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

Method 1Local Group Policy Editor

You can control whether people can change the locations Windows searches for files using the Local Group Policy Editor on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education versions. This tool lets you easily turn this setting on or off to manage search indexing.

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor. You can do this by typing gpedit.msc in the Windows search bar 🔍 and pressing Enter.
2. In the left-hand menu, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search.
3. In the right-hand section, find and double-click on the setting named Prevent customization of indexed locations in Control Panel 🎛️.

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.

Method 2Registry Editor

Modifying indexed locations in Indexing Options achieves the same search result as Option One. This setting works on all Windows 11 editions and helps Windows find your files faster.

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 have the power to 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 easily enable or disable this feature, which is helpful for keeping your computer's search settings just how you want them.