Windows 10: Deleted files keep appearing in search results Windows 10

Hello, I really hope someone can help me.


My problem is that search results in Windows explorer don't seem to be refreshing.


I have an indexed external drive with thousands of files and I'm in the process of deleting unwanted duplicates.


When I search the drive it works perfectly. All the files I'm trying to find will appear just as they should.


My problem is that when I delete these files they still appear in the search results.


If I try to open one of these files I get a message saying the file cannot be found because it has been deleted.


It doesn't matter what I do, the deleted files will still appear in the search results.


I've emptied the recycle bin - same problem.


Restart the computer - same problem.


Unplug the external drive and try again - same problem.


Ran the search troubleshooter - same problem.


Reset search with task manager - same problem.


Reset search options to default - same problem.


Also, if I rename a file in the search results the new file will appear but the old file name still shows. If I click on it I get a message saying the file cannot be found because it has been renamed.


It just won't let go of any file it has previously found, even though they have been deleted, moved or renamed.


This is really frustrating and I can't seem to find a solution online, maybe because I don't know the right terminology to describe the problem.


Can someone please help?


Thanking you in advance.

:)

 

Explorer search results - Does not update (refresh) when delete a file

I saw some older posts related to this from 2016 but nothing with a solution. The problem is:

I search in explorer for files (ie "*.jpg") it will give me a list of results. I delete a file from the list of results (either hitting delete key or right click and delete) and even though it is deleted, it still appears in the list. It will stay in the list until I either refresh the list or re-do the same search.

Other people with the same issue said that the results would refresh on their own after a couple of seconds but mine never will unless I do it manually. This was happening in version 1809 and I updated Windows to the most recent version (1903) and it is still the same issue.

I thought it could be related to the number of results but it doesn't matter if there are 500 or 1, it does not refresh. I am experiencing this behavior on two different computers.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Disable Web Search Results in Windows 10 Start Menu

Hi Taira,

Disabling web results in the search box depends on the version and build of your Windows 10. We suggest checking the Windows 10 version and build installed on your computer. To check the version and build, follow the steps below:

• On Cortana search, type winver and press
  Enter.
• A pop-up box will appear containing the version and build of your operating system.

Meanwhile, you can try these steps on how to disable web results in the search box:

• Click the search box in the taskbar.
• Select the Notebook icon
  
  
  in the left pane.
• Click Settings from the list.
• In the Settings page, turn off the Cortana can give you suggestions, ideas, reminders, alerts and more option.
• Also, turn off the Search online and include web results option.

If you need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out.

 

Deleting Hiberfil & Pagefile

You would have to move your Page File to a different drive to get rid of that file, however you can make is smaller by adjusting the size in Windows.

To get rid of Hyberfile.sys you need to disable hibernation by doing the following:

• Click Start, and then type cmd in the Start Search box.
• In the search results list, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as Administrator.
• When you are prompted by User Account Control, click Continue.
• At the command prompt, type powercfg.exe /hibernate off, and then press ENTER.
• Type exit and then press ENTER to close the Command Prompt window

Then you can delete the hyberfile.sys file.