How to Enable or Disable Modify Indexed Locations in Indexing Options in Windows 11

Method 1Local Group Policy Editor

Local Group Policy Editor (a tool for managing system settings) lets you control modify indexed locations on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. You can use this built-in feature to turn the setting on or off so standard users cannot change where Windows looks for your files when you search.

This method only works on the editions listed above.

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor. You can do this by typing gpedit.msc in the Windows search bar 🔍 and pressing Enter. If a User Account Control prompt appears, click Yes. The Local Group Policy Editor window should now open with a tree of folders on the left.
2. In the left-hand menu, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search. Click the last folder in the path. Its settings should now be listed in the right-hand section.
3. In the right-hand section, find and double-click on the setting named Prevent customization of indexed locations in Control Panel 🎛️. A window with the same name should now open.
4. Choose the option you want:

   • Select Enabled to lock the setting. Standard users can no longer change which locations are indexed.
   • Select Not Configured or Disabled to allow changes again. Not Configured is the default state and gives the normal Windows behavior.
5. Click Apply, then click OK. The window closes and the policy is saved.
6. Check that it worked. Open Indexing Options from the Control Panel 🎛️ and try to change the indexed locations. With the policy Enabled, the change should be blocked. If it still looks the same, sign out and back in, or restart the 🔄 PC, so the policy refreshes.

To undo the change, go back to the same setting and select Not Configured, then click Apply and OK. If the setting looks greyed out or you cannot save it, make sure you are signed in with an administrator account and that you opened the editor on a supported edition.

To Enable Changing Indexed Locations (Default Setting)

1. Select the option Not Configured.
2. Click OK.

To Disable Changing Indexed Locations

1. Select the option Enabled.
2. Click OK.

Disable modify indexed locations in Windows 11 by adding a new DWORD value to the registry. This stops other users from changing the folders that Windows searches through the Indexing Options menu and locks down your search settings.

Method 2Registry Editor

Registry Editor (a database for storing system settings) lets you control modify indexed locations on all Windows 11 versions, including Home. You can use this method to turn the feature on or off by changing a single key when the group policy tool is not available on your edition of Windows.

Back up your registry before making changes. You need administrator rights to edit the registry.

To Enable Changing Indexed Locations (Default Setting)

To enable changing indexed locations, ensure a specific registry value isn't set.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Windows search bar and pressing Enter. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.
2. Navigate to the following path in the left-hand pane: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search. If the Windows Search key does not exist, you will need to create it. Right-click on Windows, select New, then Key, and name it Windows Search.
3. In the right-hand pane, right-click on an empty space, select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name the new value PreventModifyingIndexedLocations.
5. Make sure the Value data for PreventModifyingIndexedLocations is set to 0 or that the value is deleted. If it exists and is set to 1, change it to 0.
6. Click OK.
7. Close the Registry Editor.

To Disable Changing Indexed Locations

To disable changing indexed locations, add or modify a specific registry value.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Windows search bar and pressing Enter. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.
2. Navigate to the following path in the left-hand pane: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search. If the Windows Search key does not exist, you will need to create it. Right-click on Windows, select New, then Key, and name it Windows Search.
3. In the right-hand pane, right-click on an empty space, select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name the new value PreventModifyingIndexedLocations.
5. Double-click on the new PreventModifyingIndexedLocations value.
6. In the Value data field, type 1.
7. Click OK.
8. Close the Registry Editor.

Summary

You can decide if users can change the locations Windows indexes for searching on Windows 11. By using either the Local Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor, you can enable or disable this feature to keep your computer's search settings configured as desired.