Windows Spotlight Not Working on Windows 11

If your lock screen or desktop background somehow restores to the default image, and it won’t change even if you have Windows spotlight enabled, this feature may be compromised. But don’t worry, it’s one of the prevalent issues with Windows 11, and just like the other problems, we have some fixes for you to try here.

Try these fixes for the Windows spotlight not working on Windows 11 issue

You don’t have to try all the following methods: work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick to fix the Windows spotlight not working problem for you.

1. Make sure your network connection is stable
2. Turn off the metered network if you have it
3. Repair corrupted or damaged system files
4. Reset and register Windows Spotlight

How do you check if you have Windows spotlight enabled on Windows 11?

If you’re not sure if Windows spotlight is enabled for your lock screen and desktop, you can do the following to check the settings:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the I key at the same time to open Settings.
2. Select Personalization on the left side panel and Background on the right.
   
3. See if the option for Personalize your background is set to Windows spotlight. If so, you have the spotlight on.
   
4. Go back to the Personalize interface and select Lock screen.
   
5. See if the Personalize your lock screen option is set to Windows spotlight.
   

1. Make sure your network connection is stable

When your Windows spotlight doesn’t work properly, or it only works sporadically, you should first check to make sure that your network connection is stable. This is because the images displayed in Windows spotlight are downloaded from Bing, if your network connection is not stable, or not fast enough, Windows spotlight might not work well.

To check your network speed, you can use this online speed test here: https://www.speedtest.net/

If the overall network speed for your computer is rather slow, or that it’s not stable enough, you should talk to your ISP (internet service provider) for better options.

2. Turn off the metered network if you have it

According to some users, the metered connection setting on their computer is the culprit to the Windows spotlight not working problem. This is probably due to the very nature of the metered connection, which is an internet connection that has a data limit, which may affect certain apps to help reduce data usage. Plus, a cellular data network connection is set as metered by default.

To check if this is your case:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the I key at the same time to open Settings.
2. Select Network & internet on the left side panel, then select your network connection on the right side. I’m using a wired connection, so I’ll click Ethernet.
   
3. Make sure the toggle for Metered connection is set to Off.
   
4. Then see if your Windows spotlight works properly now. If the problem remains, please move on.

3. Repair corrupted or damaged system files

By repairing the core Windows system files, it may resolve conflicts, missing DLL issues, registry errors, and other problems that contribute to problems like glitches with system programs. Built-in tools like SFC (system file checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) are usually helpful, but they’re usually on the major system files and may overlook minor corrupted files that cause program issues. Not to mention that the command lines are already quite daunting for many ordinary users.

If this is also bugging you, tools like Fortect is the go-to option for you. It can automate the repair process by scanning system files and replacing corrupted ones with just several clicks without you knowing the commands or further troubleshooting.

To use Fortect to repair the corrupted and damaged system files:

1. Download and install Fortect.
2. Open Fortect. It will run a free scan of your PC and give you a detailed report of your PC status.
   
3. Once finished, you’ll see a report showing all the issues. To fix all the issues automatically, click Start Repair (You’ll need to purchase the full version. It comes with a 60-day Money-Back Guarantee so you can refund anytime if Fortect doesn’t fix your problem).
   

4. Reset and register Windows Spotlight

If the above still doesn’t help your Windows spotlight to work properly again, you may consider resetting and registering Windows spotlight.

To do so:

1. First, make sure that your desktop and lock screen backgrounds ARE NOT set to Windows spotlight. Jump here to see how you can get this set up.
2. Open a new Note pad, then copy and paste the following content into it:
   
   :: Reset Windows Spotlight
DEL /F /S /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets"
DEL /F /S /Q /A "%USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings"

:: Re-register Windows Spotlight
PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "& {$manifest = (Get-AppxPackage *ContentDeliveryManager*).InstallLocation + '\AppxManifest.xml' ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest}"
   
3. On your keyboard, press Ctrl + Shift + S to save the file, then select All files for the Save as type.
   
4. Name the file to something ended in .bat, then click Save.
   
5. Right-click the bat file you just saved and select Run as administrator.
   
6. Your Windows spotlight will then be reset and then reinstalled automatically.

Hope one of the above options helps to fix the Windows spotlight not working problem for you. If your Windows spotlight was fixed by some other method, please feel free to share it with us by leaving a comment below.

• Windows