How to Remove All Automatically Added Search Index Locations in Windows 11

Step 1Open Your Windows Settings Menu

Start by opening the main control center for your operating system.

1. Press the Win+I keys on your keyboard at the same time. The Settings ⚙️ window will appear on your screen. You can also click the Start button ⊞ and select the gear-shaped icon.

Step 2Navigate to the Privacy and Security Section

Press Win+I to open Settings ⚙️, then click Privacy & security on the left menu. Scroll down the right side and click Search to open the menu that controls your indexed folders.

1. Look at the menu running down the left side of your Settings window.
2. Scroll down and click Privacy & security. The right side of your screen will update.
3. Click on Search near the top of the right-hand list.

Step 3Locate the Automated Search Expansion Controls

Find the Find my files section on your Search settings page to locate the automatic folder controls. Look for Automatically find additional relevant locations on the screen, which is the setting responsible for adding extra folders to your index.

1. Scroll down the Search 🔍 page until you find the section labeled Find my files.
2. Look for Automatically find additional relevant locations directly underneath that heading.
3. Click directly on that text or the arrow next to it to expand the menu.

Step 4Temporarily Turn Off the Automatic Location Finder

Click the toggle switch next to Automatically find additional relevant locations to turn the feature off. Turning this switch off stops Windows from gathering new search folders while keeping your own custom index folders safe.

1. Find the toggle switch next to Automatically find additional relevant locations inside the expanded menu.
2. Click that switch to turn it Off. If the switch is already off, skip this part.

Your custom folders remain completely safe and untouched during this process, which ensures you will not lose any personal files you chose to index yourself.

Step 5Click the Remove Button to Clear the Slate

Click the Remove button located right below the toggle switch to clear every automatically added search folder from your index at once. Using this button purges all the extra directories that Windows added based on your recent file history in one quick step.

1. Look right below the toggle switch you just turned off.
2. Find the button labeled Remove next to the text explaining that it removes all automatically added search folders.
3. Click that Remove button once to purge every directory added based on your recent file history.

Step 6Verify the Cleanup Was Successful

Check for visual confirmation that the job is finished.

1. Watch the area next to or below the Remove button.
2. Look for a checkmark paired with the word Removed to confirm that every automatically gathered folder has vanished from the search index database.

Step 7Decide Whether to Keep the Feature Enabled Moving Forward

Leave the Automatically find additional relevant locations switch in the Off position if you want to stop Windows from gathering new folders based on your daily habits. Turn the switch back to On if you want smart search suggestions to work again later.

• If you want to stop Windows from gathering new folders based on your daily habits, leave the toggle switch in the Off position.
• If you want to get rid of the current batch of folders but keep smart suggestions for the future, turn the Automatically find additional relevant locations switch back to On.

Summary

Clearing automatically added search locations in Windows 11 takes a couple of clicks in your privacy settings by turning off the automatic location finder and clicking the remove button. This keeps your search results clean and limited only to the folders you choose.