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Yes—if you mean the Searches folder inside your Windows user profile, you can delete it. It contains saved-search definitions, usually .search-ms files. Deleting them removes the reusable queries, not the documents those queries found. Check the folder first and copy any searches you might want to keep.
What is the Searches folder?
The Windows user-profile folder at %USERPROFILE%Searches stores saved searches. Microsoft describes it as the place in your profile that “contains all saved searches.” A saved search is generally an XML file with the .search-ms extension; it records a query and information about where and how to show results. Opening the file runs the query again, so the results can change as files on your PC change. Microsoft’s saved-search documentation explains the file format and behavior; the same description appears in a Microsoft-published Windows guide.
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What happens if you delete it?
- The saved queries are removed. A deleted
.search-msfile can no longer be opened to rerun that saved search. - The matching documents remain. The saved-search file describes a query; it is not a copy of the files returned by that query.
- Windows Search indexing is separate. Deleting saved-search definitions does not itself reset or turn off indexing, which Windows manages through its own settings. See Microsoft’s Windows Search indexing FAQ.
- Microsoft-account web-search activity is separate. Removing a local folder is not documented as clearing Bing search history associated with your account. Microsoft provides separate controls through its privacy dashboard.
How to check and safely remove the folder
- In File Explorer, go to your own user profile. You can enter
%USERPROFILE%Searchesin the address bar to check the exact location. - Inspect the folder contents. Look for saved-search files ending in
.search-ms; do not assume another folder named “Search” or “Searches” serves the same purpose. - Copy any saved searches you may want to use again to another location. Keeping the
.search-msfiles preserves those query definitions. - If you no longer need them, delete the Searches folder in File Explorer. The documents that appeared in its saved searches are not deleted with the query files.
Don’t confuse saved searches with search history
“Search” can refer to several different things. The profile’s Searches folder holds saved query definitions; Windows Search indexing is a separate local feature for finding content; Bing web-search activity has separate account privacy controls. Choose the action that matches the data you intend to remove rather than deleting an unrelated system or application folder.
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First confirm that you are looking at %USERPROFILE%Searches and inspect what is inside. Official documentation establishes what saved-search files are, but it does not establish a single device-specific cause for a folder that refuses to delete or reappears. Avoid applying broader fixes to indexing or account history on that basis alone.
Quick Recap
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