Windows 10: Add or Remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Windows 10

How to: Add or Remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Windows 10

How to Add or Remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Windows 10


Indexing the content of your PC helps you get faster results when your searching it for files, emails, or other local content.

The search index only includes your selected file properties, and file contents you want indexed.

Starting with Enhanced Mode feature to improve search indexing that enables Windows to search all your folders and drives, instead of limiting search (Classic) to your documents, pictures, videos, and desktop by default.

To exclude a folder from search, you can add it to the Excluded Folders list.

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer for your account or all users in Windows 10.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: Add or Remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Indexed Locations
• Option Two: Add Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Settings
• Option Three: Remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Settings

OPTION ONE [/i] Add or Remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Indexed Locations
1. For how, see: How to Add or Remove Locations for Search Index in Windows 10

*note Unchecking a subfolder of an added location will add the subfolder to the Excluded Folders list for the search indexer.

*note You can click/tap on the Show all locations button to add or remove index locations for all users. You must be signed in as an administrator to use Show all locations.









OPTION TWO [/i] Add Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Settings

*note This option is only available starting with Windows 10 build 18267.

This option gets applied to all users on the PC.

You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.
1. Open Settings (Win+I), and click/tap on the Cortana icon.

2. Click/tap on Searching Windows on the left side, and click/tap on Add an excluded folder on the right side under Excluded Folders. (see screenshot below)



3. Browse to and select the folder (ex: "C:\Users\Brink\Desktop") you want to exclude, and click/tap on Select Folder. (see screenshot below)



4. When you are finished adding folders to the Excluded Folders list, you can close Settings if you like.





OPTION THREE [/i] Remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Settings

*note This option is only available starting with Windows 10 build 18267.

This option gets applied to all users on the PC.

You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.
1. Open Settings (Win+I), and click/tap on the Cortana icon.

2. Click/tap on Searching Windows on the left side. (see screenshot below)

3. Click/tap on the excluded folder (ex: "C:\Users\Brink\Desktop") you want to remove, and click/tap on the Remove excluded folder button.

*note It may take a few moments for the folder to be removed from the Excluded Folders list.

4. When you are finished removing folders from the Excluded Folders list, you can close Settings if you like.





That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Turn On or Off Enhanced Mode for Search Indexer in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Search Indexing in Windows
• How to Create an Indexing Options Shortcut in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Indexer Backoff in Windows
• How to Reset and Rebuild Search Index in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Locations for Search Index in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Modifying Indexed Locations in Windows
• How to Enable or Disable Advanced Indexing Options in Windows
• How to Add or Remove File Types for Search Index in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Indexing Contents and Properties of Files on a Drive in Windows
• How to Turn On or Off to Index Encrypted Files in Windows 10
• How to Change Storage Location of Search Index in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Indexing when on Battery Power in Windows
• How to Turn On or Off Search Indexer Respect Device Power Mode Settings in Windows 10

:)

 

Windows indexing is not excluding folders that are excluded

Hello,

My Windows start menu Windows search is showing results from the AppData folder despite the AppData folder being set as an excluded folder. My Windows 10 "Searching Windows" setting is set to classic and the excluded folder is clearly shown on the list.
The issue persists ever after rebuilding the index. How can I fix this?

 

Searching Windows - Find my Files - Excluded Folders - Please HELP someone

Hi Greg and thanks a bunch for answering me. In the Search then Search Windows of settings like I said there was a list of "Excluded Folders" I'm guessing a Windows Search would not search/look in those folders when searching for something in Windows. I
can only guess they were set up as Excluded Folders by HP or the HP Laptop seller to me. I'm sure there must have been a good reason for those Excluded Folders and I should have never removed or deleted those folders. I noticed when I removed all of the excluded
folders from Windows Search in Settings that a box popped up and the index numbers started to rise in count really really quick. So I paused indexing. I was afraid the index number would go from about (I can't remember) 20,000 to hundreds of thousands of an
index number. which I think would really slow a Windows Search down even though I don't know what those index numbers stand for exactly. I'm guessing the index numbers stand for files, folders or both. As the article, your URL took me to on how to rebuild
your index shows I'm not sure that would help me. When done rebuilding the index, would there be a new list of Excluded Folders in Windows Search? Because that's what I want. I'm sure HP knew exactly what folders to exclude and why. Is there a way to just
undo my mistake of removing the original list of excluded folders? Like roll back to early yesterday morning and have the exact same list of excluded folders there were then? Or would following the steps of the article and rebuilding my Windows Search Index
give me a new list of Excluded Folders in the Windows Search?

Respectfully,

Barry

 

Add or Remove Excluded Folders for Search Indexer in Indexed Locations

Hello Mattie, *Smile

Enhanced mode can help make sure everything is included in the search index, but you could also manually add the new location of your Documents folder to be included in the index.

Add or Remove Search Index Locations in Windows 10 | Tutorials

Turn On or Off Enhanced Mode for Search Indexer in Windows 10 | Tutorials

 

Windows 10 not displaying search results for indexed shortcuts in a folder.

Thanks Deepika,

I had tried running this troubleshooter before, but I've just run it again with "Files don't appear in search results" and "My problem isn't listed above" ticked, and it comes up with "Issue not present" against all potential issues, and "Troubleshooting
couldn't identify the problem", even after troubleshooting as an administrator.

I'd be glad of any other suggestions please!

 

Windows 10 not displaying search results for indexed shortcuts in a folder.

Hi,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community, we appreciate your interest in Windows 10.

I understand the inconvenience that you are unable to search files on your computer, we will help you to resolve this issue.



I suggest you to follow the below troubleshooting steps and check:

Method 1: Run Search and Indexing Troubleshooter.

If you're having problems locating specific files, folders, or other items on your computer, try using the Search and Indexing troubleshooter to fix the problem. It makes sure that the Windows Search service is running, and checks to see whether you
have the correct permissions to search all the directories on your computer.



Follow the steps given below to run Search and Indexing Troubleshooter.

• 
  Type Troubleshooting in the Search box from the desktop.
  
• 
  Select the Troubleshooting option.
  
• 
  Select View All option and select the
  Search and Indexing.
  
• 
  Click on Next to perform the Search and Indexing troubleshooter and follow the steps.
  

Hope it helps. Kindly update the status of this issue, we will be happy to help you.