Windows 10: All personal files missing after changing indexing Windows 11

I uninstalled OneDrive as I did not want to store my files on OneDrive but my search function was still indexing files in OneDrive and slowing the search down. After trying to make some changes in the indexing, all my files are missing and I cannot find them manually or through search. A system restore did not work to restore the files. What can I do to get my files back?

:)

 

indexing Publisher files

Hi,

What do you mean when you say 'how can I change Publisher to the other filter ?'

Run the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter.

Windows 10 has a built-in troubleshooter to check and fix issues with search and indexing of files and folders. I would suggest you to run this troubleshooter to check the status of the issue. Refer these steps:

• 
  Press Windows key + X, select
  Control panel.
  
• 
  Change the view by option on the top right to
  Large icons.
  
• 
  Click on troubleshooting and click on the
  view all option on the left panel.
  
• 
  Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter.
  
• 
  Restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved.
  

Thank you.

 

Unable to make changes in Indexing Options

Hello,

We suggest to run the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter and check if it helps with the indexing issue you are experiencing.

Here's how you may run the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter:

• Press the Windows key + X, and then click
  Control Panel.
• Type Troubleshooting, and then click View all.
• Click Search and Indexing.
• Follow the steps provided by the troubleshooter.

Tell us how it goes.

Regards.

 

Windows Index won't start

Hi Edward,

Corrupted search catalog files might be a possible cause why you are experiencing an issue with stating the Windows index. To address this concern, we suggest rebuilding your search catalog. Doing so can repair search results and indexing of your Microsoft
Windows and Microsoft Office system data files.

Follow these steps to rebuild the search catalog:

• Open Control Panel.
• In the Search box, type Indexing, and then choose Indexing Options.
• Click on Troubleshoot search and indexing.
• Answer the prompts to successfully run the troubleshooter.

If the same issue persists, we suggest performing the following troubleshooting methods:

Method 1:

Run the System File Checker tool. It is a utility that allows users to
scan for corruptions in Windows system and restore corrupted files. The link contains further information about how to run the System File Checker tool.

Method 2:

Run the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool. This tool will automatically repair the components of your Windows operating system and records the corruptions to the log file.

To run the DISM tool, follow these steps:

• Using Search, type Command Prompt.
• Right-click on Command Prompt on the search results and then select Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password or click Yes.
  
• In the Command Prompt window, type DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, and then hit Enter.
  
• Once the scan is finished, restart your computer.

Let us know if further assistance is needed.