Fix Search Indexing Turned Off in Windows 10

If Windows 10 shows that search indexing is turned off, the fix is usually to restart the Windows Search service and rebuild the index. This guide walks you through the exact steps, explains why the index gets disabled, and covers common pitfalls like high CPU usage or missing results.

Why Search Indexing Turns Off

Windows 10 uses a background service called Windows Search to build an index of your files, emails, and app names so that searches return results instantly. The service can stop or get disabled for several reasons:

Another program or a Windows update changed the service startup type to Disabled or Manual.
Power settings put the computer to sleep before indexing finished, leaving the index in a corrupted state.
Disk cleanup tools or third-party “optimizers” turned off indexing to save resources.
The index database files became corrupted, causing the service to crash repeatedly.
A group policy or registry edit (sometimes applied by IT admins) explicitly disabled search indexing.

When the service is off, the Start menu search box shows “Search is turning off” or simply returns no results. You can still browse files manually, but instant search stops working.

How to Check if Indexing Is Really Off

Before fixing, confirm the actual state. Open Services by pressing Win + R, typing services.msc, and pressing Enter. Scroll to Windows Search. If the Status column says Stopped and the Startup Type is Disabled, that’s your problem. You can also open Indexing Options from the Control Panel – if it shows “Indexing is not running” or the button to pause/resume is grayed out, indexing is off.

Step-by-Step Fix: Re-enable and Restart the Service

Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
Find Windows Search in the list. Right-click it and choose Properties.
In the General tab, set Startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start) – this is the default and avoids slowing down boot.
Click Start under Service status. If it starts, click OK.
If it fails to start, note the error code. Common ones include 1053 (timeout) or 1079 (account issue).
After it’s running, open Control Panel > Indexing Options and click Advanced > Rebuild. This recreates the index from scratch.

If the service was disabled, simply setting it back to Automatic and starting it usually works. If it was already running but search still fails, skip straight to rebuilding the index.

What to Do If the Service Won’t Start

When Windows Search refuses to start, the cause is often corrupted index files or a permissions issue. Try these in order:

Clear the index database manually – stop the service, delete the folder C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows (you may need to take ownership), then restart the service. Windows will rebuild the index.
Check the service log-on account – in Service Properties, the Log On tab should be set to Local System Account. If it’s something else, change it back.
Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter – go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters and run “Search and Indexing”.
Check for pending Windows updates – a half-installed update can break the service. Install all updates and reboot.

If none of these work, a system file corruption might be present. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run sfc /scannow, then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. These commands replace damaged system files.

How to Choose What Gets Indexed

You don’t have to index everything. In Indexing Options, click Modify to add or remove locations. For most users, indexing only Start Menu, Users folders, and Outlook is enough. Avoid indexing entire drives with huge media libraries – it wastes space and slows down indexing. You can also exclude specific file types by clicking Advanced > File Types and unchecking extensions like .mkv or .iso that you never search by name.

Common Problems After Re-enabling

High CPU usage for hours – a full rebuild can take several hours on a large drive. Let it finish; it runs at low priority. If it never settles, reduce the indexed locations.
Search still shows no results – wait for the rebuild to complete (check Indexing Options for “Indexing complete”). If it’s stuck, delete the index folder again and restart.
Index keeps turning off by itself – this often points to a scheduled task or a third-party tool. Check Task Scheduler for anything named “Windows Search” and see if it disables the service. Also check Group Policy (gpedit.msc) under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search – ensure “Allow indexing” is set to Not Configured or Enabled.
Search works but is slow – make sure the service is set to Automatic (Delayed Start) and not Manual. Also check that the index location is on an SSD if possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will rebuilding the index delete my files?
No. The index is just a database of file names, locations, and metadata. Rebuilding it only recreates that database; your actual files remain untouched.

Q: Why did indexing turn off after a Windows update?
Some updates change service settings or the indexing database format. If the service fails to start after an update, the database may be incompatible. Rebuilding the index usually fixes it.

Q: Can I disable indexing permanently to save resources?
Yes, but search will become much slower – Windows will search file names in real time, which can take minutes on a large drive. If you rarely use search, you can set the service to Disabled, but be aware that some apps (like Outlook) rely on it.

Q: How long does a full rebuild take?
It depends on the number of files and your drive speed. A typical user profile with 100,000 files might take 30 minutes to a few hours. You can keep working during the rebuild.

Q: Is there a way to fix indexing without using the command line?
Yes. The Settings app has a built-in troubleshooter (Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Search and Indexing). It automatically checks service status and rebuilds the index if needed.

Q: What if the search box is missing entirely?
That’s a separate issue. Right-click the taskbar, select “Search”, and choose “Show search box”. If it still doesn’t appear, restart Explorer.exe from Task Manager.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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