Windows 10 Pro (search) woes

July 24, 2024 10:39 AM

My laptop using Windows 10 Pro is displaying this maddening behavior when typing to search straight from Start menu. The search result window stays on top of the opened file which to me is.. just, why? Is there a way to fix this?

I would like to search for a text file, press enter and have it displayed to me so I can edit it with minimum/no clicking or using the mouse as it were. Right now Windows is forcing me to either click on the document under the search result box or do some serious alt-tabing (never the first one in the line, I usually have several windows open that for some reason come before the latest opened) and this is clearly sub-optimal. Do you know what I'm talking about and do you know if it can be fixed? (Yes, I own several Macs too.)

posted by fridgebuzz to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

My Windows 10 does exactly what you're asking for. Press enter, and it opens the file and hides the search. Do you have anything else installed that might be changing the behaviour of the desktop and start menu? Like GeForce software, for instance?
posted by pipeski at 11:20 AM on July 24, 2024

Response by poster: I don't think so, only things that are running in the background are Spotify, Dropbox, Intel Management and Security, Windows Security, Bluetooth daemon and Intel Graphics & Media Control Panel, which I had a quick look thru but didn't register anything that could affect this. I'm not very familiar with Windows 10, might have to go digging deeper at various settings.
posted by fridgebuzz at 9:27 AM on July 25, 2024

One possibility is some accessibility or other setting that's been turned on by accident. So yes, delve into the settings, although nothing comes to mind that would force the taskbar window to the front.
posted by pipeski at 4:37 PM on July 25, 2024