| Previous | Next |
| ERROR_VALIDATE_CONTINUE | ERROR_RANGE_LIST_CONFLICT |
ERROR_NO_MORE_MATCHES
What this result means
ERROR_NO_MORE_MATCHES is a Windows system result. This is commonly a normal end-of-enumeration condition rather than a failure. The caller has consumed all entries matching the current criteria or index position.
Likely causes
- the enumeration completed normally
- filters exclude all remaining entries
- the index changed and the saved continuation position is no longer useful
- the caller reused a cursor after resetting or closing the search context
How to diagnose it
Record the enumeration API, filter, starting index or cursor, number of results already returned, and whether the collection changed concurrently. Confirm from the API contract whether this value is the documented terminator.
Correct handling
When documented as completion, stop cleanly and return the accumulated results. Do not log it as a high-severity error or retry forever. If results were unexpectedly empty, validate filters and cursor lifetime separately.
Where this code is usually encountered
- An enumeration or matching API has exhausted all candidates.
- A caller continues a search with a stale or already completed context.
- Filtering rules eliminate every remaining object.
Evidence worth collecting
- the API and search criteria
- enumeration handle or resume token lifetime
- the number of prior matches returned
- concurrent changes to the underlying collection
Practical diagnostic sequence
- Read the API contract to determine whether this value is normal end-of-enumeration or an exceptional failure.
- Confirm that the same context is not reused after completion or across threads without synchronization.
- Log the effective filters and scope, including normalized names and security context.
- Repeat from a fresh enumeration only when the collection can change and a complete new snapshot is required.
Guidance for developers
Treat this code as a terminal iterator state when the API documents it that way. Do not convert it to a retry loop; return an empty result or finish the enumeration cleanly.
Guidance for administrators
No machine repair is needed for a correctly completed search. Investigate configuration only when expected objects are absent from the scope.
How to interpret it correctly
“No more matches” differs from “file not found”: it normally describes exhaustion after a search operation, not failure to resolve one specific path.
Example failure pattern
Consider a directory or policy search that returned several entries and then reports this value on the next call. That is successful completion, not loss of data. The same value on the first call may still be correct when filters legitimately match nothing, so expected cardinality belongs in the caller’s business logic.
Retry and recovery policy
No retry is needed for a stable collection. When concurrent updates matter, start a new documented enumeration rather than reusing the exhausted resume token.
Suggested telemetry
For ERROR_NO_MORE_MATCHES, record the operation name, component version, process and thread identity, the original numeric result, the immediately preceding state transition, and a correlation identifier. Keep the ERROR_NO_MORE_MATCHES event separate from later fallback failures so its first actionable cause remains searchable across machines.
References
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.