Question: I was told that if I turn off search indexing in Windows 10, my computer would run faster. Is this true and what do I give up if I turn it off?
Answer: Windows 10 search indexing is designed to make finding things on your computer faster by creating an index of your files.
It’s like the index in the back of a massive book; it makes it much faster to find something because Windows isn’t having to search through every file, every time.
What gets indexed
By default, all the properties of your files get indexed but the most important items are the file name and the location of the file.Text within files is also indexed, which makes it possible to search for a file based on what’s contained in the file and not just by its filename.
Some apps, such as an email program, may also add their own information to the index to speed up searches that relate to that app.
The indexing process
The very first time Windows runs the indexing process on your files, it can take a couple of hours to complete depending upon how many data files your hard drive contains. This initial processing can certainly impact the computer’s performance while it’s running.
Once it completes the initial indexing, it will continue to index new files as they are added or as you make modifications to existing files.
If you work with and modify lots of files on a regular basis or transfer large quantities of new files to your computer, indexing can cause some slowing.
If you have a lower-powered computer with an older, slower hard drive, indexing can place a burden on the system resources, resulting in slower all-around performance as well.
If you spend most of your time online working with data that is stored on the internet, the indexing burden should be pretty minimal.
If you rarely search your computer for files, turning off the indexing won’t impact you much at all.
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Disabling search indexing
If you’d like to see if the indexing is causing a performance issue on your computer, you can temporarily stop it from running to see if things improve.
Type "services" in the Windows search bar to get to the Services app and open it.
Scroll down the list until you find "Windows Search"and double-click on it to open the "Search Properties" menu. Under the "Service status:"section, click the "Stop" button to temporarily disable the service.
The next time you start your computer, Search Indexing will be turned back on automatically unless you change the "Startup type:"to "Disabled" or "Manual."
Limiting what gets indexed
Instead of disabling indexing altogether, you can reduce the number of files being indexed but still have the faster file searching abilities for specific folders.
Type "indexing"into the Windows search bar and then click on "Indexing Options"to open the options menu.
The current locations being indexed will be displayed, which you can change by clicking on the "Modify"button.
The majority of the locations being indexed will be under the "Users"folder for each user profile, which is where most of your data files are stored.
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FAQs
If you disable indexing, searching for files will take longer, but the indexing process can sometimes slow down your computer, especially if you have a large number of files or a slow hard drive.
Does indexing slow down Windows 10? ›
Even if you have an SSD disk, turning off indexing can improve your speed, because the constant writing to disk that indexing does can eventually slow down SSDs. To get the maximum benefit in Windows 10, you need to turn to index off completely.
Why is Windows Search Indexer slowing my computer? ›
Indexing speed is reduced because of user activity. The Indexer is adding new items to be searched, but has slowed its progress because the user is interacting with the device. The indexing process will complete slowly. Wait a few hours, or leave the device unattended and connected to a power source.
What happens if I disable search indexing? ›
After disabling the Search Indexer, you can still use Windows Search normally to locate an application, a specific setting, etc. After disabling it, the only difference would be the inability to search for specific files and file contents.
How do I speed up Windows indexing? ›
Disabling the indexer backoff will allow indexing to finish faster while you're active on the computer instead, but it will use more system resources. It just depends on how fast your system is and if not reducing indexing speed causes any performance issues while you're active.
Should I turn on search indexing? ›
If you frequently search for files and don't mind longer search times, disabling indexing can be a good idea. If you use the search function often and don't want to wait for it, it may be best to leave indexing enabled.
Should I turn on indexing in Windows 10? ›
Indexing the contents of your PC helps you get faster results when you're searching it for files and other things.
Does disabling indexing speed up the computer? ›
There are many ways to speed up a slow computer. One example is to modify or disable Indexing depending on how often you use the search feature. There are two ways to do this. The first method allows you to define folders that remain indexed, and the second method disables indexing on an entire drive.
How long does indexing take in Windows 10? ›
The Windows support documentation says it should take "a couple hours" to index. To this point, it's taken me over 104 hours to index 109,000 items. And, there are another 124,000 to go! That's a lotta "couple of hours"!
How do I fix indexing in Windows 10? ›
Click on Start > Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot. Scroll on the right and click on Search and Indexing and then click on Run the troubleshooter. Click on any of the problems you're experiencing and click on Next. If you're not sure, we will use Search, or indexing is slowing down the computer.
Turning off indexing is bad idea because it will make your searches significantly slower, instead you should adjust indexing to index only files you really care about. Turning off indexing has no impact at all on an SSD, expecially if it's an NVMe drive.
How do I avoid search engine indexing? ›
Use "noindex" meta tags
If content has already been indexed by search engines, you can add a "noindex" meta tag to instruct search engines to stop indexing it in the future. Please note: this method should not be combined with the robots.
How do I turn off Windows indexing for faster performance? ›
Disabling search indexing
Type "services" in the Windows search bar to get to the Services app and open it. Scroll down the list until you find "Windows Search" and double-click on it to open the "Search Properties" menu. Under the "Service status:" section, click the "Stop" button to temporarily disable the service.
How do I clean up Windows indexing? ›
1: Delete and Rebuild from Indexing Options
Press the Windows Key + S and type in indexing and click on Indexing Options. Click on Advanced. Under Troubleshooting, click on Rebuild.
Does turning off indexing speed up Windows 11? ›
Turn off search indexing
Even if you have an SSD disk, turning off indexing can improve your speed, because the constant writing to disk that indexing does can eventually slow down SSDs. To turn it off, click the search icon on the taskbar, type services. msc in the Windows 11 search box, and press Enter.
How to speed up indexing? ›
By implementing sitemaps, keyword optimization, backlinks, fixing technical issues, and manual URL submission, you can accelerate how fast Google crawls and indexes new pages. Combine these proven tips, and you can get your important pages indexed in weeks rather than months.
Does indexing affect performance? ›
In summary, indexes are a powerful tool for enhancing database performance, especially in read-intensive environments. However, indiscriminate use can lead to decreased performance and increased storage usage. Hence, the right balance and ongoing management is key to optimal performance.
Does disabling indexing improve performance? ›
There are many ways to speed up a slow computer. One example is to modify or disable Indexing depending on how often you use the search feature. There are two ways to do this. The first method allows you to define folders that remain indexed, and the second method disables indexing on an entire drive.
When should you avoid indexing? ›
While indexes are designed to improve the efficiency of a database, there are occasions where they should be avoided, for instance:
- On small tables.
- Tables that receive a lot of big batch updates or inserts.
- Columns that have large numbers of null values.
- Columns that are frequently manipulated.
If you have a lower-powered computer with an older, slower hard drive, indexing can place a burden on the system resources, resulting in slower all-around performance as well. If you spend most of your time online working with data that is stored on the internet, the indexing burden should be pretty minimal.
