Windows Spotlight Not Working? Try These Fixes

Do you ever wonder what those pictures that keep changing on your PC’s lock screen are? Well, it’s Windows Spotlight. But has it stopped working recently?

Windows spotlight will stop changing the images if the new images stop loading on your lock screen. It will also not work if you are not connected to the internet connection as those images are downloaded from Bing by Microsoft.

Fortunately, you can fix your Windows spotlight by simply following some steps. Let’s learn some fixes to problems about Windows spotlight in the article below.

What Is Causing Windows Spotlight to Not Work?

Windows spotlight allows you to keep stunning pictures on your lock screen. There might be certain causes for the windows spotlight to fail.

Following are the causes of Spotlight not working:

How to Fix “Windows Spotlight Not Working”?

Problems related to windows are always easy to solve. You can follow a few simple steps to solve them. Following are some solutions for windows spotlight to not work. Check and find out which one works best for you.

Check Internet Connection

Your computer should have a proper internet connection to run windows spotlight. Images are not available in Windows Spotlight, they are yet to be downloaded from the internet. Microsoft downloads an image and shows it on your lock screen. So, your internet connection is very important here.

Thus to check the internet connection, you should look at the Wi-Fi or LAN connection status. You can find it at the bottom right corner of your screen. You should try troubleshooting the problem if it is not active.

Restart Windows Spotlight

Restarting your program can fix most issues. Many users confirm that their problems are fixed by restarting the app or pc. So, why not try that here?

 Follow these steps to restart Windows spotlight.

1. Press Windows + I keys on your keyboard.
2. Select Settings.
3. Click on Personalization.
4. Click on the Lock Screen option on the left pane.
5. Under the Background, Select either Picture or Slideshow from the drop-down menu.
   
   After performing all these steps, you should restart your computer. 
6. If your computer restarts, follow similar steps up to step 5.
7. At last, you should choose Windows Spotlight.  
8. Restart your computer again.

Now, your windows spotlight will be performing its task again.

Select Correct Regional Language

You need to select the correct regional language and time because your location is not taken by Microsoft Server. Your regional language can also be changed by someone without your knowledge. 

To fix this, you should follow these steps:

1. Click the Windows logo.
2. Click on the Settings option.
3. Click on the Time & Language menu.
4. Click on Region.
5. Select your regional language.
   
6. Restart your device.

Delete Windows Spotlight Assets

You should try deleting spotlight assets if your Windows Spotlight is not working. To delete, you need to locate the files of Windows Spotlight. It is quite easy to locate the files and delete them by following these steps.

1. Press Windows + R key to open Run.
2. Copy  the following code: %USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets 
3. Paste it in the dialog box and press Enter key.
   
   After you press Enter key, the folders open containing different files.
4. Select all files or Press Ctrl + A key
5. Delete those selected files by pressing the Delete key.
   
6. Restart your computer.

Update to the Latest Windows Version

Windows update is surely annoying but it fixes bugs in software. This deletes your outdated files and replaces them with a new ones. Here are steps to update your windows:

1. Press Windows Key.
2. Type Windows Update on the search bar.
3. Click Check for Updates
   
4. Click on the Restart Now option.

Reset Windows Spotlight Setting

You can try this process if none of the steps work in Windows 10. Many users claim this step can solve the issue related to the spotlight. You do not need to be an expert in the software field, just follow these steps.

1. Press the Windows + R key.
2. Copy the following directory:
   %USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings 
3. Paste the copied text in the run tab and press Enter key.
   
4. Right-click the file name Setting.dat.
5. Rename the selected file to Setting.dat.bak.
6. Right-click the file name Roaming.lock.
7. Rename it to Roaming.lock.bak.
8. Restart your computer.

Reset Windows Spotlight With Powershell:

You can reset windows spotlight using Powershell as well. This process is to reset your Windows Spotlight Service with the help of Powershell Command. Here are some steps you need to follow if you use Windows 10:

1. Press the Windows and X key.
2. Choose PowerShell (Admin).
3. Copy the following command.
   Get-AppxPackage –allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }
4. Paste it in the Powershell command and press Enter key.
   
5. Restart your computer.

Does Windows Spotlight Change Daily?

Yes, the windows spotlight changes the lock screen every day. New images are sent by Windows’ Content Delivery. Images are downloaded whereas some are included during the installation.