A lot has changed with the recent Windows Feature update. When you click on the search box or icon and start typing, the results are categorized into apps, documents, web, email, documents, and more. However, if you are not able to find the file, then its probably because the folder is missing from the Search Index. In this post, we will share how you can add new folder locations in Windows 10 Search. Cortana is no more part of Windows 10 Search, but the results don’t look different.
Windows 10 Search Results
Windows 10 Search result displays top apps, integration with timeline, recent activities, and quick searches. It makes it useful if you want to access anything recently or frequently used quickly. Now while the Windows Indexing program indexes almost anything on your PC, it is possible that some of the files don’t show up in searches. There can be two reasons for this:
- You just copied those files on your PC
- or they aren’t into the Windows Search Index.
Windows Search index is an old feature, which probably came in Windows 7, and it allows you to add folders or even exclude them from getting indexed manually. It is also possible that the files are on a plug-and-play device, and hence they are not showing up. So yes, we are getting back to basics.
Related: How to save frequent Windows Search in Windows
How to Add New Folder Locations in Windows 10 Search
- Type “Indexing” in the Windows Search Box, and it should give you a link for “Indexing Options” under the best match. This option is available in the old-style control panel. Click to open.
- It will open a window that will list down all the folders that are included in the search index.
- In the same windows, you get three options: Modify, Advanced, and Pause.
- Click on Modify, and in the pop-up window, you get two panels. One that lets you navigate your hard drive and select which folders to add. The second panel shows a list of folders and locations included.
- To add navigate using the tree control to reach the folder you wish to add. This control will also show any externally connected device.
- Once done, click on ok, and the indexing will start.
- If you wish to remove any of the locations, just uncheck to get rid of it.
In case you feel some locations are missing, you can click on “Show all locations” to reveal those that did not appear in the first try.
How to Force Index new locations?
Once you add new locations, the indexing should begin, but sometimes it gets slow in case the file or location is in use. To force index, you will need to use the Advanced Tab and then choose the “Rebuild” option to delete the old indexing and start from scratch. It is super easy. The same section gives you the option to encrypt indexing, treat similar words with diacritics as different words, and so on. If the file type is your priority, choose the second tab to include any of the file types that are missing. Click on, and the process should kick start.
Run Windows 10 Indexing Troubleshooter
Windows offers an inbuilt indexing feature that allows you to troubleshoot small issues with indexing. The feature is available in Windows 10 Settings >Update and Security > Troubleshoot. Once you find it, select it, and then run select the “Search and Indexing” option
I hope the post was easy to follow, and you were able to add New Folder Locations in Windows 10 Search.
