• The new shape may not have any keywords. Open the custom stencil for editing and add keywords to the master shape.
• If you added keywords to the master shape and Indexing Service is enabled, you might be searching while the index is being updated. Wait a few moments and try again.
• If you added keywords to the master shape and Indexing Service is not enabled, the custom stencil on which the shape resides may not have the same keywords as the master shape. Open the custom stencil for editing and check the keywords for the shape you created (right-click the master, point to Edit Master, and then click Master Properties). Add these same keywords to the custom stencil (click the stencil icon to open the stencil menu, click Properties, and then add the keywords to the Keywords box).
• The custom stencil on which the shape resides may be open in the editable state. To lock the stencil so it can be searched, click the stencil icon and then click Edit Master.

For more information about keywords, see Add search keywords to a custom master shape.

You might be searching while the index is being updated. Wait a few moments and try again.

The Search for Shapes command only finds shapes stored on stencils. To find shapes in the active drawing, click Find on the Edit menu.

The Indexing Service may not be enabled. If you have administrator privileges on your computer, on the Shape Search tab of the Options dialog box (on the Tools menu), select Visio Local Shapes, and then click Properties. In the Shape Search Local Search Properties dialog box, select Yes, enable Indexing Service, and click OK.

If you don't need to search the Web for shapes, you may be able to speed up your search by searching only your hard drive. On the Shape Search tab of the Options dialog box (on the Tools menu) under Search locations, clear the check box next to The Internet, and then click OK.