Want to know how to disable the Search Indexing feature in Windows 8? This step by step will guide you through the process!
What is Windows Search Indexing?
The Windows Search indexing feature is a service or program that runs in the background and keeps track of all files in your computer. The files are indexed and location information is stored in a database. Like the index section of a book, this speeds up the search process when you are trying to find a particular file because the system does not need to find the file manually by going through all the folders in your machine.
The indexing process keeps running in the background, constantly scanning for changes in file locations whenever a file is moved, copied, or created. This consumes system resources that could otherwise be used by your computer for more productive purposes. Other users also report general slow down on their machines with this service running.
The good news is that you can disable this feature to free up resources and improve your computer’s performance. Here’s how it’s done:
1. Step
Check if the service is running by right clicking on the taskbar and selecting Task Manager. Click on More details, select the Services tab, and look for the WSearch service. You can stop the service from here, but it will run again when you restart the computer.
2. Step
Go the Metro home screen and type services.msc.
Click on the Services icon to launch the Services console.
3. Step
Scroll down in the Services window and find the Windows Search service. Right click on the service and select Properties.
4. Step
On the General tab of the Properties window, click on the drop-down list for the Startup type. Select Disabled then click on the OK button to save the changes and close the Properties window.
The Windows Search indexing feature is now disabled. You can still perform file searches but the results won’t come up as fast as when the service was enabled. This is barely noticeable and is a small price to pay for the significant increase in the performance of your machine.