How to Fix Windows Search Indexing Broken — High CPU or Search Not Finding Files on Windows
Windows Search Indexer using high CPU, search not finding files, or indexing stuck? Fix Windows Search and indexing service issues.
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Main Troubleshooting Guide
How to Fix High CPU Usage →Complete symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions
Symptoms
You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:
- •SearchIndexer.exe using high CPU constantly
- •Windows Search can't find files that definitely exist
- •Indexing status stuck at a certain number or shows "paused"
- •Search results empty or incomplete
- •Outlook search not finding emails
- •Start menu search only shows web results, not local files
Common Causes
- ⚠Search index corrupted
- ⚠Indexing paused due to power or resource constraints
- ⚠Search service not running
- ⚠Index database too large or fragmented
- ⚠Indexed locations not configured correctly
- ⚠Windows Search protocol host crashing repeatedly
Solutions
Solution 1: Rebuild Search Index
- 1Settings → Privacy & security → Searching Windows
- 2Click "Advanced indexing options" at the bottom
- 3Click "Advanced" → "Rebuild"
- 4This deletes and rebuilds the entire index (takes hours)
- 5During rebuild: search will be slow/incomplete — this is normal
- 6After completion: search should work correctly
Solution 2: Fix High CPU from Indexer
- 1High CPU is normal right after rebuild or large file changes
- 2If it stays high for days:
- 3Reduce indexed locations: Advanced indexing options → Modify
- 4Uncheck folders you don't need to search (e.g., program files)
- 5Check index size: Advanced → Index Settings — if over 10GB, rebuild
- 6Temporarily pause: net stop wsearch (restarts automatically after reboot)
Solution 3: Reset Windows Search Completely
- 1If rebuilding doesn't fix it:
- 2PowerShell as Administrator:
- 3Stop-Service WSearch
- 4Remove-Item "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\Windows.edb" -Force
- 5Start-Service WSearch
- 6This deletes the index database and forces a clean rebuild
- 7For Windows 11: also try Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Search and Indexing
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