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TheWindowsClub covers authentic Windows 11, Windows 10 tips, tutorials, how-to's, features, freeware. Created by Anand Khanse, MVP.

Indexing is not running in Windows 11 [Fix]

Download Windows Speedup Tool to fix errors and make PC run faster

If indexing is not running on your Windows 11/10 PC, read this post to learn how to fix the issue. Indexing is a process that maintains an index of file properties and metadata to speed up searching in Windows. Many users have reported that indexing isn’t working properly when performing searches. The search starts and then pauses, often without producing any results.

Indexing is not running in Windows 11

Sometimes, a popup also appears saying ‘Search indexing was turned off‘. When the user clicks ‘Turn indexing back on‘, the Indexing Options window appears, displaying an error message that reads:

Indexing is not running.

The issue occurs when the Indexer hasn’t started or is disabled. If you’re experiencing the same issue, read this post to learn about some effective troubleshooting tips.

Fix Indexing is not running in Windows 11/10

If indexing is not running on your Windows 11/10 PC, use these solutions:

  1. Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter
  2. Correctly configure the Windows Search service
  3. Delete and rebuild the index
  4. Modify the registry value
  5. Delete .BLF and .REGTRANS-MS files

Let us see this in detail.

1] Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter

Run the Search and Indexing troubleshooter

The Search and Indexing troubleshooter (also known as the Indexer troubleshooter) is a built-in troubleshooter that helps diagnose and fix issues with Windows Search and its indexing service.

Microsoft is moving away from traditional troubleshooters in favor of Get Help and other built-in diagnostic tools, but the Search and Indexing troubleshooter is still available in Windows 11.

To launch the troubleshooter, press Win + I and navigate to Privacy & security > Searching Windows in the Settings window. Scroll down and click Indexer troubleshooter under Related settings. Alternatively, open Command Prompt as Administrator and execute the following command:

msdt.exe -ep WindowsHelp id SearchDiagnostic

This will open the Search and Indexing troubleshooter. Run the troubleshooter and see if it resolves the issue.

2] Correctly configure the Windows Search service

Correctly configure the Windows Search service

Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. In the Services window, scroll to locate the Windows Search service and double-click it. The service should have the following configuration:

  • Status: Running
  • Startup Type: Automatic (Delayed Start)

Click Apply > OK to save changes. Reboot your PC and see if the issue is resolved.

Note:

  1. If you have upgraded Windows on your device, wait five minutes for the Windows Search service to start. The service automatically pauses during an upgrade.
  2. Some antivirus software and PC optimization tools disable the Windows Search service. Temporarily disable such software, restart the service, and see if it fixes the issue.

3] Delete and rebuild index

Delete and rebuild index

Deleting and rebuilding the index forces Windows to recreate the search database from scratch. This may help if the indexing has become corrupted, causing delays in finding files and folders on the system.

To rebuild Windows Index, follow the steps:

  1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
  2. Navigate to Privacy & security > Searching Windows.
  3. Scroll down and click Advanced indexing options under Related settings.
  4. Click the Advanced button in the Indexing Options window.
  5. Click the Rebuild button in the Advanced Options window. Click OK if prompted.
  6. Wait till the indexing is complete.

Once the process finishes, reboot your PC and see if the indexing issue resolves.

4] Modify registry value

Modify registry value

If the issue still persists, there’s a registry tweak you may try.

Note: Modifying Windows Registry is an advanced step and should be done with utmost caution. It is advisable to back up the registry before making any changes.

Press Win + R, type regedit in the Run dialogue and press Enter. Click Yes when prompted by the User Account Control window.

In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WSearch

Double-click Start in the right panel and set its value to 2. This ensures Windows Search starts automatically. Click OK and close the Registry Editor. Restart your PC and check if indexing starts.

If the indexing starts but does not update new files (search runs but does not show new files), try renaming the FileChangeClientConfigs key. This key contains subkeys and values that define which file change notifications Windows Search listens to for indexing. Renaming it will force Windows to reset indexing configurations.

Navigate to the following key in the Registry Editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs

Right-click on FileChangeClientConfigs, select Rename, and change it to FileChangeClientConfigsBAK.

Close the Registry Editor and restart the Windows Search service (as explained in solution 2). Now reboot your PC.

When your PC starts, Windows will detect that FileChangeClientConfigs is missing and recreate it with default values, potentially fixing the indexing issues. If it doesn’t work, you can restore the old settings by renaming FileChangeClientConfigsBAK back to its original name.

5] Delete .BLF and .REGTRANS-MS files

Unhide protected operating system files

Deleting .BLF and .REGTRANS-MS files from the Windows Search database folder is a legitimate fix that Microsoft has documented for search and indexing issues. These files store transaction logs for Windows Search, and if they become corrupt, indexing can stop working properly.

Open File Explorer and navigate to the following directory:

C:\windows\system32\config\TxR

Select and delete all files with .BLF and .REGTRANS-MS extension. Reboot your PC to apply the changes.

Note:

  1. The files in the TxR folder are hidden. To view and delete them, you need to configure your system to unhide protected operating system files and take ownership of specific folders.
  2. Before deleting these files, ensure you have a backup.

After deleting these files and rebooting the machine, the Windows Search service should start automatically and begin rebuilding the index. You may observe High CPU while the Search Index is being rebuilt.

I hope this helps.

Read: Outlook Search is not working in Windows.

How to fix Indexing is not running?

If indexing is not running on your Windows 11/10 PC, make sure that the Windows Search service (wsearch) is configured correctly. Open Services.msc, right-click the Windows Search service, and select Properties. Change Startup Type to Automatic (Delayed Start). If you’re running an antivirus or PC optimization tool, ensure it is not disabling the service.

Read: Your searches might be slow because the index is not running

How to fix Indexing is paused in Windows 11?

If you see the message ‘Indexing is paused‘ on the Windows Search settings page and in Indexing Options, there’s nothing to worry about unless indexing remains paused for an extended period. The message indicates that indexing is only temporarily paused and will resume automatically after 15 minutes. To resume indexing immediately, you can restart the Windows Search service.

Read Next: Windows Search Indexer stopped working and was closed.

AnandK@TWC

Anand Khanse is the Admin of TheWindowsClub.com, a 10-year Microsoft MVP (2006-16) & a Windows Insider MVP (2016-2022). Please read the entire post & the comments first, create a System Restore Point before making any changes to your system & be careful about any 3rd-party offers while installing freeware.