In this guide, we will walk you through different effective troubleshooting methods that can help you rebuild the broken indexing in Windows 11. Let’s jump right in!
Run the Search and Indexing Troubleshooter
The easiest way to fix Windows 11 search problems is by using the built-in Search and Indexing troubleshooter. This troubleshooter is developed specifically to scan the operating system for indexing-related issues and fix them without much user input. Here is how you can run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter in Windows 11:
Use PowerShell to Repair Indexing Issues
As it turns out, the indexing issue can also occur if certain files in the Search folder of your operating system become corrupt. Luckily, the solution to this is fairly simple. Several users managed to fix the problem by disabling indexing via Powershell, emptying the Search folder, and then re-enabling the indexing. Here is how you can do that:
Restart Windows Search via Task Manager
Indexing may not work or work relatively slowly if there is a generic bug or glitch affecting the service. Most of the time, these bugs can simply be fixed by restarting the service, which is why we suggest you give it a chance. Follow these steps to successfully do so:
Rebuild Search Index
Another way to fix the bugs and corrupted databases are to rebuild the index. In the process of resetting and rebuilding the Windows search index, you delete all of its contents and tell Windows 11 to start indexing again, which resolves the error. Here is all that you need to do: Windows will now begin rebuilding the index. It may take some time depending on how much data is stored on the system. During this process, you might have issues using the Windows Search program, which is why we recommend using it when the process is successfully completed.
Force Outlook to Use Built-in Search
To fix the indexing issue within Outlook in Windows, you can direct Outlook to use the built-in search feature instead. For this purpose, we will be using Windows Registry, which is an advanced tool that saves low-level information about Windows programs and processes. The Registry Editor is an administrative-level utility, which is why we highly recommend you to create a Registry backup before you proceed with the steps mentioned below, just in case. Once you do that, follow these steps:
Reset Windows 11
If none of the methods mentioned above works for you and you are still facing the indexing issue, then we suggest you go ahead and reset your PC. With Reset this PC, you are able to reinstall Windows 11 using the local files that are on your system. This solution provides you with the option of keeping your personal files and folders so that no sensitive information is lost. However, resetting your PC will make you lose the third-party apps that you have installed on your Windows. Here is how you can reset Windows 11:
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