assets regarding the Spotlight feature to help solve this issue. For doing that, you must disable the Spotlight feature. Here’s how you can do it:
- Navigate to Settings > Personalization. Open Lock Screen options, choose Slideshow or Picture from the drop-down menu. Restart your PC.
- Again, navigate to the Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. The earlier changed option will be available as Windows Spotlight.
- Now, press Windows + R to open the Run utility. Copy-paste the command below. Press Ok.
%USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets
- It will open the assets folder, select all the files and folders, and delete them.
- Restart your PC.
- Change the background to Windows Spotlight after restarting your computer.
- Press Windows + L to lock your screen and see if the issue has been fixed or not.
Does Windows Spotlight Consume A Lot Of Internet Data?
The Windows Spotlight Feature does not consume a lot of data. The lock screen wallpapers provided in this feature are pretty well optimized in size and are updated regularly. Microsoft has taken due care in reducing the size of wallpapers while maintaining the overall quality.
Can I Download Spotlight Wallpapers To My Computer And Use Them?
No, the wallpapers downloaded for Windows Spotlight are stored in an inaccessible location on your computer and are deleted later. You cannot download those wallpapers and use them.
Without a doubt, the Spotlight feature in Windows is a fantastic addition that improves the user experience. However, it is prone to a variety of problems. In this article, we discussed the Spotlight feature in detail and how to troubleshoot any issues you may be experiencing. You can try each of the fixes we’ve mentioned one at a time to see which one works best for you.
