How to Disable Search Indexer Backoff in Windows 11

Option 1Using Group Policy Editor

You can turn search indexer backoff on or off using the Group Policy Editor, but this tool is only on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education versions. If you have a different version, you’ll need to use the Registry Editor instead. To start, open the Group Policy Editor by searching for ‘gpedit.msc’ in Windows.

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 of the Local Group Policy Editor, go to this location:
   

   Computer Configuration › Administrative Templates › Windows Components › Search

   

3. On the right side, find and double-click on the policy named Disable indexer backoff.

   

4. Now, follow either step 5 to turn the feature on or step 6 to turn it off.
5. To Turn On Search Indexer Backoff (Default Setting):

   • Select the option Not Configured.
   • Click OK. Then, go to step 7.

6. To Turn Off Search Indexer Backoff:

   • Select the option Enabled.
   • Click OK. Then, go to step 7.

7. You can now close the Local Group Policy Editor.

Option 2Using Registry Editor

You can control search indexer backoff by editing the Windows Registry, but be careful as mistakes can cause issues. It’s smart to back up your registry first. You’ll also need administrator rights to make these changes. To turn on the default setting (search indexer backoff), make sure a specific value isn’t set or is set to 0.

To Turn On Search Indexer Backoff (Default Setting):

To turn on search indexer backoff (the default setting), ensure the following value is not set or is set to 0:

• Open Registry Editor. Type regedit in the Windows search bar and press Enter.
• Navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search
• Look for a value named DisableBackoff. If it exists, make sure its data is set to 0 or delete the value.

To Turn Off Search Indexer Backoff:

You need to create or modify the following value:

• Open Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Windows search bar and pressing Enter.
• Navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search
• Right-click in the empty space on the right side and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
• Name the new value DisableBackoff.
• Double-click on DisableBackoff and set its Value data to 1.
• Click OK.

Close the Registry Editor when you are finished.

Summary

You can control whether Windows slows down its search indexing when your computer is busy. Turning on 'indexer backoff' lets Windows automatically manage indexing speed, which is the default behavior for Windows 11. If you turn 'indexer backoff' off, indexing will always run at its fastest. You can change this setting using the Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor.