How to Enable or Disable Indexing File Contents on Specific Drive in Windows 11

What is Search Indexing?

Windows search indexing acts like a librarian for your PC. Instead of searching every file one by one, Windows builds a list, called an index, of what’s inside your files. This index lets Windows find what you’re looking for much faster when you use the search bar.

Windows file indexing notes file names and locations. The indexing feature also reads the text within documents, emails, and other files. This capability means you can search for a specific phrase you remember from a document, and Windows can find that document.

However, indexing the text inside every file can use storage space and computer power. For most people, the default settings work fine. But if you are low on space, or if you have a drive where you only need to search by file name, you might want to change these settings. There are two main choices for how Windows indexes files on a drive:

• Properties Only: Windows will index the file name, date, size, and other details about the file. It will not read the text inside. You can still search for file names, but you won't be able to search for specific words inside documents.
• Properties and Content: This is the default setting. Windows indexes both the file's details and the text content inside. This offers the most powerful search, letting you find files based on what's written inside them.

You can control this setting for each drive on your computer separately. Here's how:

How to Change How Windows Indexes File Contents on a Drive

You need to be logged in as an administrator on your PC to make these changes. If you are on your personal computer, you are likely logged in as an administrator. If you are on a work computer, you may need to ask your IT department for help.

Step 1Open "This PC"

To see all your computer's drives and change indexing settings, you first need to open "This PC". You can quickly get there by pressing the Windows key and E together on your keyboard, which opens File Explorer, or by clicking the folder icon on your taskbar.

• Press the Windows key + E on your keyboard. This quickly opens File Explorer.
• Click the yellow folder icon on your taskbar.

Once File Explorer is open, click on This PC in the left-hand menu. This shows you all the drives on your computer, like your C: drive and any others.

Step 2Access Drive Properties

To adjust your drive's indexing settings, first open "This PC." Then, select the specific drive you wish to adjust, such as your main C: drive or another drive used for files. After choosing the drive, right-click on the drive to open a menu and select "Properties" from that menu.

Right-click on the drive you chose. A menu will appear. Click on Properties from the menu. This option is usually near the bottom.

Step 3Adjust the Indexing Option

In the drive's Properties window, locate the option "Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties." To turn content indexing on for the drive, check this box. To turn content indexing off for the drive, uncheck the box.

• To Enable Indexing Contents: Make sure this box is checked. This is the default setting and lets Windows read the text inside your files for faster searching.
• To Disable Indexing Contents: Uncheck this box. Windows will then only index file names and properties, not the text inside.

After you make your choice to index or not index file contents, click the OK button at the bottom of the Search Indexing window to save your change. This ensures your selection is applied to the specified drive in Windows 11.

Step 4Choose Where to Apply Changes

• Apply changes to this drive only: This changes the setting only for the drive you selected.
• Apply changes to this drive, subfolders and files (Recommended): This is the default and usually the best choice. It applies the setting to the entire drive, including all folders and files inside. This keeps the setting the same across your drive.

Choose the option that works best for you. For most users, the recommended option (applying to the drive, subfolders, and files) is the best choice. Then, click OK.

Step 5Approve the Changes (If Asked)

Sometimes, especially if you are changing settings on your main Windows drive (C:), a User Account Control (UAC) prompt, which asks for permission to make changes, might appear. If you see this, click Continue to allow Windows to proceed.

Step 6Handling Errors (Don't Worry!)

An "Error Applying Attributes" message appears when Windows or other programs are actively using files, preventing immediate changes to their indexing status. To proceed with these files, clicking "Ignore All" usually resolves the issue.

If you see the "access is denied" error when changing file indexing settings, you can click "Ignore All." Windows will attempt to apply the indexing changes to all accessible files and will skip files it cannot access at that moment. These changes will likely be applied to most of your files, and Windows will continue to update the status of other files in the background.

Step 7Let Windows Finish

Once you've made your selections and handled any errors, Windows will begin applying the indexing changes. You'll see a progress bar showing how far along it is. This process can take a while depending on your drive size and file count, but you can continue using your computer.

Once it's done, you have successfully updated your indexing settings for that drive!

References:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/Windows/Experience/Performance-Optimization/search-indexing-in-windows

Summary

You can control how Windows indexes your file contents to fine-tune your PC's search abilities and manage your system's resources. By following these steps, you can turn content indexing on or off for any drive, giving you more control over your Windows experience. Happy searching!