The SearchUI.exe file manages the search feature for Cortana. Many users have reported that the feature stops responding within minutes of booting into the Windows 10 operating system. You cannot use Cortana’s search feature if this file is problematic.
SearchUI.exe goes from Suspended to Running
The cause could either be missing system files or an issue with the Cortana application itself. In case you are facing this problem, try rebooting the system and check if it helps. If not, proceed with the following solutions:
- Run the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter
- Run the DISM tool
- Restart the Cortana process in the Task Manager
- Reinstall Cortana
- Troubleshoot in Clean Boot State.
1) Run the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter
Click on the Start button and select Settings > Updates and Security > Troubleshoot. Select the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter from the list and run it.
Restart the system once done.
Windows 7/8 users may download the Windows Search Troubleshooter and run it.
2) Run the DISM Tool
The DISM tool repairs a potentially corrupted system image. You could consider running it to fix your problem.
3) Restart the Cortana process in the Task Manager
Press CTRL + ALT + DEL to open the Security Options window. Select and open Task Manager from the list.
Locate the Cortana process, right-click on it and select End Task.
The Cortana process will restart on its own and re-initialize itself.
4) Reinstall Cortana
If nothing else works, you could consider reinstalling Cortana itself.
Right-click on the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Type the following command in the elevated PowerShell window and press Enter to execute it:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.Cortana | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
Please note that here you need to be patient since the process can take up to several minutes to complete.
When you run the command mentioned above, DISM will replace potentially corrupted or missing system files with good ones.
However, if your Windows Update client is already broken, you will be prompted to use a running Windows installation as the repair source or use a Windows side-by-side folder from a network share, as the source of the files.
You will then be required to run the following command instead:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess
Here you have to replace the C:\RepairSource\Windows placeholder with the location of your repair source.
Once the process is complete, DISM will create a log file in %windir%/Logs/CBS/CBS.log and capture any issues that the tool finds or fixes.
Close the command prompt, and then run Windows Update again and see it has helped.
5. RUN CTFMON.EXE
CTFMON.EXE monitors the keyboard, speech recognition, handwriting recognition, and similar input services on Windows 10. You need to enable it if you are unable to type in Windows Search.
To do so, open the Run window. For that, use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut. Or right-click on the Start Menu icon and choose Run.

Copy-paste the C:\Windows\System32\ctfmon.exe command in the Run box and hit Enter. (so search will work perfect directly )
Add “CTFMON.EXE” to run automatically at startup in Windows 10
- Select the Start button and scroll to find the app you want to run at startup.
- Right-click the app, select More, and then select Open file location. This opens the location where the shortcut to the app is saved. If there isn’t an option for Open file location, it means the app can’t run at startup.
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With the file location open, press the Windows logo key + R, type shell:startup, then select OK. This opens the Startup folder.
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Copy and paste the shortcut to the app from the file location to the Startup folder.
Open Windows Search. Hopefully, you shall be able to search for your files and documents without any issue.