Search field completely missing in File Explorer (ZimaOS v1.5.4 on ZimaBoard 834 8GB)

emaoca · February 17, 2026, 11:37am

Hi everyone,

I’m running ZimaOS 1.5.4 on a ZimaBoard 834 (8GB RAM) and I’ve encountered an issue with the File Explorer.

The search field has completely disappeared.

It used to be visible in the left sidebar, above the “Shared” section, in the area where the favorites are listed (Documents, Videos, etc.).

After one of the past ZimaOS system updates, it disappeared and has not reappeared since.

I’m attaching two screenshots:

“How it is” → from my current ZimaOS installation (search field missing)

“How it should be” → from another ZimaOS system where the search field is correctly visible in the left sidebar above “Shared”

I’m aware that the AI search feature may not be available without a GPU, but my issue is different: I don’t see the search field at all — not even a basic search option.

I haven’t changed any UI settings manually.

I’ve already tried:

Refreshing the page
Logging out and back in
Restarting the system
Update the OS

But the search field is still not showing.

Has anyone experienced this?
Is this a UI change, a bug, or something that needs to be re-enabled?

Thanks in advance for any help!

isanto1306 · February 17, 2026, 11:51am

How to Reactivate the Search Index in ZimaOS (and Restore the Search Bar)

Open ZimaOS
Go to Settings → General
Enable Developer Mode
- If it’s turned off, switch it on first.
Scroll down to the bottom of the Developer Mode section
Turn on the “Search Index” toggle
Reload ZimaOS or at least restart the File Explorer

After that, the search bar in File Explorer will appear again.

emaoca · February 17, 2026, 4:00pm

Thank you very much for your help and clear guidance. Thanks to your instructions, I was able to fix everything and the search function is now working perfectly.

I truly appreciate your support and responsiveness.