Search Vertical Shows Empty Results: Admin Checklist

When users click a search vertical such as People, Conversations, or Videos in SharePoint, they may see an empty results page instead of relevant content. This problem typically occurs because the search vertical lacks a valid result source, the vertical configuration is incomplete, or the search service application has a missing or broken crawl rule. This article provides an admin checklist to systematically diagnose and resolve empty search vertical results in SharePoint.

Why Search Verticals Show Empty Results

A search vertical is a pre-filtered view of search results that limits results to a specific content type, source, or property. Examples include the People vertical, which shows only user profiles, and the Conversations vertical, which shows only discussion board content. When a vertical returns zero results, one of these components is broken:

Result Source Misconfiguration

Every search vertical is linked to a result source. If the result source is deleted, renamed, or misconfigured, the vertical will not return results. The result source defines the query transformation template that filters results. If that template is missing or contains an error, the vertical fails silently.

Search Vertical Query Error

The search vertical itself has a query that further narrows results. If the query uses a property filter that does not exist in the index or references a managed property incorrectly, the vertical returns nothing. For example, the People vertical uses the property filter contentclass:STS_User. If that property is not populated in the index, the vertical is empty.

Missing or Stale Content Source

The search vertical may be configured to pull from a specific content source that has not been crawled or has been removed. If the content source is missing or the crawl schedule is not set, the vertical shows no results.

Permission and Security Trimming

SharePoint applies security trimming to search results. If the user running the search does not have permissions to any content in the vertical scope, the vertical appears empty. This is a security feature, not a configuration error, but it can confuse users.

Checklist to Fix Empty Search Verticals

Use the following steps in order. After each step, test the search vertical by performing a search as a typical user.

Step 1: Verify the Result Source Exists and Is Active

1. Open the SharePoint admin center
   Go to SharePoint admin center > Search > Result sources. This page lists all result sources in the search service application.
2. Find the result source linked to the empty vertical
   Each vertical is associated with one result source. If the vertical is named People, look for a result source named People or Local People Results. If the result source is missing, create a new one using the default template for that vertical type.
3. Check the query transformation
   Open the result source. In the Query transformation text box, ensure the template is present. For a People vertical, the default template is {searchTerms} contentclass:STS_User. For Conversations, it is {searchTerms} contentclass:STS_List_Discussion. If the template is empty or invalid, restore the default template.

Step 2: Review the Search Vertical Configuration

1. Navigate to Search Verticals
   Go to SharePoint admin center > Search > Search Verticals. This page shows all verticals defined for the search center.
2. Select the empty vertical
   Click the vertical name. Verify that the Result source dropdown points to the correct result source. If the dropdown shows None, select the appropriate result source.
3. Inspect the Query text box
   In the vertical settings, the Query field may contain additional filters. For example, a vertical named Videos may have fileextension:mp4 OR fileextension:wmv. If this query is too restrictive or uses a managed property that is not populated, the vertical will be empty. Remove or adjust the query to a broader filter.

Step 3: Check Content Sources and Crawl Status

1. Open Content Sources
   Go to SharePoint admin center > Search > Content sources. Confirm that the content source used by the vertical exists and is enabled.
2. Verify crawl history
   Click the content source name and review the Crawl history section. If the status shows Error or Never, start a full crawl. A full crawl can take hours depending on content volume.
3. Check crawl rules
   Go to SharePoint admin center > Search > Crawl rules. Ensure no rule excludes the content type or URL path that the vertical relies on. For example, if the People vertical is empty, ensure no crawl rule blocks the user profile path.

Step 4: Verify Managed Properties and Crawled Properties

1. Open Managed Properties
   Go to SharePoint admin center > Search > Managed properties. Find the property used in the vertical query, such as contentclass.
2. Check the property mapping
   Click the property name. Confirm that it is mapped to the correct crawled property. For contentclass, the crawled property is ows_ContentClass. If the mapping is missing, add the crawled property and run a full crawl.
3. Verify the property is searchable
   In the managed property settings, ensure the Searchable checkbox is selected. If it is not, the property will not be indexed and the vertical query will return nothing.

Step 5: Test with a Different User Account

1. Log in as a user with full read permissions
   Use an account that has at least Read access to all content in the vertical scope. If that account sees results, the original user lacks permissions.
2. Check the user profile service
   For People verticals, ensure the user profile service is syncing correctly. Go to SharePoint admin center > User profiles and verify that user profiles are populated.

If the Search Vertical Still Shows Empty Results

Search Vertical Returns Zero Results After a Full Crawl

If you have completed a full crawl and the vertical is still empty, the issue is likely in the query transformation template. Open the result source and reset the query transformation to the default template for that vertical type. For example, for the People vertical, use {searchTerms} contentclass:STS_User. Save and test again.

Only One Specific Vertical Is Empty

If all other verticals work except one, the problem is isolated to that verticals configuration. Compare the empty verticals settings with a working vertical. Check the result source, query, and content source. The most common cause is a missing or incorrect result source.

All Search Verticals Are Empty

If every search vertical returns zero results, the search service application itself may be broken. Restart the search service by going to SharePoint admin center > Search and clicking Reset search index. This action triggers a full reindex. Note that this operation can take several days for large environments.

Common Search Verticals and Their Default Configurations

Search Vertical	Default Result Source	Default Query Filter
People	Local People Results	contentclass:STS_User
Conversations	Local Conversations Results	contentclass:STS_List_Discussion
Videos	Local Video Results	fileextension:mp4 OR fileextension:wmv OR fileextension:mov
All Sites	Local SharePoint Results	contentclass:STS_Site

Use this table as a reference when restoring default configurations. If a verticals result source or query deviates from these defaults, resetting to the default often resolves the empty results issue.

After completing the checklist, you can verify that the search vertical returns results for users with appropriate permissions. The most reliable fix is to ensure each vertical references a valid result source with a correct query transformation template. As an advanced tip, use the SharePoint Search Query Tool to test the vertical query directly against the search index and isolate the exact filter causing the empty results.