diff --git a/phpBB/includes/acp/acp_main.php b/phpBB/includes/acp/acp_main.php
index d65958dfd0..80e102db21 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/acp/acp_main.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/acp/acp_main.php
@@ -648,8 +648,22 @@ class acp_main
 		// Warn if no search index is created
 		if ($config['num_posts'])
 		{
-			$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
-			$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+			try
+			{
+				$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
+				$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+			}
+			catch (RuntimeException $e)
+			{
+				if (strpos($e->getMessage(), 'No service found') === 0)
+				{
+					trigger_error('NO_SUCH_SEARCH_MODULE');
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					throw $e;
+				}
+			}
 
 			if (!$search->index_created())
 			{
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/functions_admin.php b/phpBB/includes/functions_admin.php
index 73d025ae7f..bddf235647 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/functions_admin.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/functions_admin.php
@@ -1086,8 +1086,22 @@ function delete_posts($where_type, $where_ids, $auto_sync = true, $posted_sync =
 	}
 
 	// Remove the message from the search index
-	$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
-	$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+	try
+	{
+		$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
+		$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+	}
+	catch (RuntimeException $e)
+	{
+		if (strpos($e->getMessage(), 'No service found') === 0)
+		{
+			trigger_error('NO_SUCH_SEARCH_MODULE');
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			throw $e;
+		}
+	}
 
 	$search->index_remove($post_ids, $poster_ids, $forum_ids);
 
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/functions_posting.php b/phpBB/includes/functions_posting.php
index 6cdbb2f8a0..59f745835c 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/functions_posting.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/functions_posting.php
@@ -2291,8 +2291,22 @@ function submit_post($mode, $subject, $username, $topic_type, &$poll_ary, &$data
 	// Index message contents
 	if ($update_search_index && $data_ary['enable_indexing'])
 	{
-		$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
-		$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+		try
+		{
+			$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
+			$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+		}
+		catch (RuntimeException $e)
+		{
+			if (strpos($e->getMessage(), 'No service found') === 0)
+			{
+				trigger_error('NO_SUCH_SEARCH_MODULE');
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				throw $e;
+			}
+		}
 
 		$search->index($mode, $data_ary['post_id'], $data_ary['message'], $subject, $poster_id, $data_ary['forum_id']);
 	}
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_main.php b/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_main.php
index 5e257cfa11..35f322bba4 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_main.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_main.php
@@ -1398,16 +1398,30 @@ function mcp_fork_topic($topic_ids)
 
 		foreach ($topic_data as $topic_id => $topic_row)
 		{
-			if (!isset($search_type) && $topic_row['enable_indexing'])
+			if (!isset($search) && $topic_row['enable_indexing'])
 			{
 				// Select the search method and do some additional checks to ensure it can actually be utilised
-				$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
-				$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+				try
+				{
+					$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
+					$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+				}
+				catch (RuntimeException $e)
+				{
+					if (strpos($e->getMessage(), 'No service found') === 0)
+					{
+						trigger_error('NO_SUCH_SEARCH_MODULE');
+					}
+					else
+					{
+						throw $e;
+					}
+				}
 				$search_mode = 'post';
 			}
-			else if (!isset($search_type) && !$topic_row['enable_indexing'])
+			else if (!isset($search) && !$topic_row['enable_indexing'])
 			{
-				$search_type = false;
+				$search = false;
 			}
 
 			$sql_ary = array(
@@ -1589,7 +1603,7 @@ function mcp_fork_topic($topic_ids)
 				// Copy whether the topic is dotted
 				markread('post', $to_forum_id, $new_topic_id, 0, $row['poster_id']);
 
-				if (!empty($search_type))
+				if (!empty($search))
 				{
 					$search->index($search_mode, $new_post_id, $sql_ary['post_text'], $sql_ary['post_subject'], $sql_ary['poster_id'], ($topic_row['topic_type'] == POST_GLOBAL) ? 0 : $to_forum_id);
 					$search_mode = 'reply'; // After one we index replies
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_post.php b/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_post.php
index fb120577a3..3f399dd0c6 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_post.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_post.php
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ function phpbb_get_num_ips_for_poster(\phpbb\db\driver\driver_interface $db, $po
 */
 function change_poster(&$post_info, $userdata)
 {
-	global $db, $config, $user, $phpbb_log, $phpbb_dispatcher;
+	global $db, $config, $user, $phpbb_log, $phpbb_dispatcher, $phpbb_container;
 
 	if (empty($userdata) || $userdata['user_id'] == $post_info['user_id'])
 	{
@@ -632,8 +632,22 @@ function change_poster(&$post_info, $userdata)
 	}
 
 	// refresh search cache of this post
-	$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
-	$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+	try
+	{
+		$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
+		$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+	}
+	catch (RuntimeException $e)
+	{
+		if (strpos($e->getMessage(), 'No service found') === 0)
+		{
+			trigger_error('NO_SUCH_SEARCH_MODULE');
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			throw $e;
+		}
+	}
 
 	$search->index_remove([], [$post_info['user_id'], $userdata['user_id']], []);
 
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_topic.php b/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_topic.php
index 0aa6160831..6d0f40231e 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_topic.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/mcp/mcp_topic.php
@@ -625,8 +625,22 @@ function split_topic($action, $topic_id, $to_forum_id, $subject)
 		if ($first_post_data['enable_indexing'])
 		{
 			// Select the search method and do some additional checks to ensure it can actually be utilised
-			$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
-			$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+			try
+			{
+				$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
+				$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+			}
+			catch (RuntimeException $e)
+			{
+				if (strpos($e->getMessage(), 'No service found') === 0)
+				{
+					trigger_error('NO_SUCH_SEARCH_MODULE');
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					throw $e;
+				}
+			}
 
 			$search->index('edit', $first_post_data['post_id'], $first_post_data['post_text'], $subject, $first_post_data['poster_id'], $first_post_data['forum_id']);
 		}
diff --git a/phpBB/search.php b/phpBB/search.php
index f7be082564..e913e7992a 100644
--- a/phpBB/search.php
+++ b/phpBB/search.php
@@ -294,8 +294,22 @@ if ($keywords || $author || $author_id || $search_id || $submit)
 	}
 
 	// Select which method we'll use to obtain the post_id or topic_id information
-	$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
-	$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+	try
+	{
+		$search_backend_factory = $phpbb_container->get('search.backend_factory');
+		$search = $search_backend_factory->get_active();
+	}
+	catch (RuntimeException $e)
+	{
+		if (strpos($e->getMessage(), 'No service found') === 0)
+		{
+			trigger_error('NO_SUCH_SEARCH_MODULE');
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			throw $e;
+		}
+	}
 
 	// let the search module split up the keywords
 	if ($keywords)