How to Change Windows 11 Search Index Location
Change the search index storage location by opening Settings, navigating to Privacy & security Search Advanced indexing options, clicking Advanced, then Select new, and choosing your desired internal drive. Alternatively, edit the DataDirectory value in Registry Editor at 🗝️HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
Option 1Change Search Index Storage Location in Settings
You can change search index location through the Settings app by using the advanced indexing options menu. This built-in method lets you move your search database to another internal drive without touching system files, which helps free up space on your main drive.- Open Settings. You can press the Win+I on your keyboard.
Windows 11 Start menu with Settings gear icon highlighted. - On the left side, click or tap on Privacy & security. Then, on the right side, click or tap on Search.
Windows 11 Search bar with the 'Search' tile highlighted. - Look for Related settings and click or tap on Advanced indexing options.
Windows 11 advanced indexing options for file types. - In the Indexing Options window, click or tap the Advanced button.
Clicking the Advanced button in Windows 11 indexing options. - Go to the Index Settings tab. Under the Index location section, click or tap the Select new button.
- Choose a folder or drive (for example, D:) where you want to save the search index. Then, click or tap OK. The search index will be saved in a folder like
D:\Search\Data\. The default location isC:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\.
- Click or tap OK.
- Click or tap Close.
- You can now close the Settings window.
- Restart the Windows Search service to make the changes take effect. You can find instructions on how to restart services in this guide:
Option 2Change Search Index Storage Location Using Registry Editor
You can change search index location by editing a specific key in Registry Editor if you prefer a system-level approach. This method involves updating the DataDirectory value path to point Windows toward your new preferred internal drive storage folder.- Open Registry Editor. You can type
regedit.exein the Windows search bar and press Enter. - In Registry Editor, go to the following location in the left pane:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search - In the right pane, double-click on the value named DataDirectory.
- Enter the full path of the location where you want to store the index (for example,
D:). Add\Search\Data\to the end of this path. Then, click or tap OK. The default location is%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Search\Data\.
- Close Registry Editor.
- Restart the Windows Search service to apply the changes.
Summary
You can successfully change search index location in Windows 11 using either the Settings app or Registry Editor, provided you use an internal drive. Both approaches require administrator rights and a quick restart of the Windows Search service to apply your new folder path.
How do I change the location of the Microsoft search index file?
To change where Windows 11 saves its search index, open Settings , go to Privacy & security, then Search. Click Advanced indexing options, then Advanced. Under Index Settings, select Select new and choose a new folder on an internal drive.
How do you modify indexed locations?
To change which folders Windows searches, open Indexing Options. Click the Advanced button. Under Index Settings, you can choose to rebuild the index or select a new location for the index files. You can also customize which folders are included.
How do I move the search index location in Sharepoint?
Moving a SharePoint search index involves adding a new index component to a different server. You then clone the current search setup and add a replica of the index to the new component. Wait for the index data to copy over.
How to reset search indexing?
To reset Windows search indexing, open Indexing Options and click the Advanced button. Under the Index Settings tab, click the Rebuild button. This will remove the current index and create a new one from scratch, which may take some time.
Moving the Windows 11 search index location lets you relocate where Windows stores the database files it uses to find your apps and documents quickly. The search index is a built-in database that acts like an index in the back of a book so you do not have to wait for full hard drive scans. By default, Windows saves this index in the %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Search\Data folder on your primary drive, which takes up valuable storage space over time.
You can move this data to any other internal drive on your PC to free up space, though external USB drives and network shares do not work for this purpose.
Change the search index storage location by opening Settings, navigating to Privacy & security Search Advanced indexing options, clicking Advanced, then Select new, and choosing your desired internal drive. Alternatively, edit the DataDirectory value in Registry Editor at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search.
Option 1Change Search Index Storage Location in Settings
You can change search index location through the Settings app by using the advanced indexing options menu. This built-in method lets you move your search database to another internal drive without touching system files, which helps free up space on your main drive.- Open Settings. You can press the Windows key + I on your keyboard.
Windows 11 Start menu with Settings gear icon highlighted. - On the left side, click or tap on Privacy & security. Then, on the right side, click or tap on Search.
Windows 11 Search bar with the 'Search' tile highlighted. - Look for Related settings and click or tap on Advanced indexing options.
Windows 11 advanced indexing options for file types. - In the Indexing Options window, click or tap the Advanced button.
Clicking the Advanced button in Windows 11 indexing options. - Go to the Index Settings tab. Under the Index location section, click or tap the Select new button.
- Choose a folder or drive (for example, D:) where you want to save the search index. Then, click or tap OK. The search index will be saved in a folder like
D:\Search\Data\. The default location isC:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\. - Click or tap OK.
- Click or tap Close.
- You can now close the Settings window.
- Restart the Windows Search service to make the changes take effect. You can find instructions on how to restart services in this guide:
Option 2Change Search Index Storage Location Using Registry Editor
You can change search index location by editing a specific key in Registry Editor if you prefer a system-level approach. This method involves updating the DataDirectory value path to point Windows toward your new preferred internal drive storage folder.- Open Registry Editor. You can type
regedit.exein the Windows search bar and press Enter. - In Registry Editor, go to the following location in the left pane:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search - In the right pane, double-click on the value named DataDirectory.
- Enter the full path of the location where you want to store the index (for example,
D:). Add\Search\Data\to the end of this path. Then, click or tap OK. The default location is%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Search\Data\. - Close Registry Editor.
- Restart the Windows Search service to apply the changes.
Summary
You can successfully change search index location in Windows 11 using either the Settings app or Registry Editor, provided you use an internal drive. Both approaches require administrator rights and a quick restart of the Windows Search service to apply your new folder path.
How do I change the location of the Microsoft search index file?
To change where Windows 11 saves its search index, open Settings, go to Privacy & security, then Search. Click Advanced indexing options, then Advanced. Under Index Settings, select Select new and choose a new folder on an internal drive.
How do you modify indexed locations?
To change which folders Windows searches, open Indexing Options. Click the Advanced button. Under Index Settings, you can choose to rebuild the index or select a new location for the index files. You can also customize which folders are included.
How do I move the search index location in Sharepoint?
Moving a SharePoint search index involves adding a new index component to a different server. You then clone the current search setup and add a replica of the index to the new component. Wait for the index data to copy over.
How to reset search indexing?
To reset Windows search indexing, open Indexing Options and click the Advanced button. Under the Index Settings tab, click the Rebuild button. This will remove the current index and create a new one from scratch, which may take some time.
Was this guide helpful?
50% of readers found this helpful (2 votes)
About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
No comments yet — be the first to share your thoughts!