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How to Enable / Disable Windows Search service

‘Windows Search’ helps to find files, programs and emails easily on the computer. To use this, we just need to click on start button and start typing the search words in the search box. This feature is enabled by Windows Search service, which indexes the files on the computer for a faster search experience.

If you are not going to use Windows search feature, then  you can disable the service permanently. Open administrator command prompt and run the below command.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>sc config WSearch start= disabled
[SC] ChangeServiceConfig SUCCESS
C:\WINDOWS\system32>

To enable windows search, we can run the below command.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>sc config WSearch start= auto
[SC] ChangeServiceConfig SUCCESS

C:\WINDOWS\system32>

Disable windows search for specific items

Windows search can index files, emails in Outlook and items and also browsing history from Internet explorer. Search for these items can be configured separately.

    • Click on start button
    • Type ‘Indexing options’
    • Click on Modify.


Here you can select/deselect the folders/categories for enabling or disabling search.

2 comments… add one
  • Cristian

    I don’t save files locally, I do them on a network drive connected to the server as M: \
    I can’t find a way for Windows Search to search that drive.
    There should be an option the index box or via Regedit, but I can’t find it.

  • smalt

    I can’t use search in ofiice visio2019, how can I do?

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