Privacy and Security Enable or Disable Indexing File Contents by File Type in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable indexing file contents for specific file type extensions for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Search Indexing in Windows improves the speed and efficiency of searches by creating an index of files and their properties on your device. This index allows Windows to quickly locate and retrieve the information you need.

Indexing is the process of looking at files, email messages, and other content on your PC and cataloging their information, such as the words and metadata in them. When you search your PC after indexing, it looks at an index of terms to find results faster.

By default, all the properties of your files are indexed, including file names and full file paths. For files with text, their contents are indexed to allow you to search for words within the files.

Apps you install may also add their own information to the index to speed up searching. For example, Outlook adds all emails synced to your machine to the index by default and uses the index for searching within the app.

There are two options for how much of a file to index: either properties only, or properties and content. For properties only, indexing will not look at the contents of the file or make the contents searchable. You'll still be able to search by file name—just not file contents.

Choosing not to index the contents of files can reduce the size of the index, but it makes files harder to find in some cases.

You can choose to Index Properties Only or Index Properties and File Contents for each file type.

Reference:

You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable indexing file contents for specific file type extensions.

Here's How:

1 Open Settings (Win+I).

2 Click/tap on Privacy & security on the left side, and click/tap on Search on the right side. (see screenshot below)



3 Under Related settings, click/tap on Advanced indexing options. (see screenshot below)


4 Click/tap on the Advanced button in Indexing Options. (see screenshot below)


5 Click/tap on the File Types tab. (see screenshot below step 8)

6 Select an Extension you want to change how it's indexed. (see screenshot below step 8)

Only checked extensions are included in the index.

7 Select (dot) Index Properties Only or Index Properties and File Contents for how you want the selected extension indexed. (see screenshot below step 8)

A Filter Description of File Properties filter means Index Properties Only for an extension.

A Filter Description of Plain Text Filter means Index Properties and File Contents for an extension.

8 Repeat steps 6 and 7 for any other extensions you want to change how they are indexed.

9 Click/tap on OK when finished. (see screenshot below)


10 Click/tap on Close. (see screenshot below)


11 You can close Settings if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink