Recently I came across a problem where the Windows Search service failed to auto-start, and manually starting the service using Services MMC resulted in Error 1053, with the following error message verbatim.
Windows could not start the Windows Search service on Local Computer. Error 1053: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.
And the following entry is recorded in the event viewer.
Log Name: System Source: Service Control Manager Event ID: 7009 Task Category: None Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: N/A Computer: WIN10PC Description: A timeout was reached (30000 milliseconds) while waiting for the Windows Search service to connect.
If you attempt to start the service using the “net start wsearch” command, you may see the following error:
The service is not responding to the control function.
Because the Windows Search service failed to start, the indexing doesn’t run, and the controls in Indexing Options are dimmed out.
Note that the Windows Search (WSearch) service is set to start automatically (delayed start) by default.
Fix for Windows Search Error 1053
To resolve the problem, download the registry fix (info) below for your Operating System.
- Windows Search “Error 1053” – Windows 10 (All builds. Last tested on v21H2 in Sep 2022.)
- Windows Search “Error 1053” – Windows 8.1
- Windows Search “Error 1053” – Windows 7
Unzip and apply the enclosed REG file. Then, open Services MMC (Services.msc), right-click Windows Search, and click Start.
Some users have indicated that applying the following fix also resolves WSearch error 1053: