Windows Search High CPU usage


highlander

Member
Local time
5:06 PM
Posts
6
OS
windows 10
Windows Search Indexer makes the fans very loud on my laptop. It is constantly running and running for too long. Why do they need to index so much? It is making me feel like Microsoft is using the search indexer to mine for bitcoin.

I do not create that many files, i do not understand why they need to index constantly and for huge amounts of time.

Anyone seen a much higher than windows 10 Indexing issues? When is this going to get fixed? It was already a problem in windows 10. Windows 11 goes to an order of magnitude of CPU and power usage.

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    I9-11900H
    Motherboard
    Asus
    Memory
    40gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    3060RTX
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1600
    Hard Drives
    980 PRO
    PSU
    230w
    Case
    G603HM
    Cooling
    Stock
    Internet Speed
    1GB Down 40mbit up
Windows Search Indexer makes the fans very loud on my laptop. It is constantly running and running for too long. Why do they need to index so much? It is making me feel like Microsoft is using the search indexer to mine for bitcoin.

I do not create that many files, i do not understand why they need to index constantly and for huge amounts of time.

Anyone seen a much higher than windows 10 Indexing issues? When is this going to get fixed? It was already a problem in windows 10. Windows 11 goes to an order of magnitude of CPU and power usage.

Thanks
I Didn't use indexing on win10 but it automatically enabled on 11 and i noticed some of these issues so i just disabled it. Win updates do seem to re-enable it though.
Generally i go with this
  1. Good CPU and a standard hard drive = Keep indexing on
  2. Slow CPU and any hard drive = Turn indexing off
  3. Any CPU with an SSD = Turn indexing off
But without causing a debate about whether its better or worse or why you would or wouldn't.
If its causing you an issue id recommend this . Enable or Disable Advanced Indexing Options in Windows
Whether you do it temporarily until a few updates down the line or not is up to you.
Only fix i found was to stop it al together again. Put it this way, From win 10 with it off, To win 11 with it on or off, I personally notice no difference. This might change for people with more files etc that rely on searching for a line of text in a file thats with 4986308 others
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    10700k@5.2
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Gaming X Z490
    Memory
    Viper Steelseries 32gb@ 3600mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte 2070 Super 8GB, +200 core + 600 memory
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 4k HDR, Two 1080p Benq and Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160/2560x1440/1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Adata XPG SX8200 PRO 1tb
    Samsung EVO 870 500GB
    PSU
    Corsair RX 650
    Case
    NZXT h510
    Cooling
    CM HYPER 212 RGB
    Keyboard
    Razer Ornata Chroma
    Mouse
    Steelseries Rival 710
No issues for me but worth checking your settings under Privacy & security, Searching Windows.

Screenshot_3.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro & 🐥.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X509DA (FP5)
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    RX Vega 10 Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe 1.3
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
Windows Search Indexer makes the fans very loud on my laptop. It is constantly running and running for too long. Why do they need to index so much? It is making me feel like Microsoft is using the search indexer to mine for bitcoin.

I do not create that many files, i do not understand why they need to index constantly and for huge amounts of time.

Anyone seen a much higher than windows 10 Indexing issues? When is this going to get fixed? It was already a problem in windows 10. Windows 11 goes to an order of magnitude of CPU and power usage.

Thanks
Same here, I ended up turning of indexing until they fix it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Homemade
    CPU
    Intel I5-11400
    Motherboard
    MSI Z590-A Pro
    Memory
    32Gb Corsair Vengeance (8Gb x 4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GTX 1660 TI
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viotek 32"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus Gold 750
    Case
    Phantek Enthu Pro
    Cooling
    Deepcool Castle 360
    Keyboard
    Saitek
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    1Gb
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    MCAfee
I use 3rd party app Search Everything and turned indexing off, as Everything is quick and uses pretty much no system recourses
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M18 R1
    CPU
    13th Gen Core i9 13900HX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 @4800MHz 2x16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Geforce RTX 4090HX 16GB
    Sound Card
    Nvidia HD / Realtek ALC3254
    Monitor(s) Displays
    18" QHD+
    Screen Resolution
    25660 X 1600
    Hard Drives
    C: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    D: KIOXIA (Toshiba) 2TB KXG80ZNV2T04 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    Case
    Dark Metallic Moon
    Keyboard
    Alienware M Series per-key AlienFX RGB
    Mouse
    Alienware AW610M
    Browser
    Chrome and Firefox
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    Killer E3000 Ethernet Controller
    Killer Killer AX1690 Wi-Fi Network Adaptor Wi-Fi 6E
    Bluetooth 5.2
    Alienware Z01G Graphic Amplifier
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware Area 51m R2
    CPU
    10th Gen i-9 10900 K
    Memory
    32Gb Dual Channel DDR4 @ 8843MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 2080 Super
    Sound Card
    Nvidia
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Hard Drive C: Samsung 2TB SSD PM981a NVMe
    Hard Drive D:Samsung 2TB SSD 970 EVO Plus
    Mouse
    Alienware 610M
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton
You might try running the search troubleshooter. Settings-System-Troubleshoot-other troubleshooters-search and indexing
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Here is a guide.

Rather than disabling the Search Indexing altogether (which is not generally recommended, as some apps you use might also depend on the Search Indexing in a number of ways some of which most people would probably never expect), you could also decide to remove specific locations for Search Index by following this tutorial:

If you need the Enhanced Search capability that @Fabler2 was talking about, then you could also decide to add more exclusions:

Another thing that is known to sometimes eat a lot of CPU power is the indexing of file contents and properties:

But, because you might actually want to use the ability to index file contents and properties for specific file types, disabling the indexing for all of the other file types might help also:

As @The-Hive noted, Everything Search (aka Everything) is a fantastic choice, in fact I have been using it for way more than a decade, and I recommend Everything almost as much as I would recommend anything... :D But, some people complain that it can't search file contents and its ability to search file properties also is limited. But then, Everything doesn't stop you from still ALSO using Windows Search and Search Indexing for whatever it is that you might need/want, so... it really is THAT wonderful.

EDIT: maybe you might also want to verify that the indexer backoff is set to enabled, which is the default setting:
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
As @The-Hive noted, Everything Search (aka Everything) is a fantastic choice, in fact I have been using it for way more than a decade, and I recommend Everything almost as much as I would recommend anything... :D But, some people complain that it can't search file contents and its ability to search file properties also is limited. But then, Everything doesn't stop you from still ALSO using Windows Search and Search Indexing for whatever it is that you might need/want, so... it really is THAT wonderful
Code:
dir [DRIVELETTER]: *.[EXT] /s

dir C:/ *.exe /s
dir D:/ what3rdpartyappneeded.txt /s
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    EndeavourOS, Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    custom PC
    CPU
    Core i5 8400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B360M-HD3
    Memory
    8gb DDR4-2400
    Graphics Card(s)
    iGPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    some generic 1080p 75hz monitor * 2
    Screen Resolution
    1080p * 2
    Hard Drives
    GIGABYTE NVMe SSD 256GB (GP-GSM2NE3256GNTD)
    Internet Speed
    200MBit/s
    Antivirus
    WD

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    EndeavourOS, Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    custom PC
    CPU
    Core i5 8400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B360M-HD3
    Memory
    8gb DDR4-2400
    Graphics Card(s)
    iGPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    some generic 1080p 75hz monitor * 2
    Screen Resolution
    1080p * 2
    Hard Drives
    GIGABYTE NVMe SSD 256GB (GP-GSM2NE3256GNTD)
    Internet Speed
    200MBit/s
    Antivirus
    WD
Well, there is some things you can do without using 3rd party programs.
Yes, but getting instant search results in concert with very low power consumption isn't one of them (unless you have the time and skills to write the program yourself).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom