How do I get my Windows 11 indexing to work properly

Question

The indexing status for my Windows 11 Search always states paused. Even after I restart. It seems to be indexing extremely slowly but I can't find files I know are there and my Outlook indexing status indicates that most of my PST emails remain to be indexed. Is there a fix that actually works for everyone or is there a fix due to come from Microsoft?

My Windows 11 Search function does not work properly. It always tells me it is paused (although whilst actually slowly updating the total number for files indexed). I cannot find files through windows search and my outlook search is useless as well. I am on Windows 11 Home, having been persuaded to upgrade by Microsoft, and I I have applied all the Windows updates required / available. (I am on new Acer i7 laptop with 20GB Ram). Looking through this topic on Windows support I see this is a widespread problem and I have applied all the changes (policy changes etc.) that have been recommended in various posts but they haven't helped. (I have had a horrible experience with Microsoft Support - I cannot believe how bad they were - so I was wanting to avoid going down that waste of four hours again. ). Does anyone know a fix that actually works for everyone or has anyone been informed whether Microsoft has any intentions of fixing this problem in the near future. The lack of a functioning index system renders the Laptop pretty useless and if this is going to carry on I have to consider junking it and getting a Apple. If I'm going to have to do that I would rather do that sooner than later.

Answer 1

Hey there, dmaguire,

Welcome to our Microsoft Community.

I understand that sometimes troubleshooting can be a bit time-consuming and the fact that the issue is still not resolved can be frustrating. Your continued patience and cooperation are highly appreciated. I noticed that you have tried a variety of methods and appreciate the efforts you have made so far. If you have not tried creating a new index, we can go ahead and have a try.

1. Press Win to open Start Menu and type in Index
2. Click on Indexing Options
3. On this next screen, hit Advanced > Troubleshooting > Rebuild

Windows will take some time to rebuild the search database and may disable search for a short period of time.

In addition, regarding the Outlook search problem you mentioned, the forum also has a special outlook section, where there will be outlook experts to assist you with outlook index problem.

Thank you for your time and effort working on this issue. If there are any updates or changes, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Have a nice day and stay safe!

Sincerely,

Olivia - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

I have the same issue. I followed the steps below. Indexing restarts, but after about 2,000 items are indexed it says 'indexing paused' and the number of items indexed ticks over really slowly. At this rate I imagine it will take several months to index my drives.

Is there a solution that works?

Hey there, dmaguire,

Welcome to our Microsoft Community.

I understand that sometimes troubleshooting can be a bit time-consuming and the fact that the issue is still not resolved can be frustrating. Your continued patience and cooperation are highly appreciated. I noticed that you have tried a variety of methods and appreciate the efforts you have made so far. If you have not tried creating a new index, we can go ahead and have a try.

1. Press Win to open Start Menu and type in Index
2. Click on Indexing Options
3. On this next screen, hit Advanced > Troubleshooting > Rebuild

Windows will take some time to rebuild the search database and may disable search for a short period of time.

In addition, regarding the Outlook search problem you mentioned, the forum also has a special outlook section, where there will be outlook experts to assist you with outlook index problem.

Thank you for your time and effort working on this issue. If there are any updates or changes, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Have a nice day and stay safe!

Sincerely,

Olivia - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist