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To keep private files out of local Windows Search, remove their folders from indexed locations; to keep file names searchable but hide their contents, set that file type to properties-only. These settings do not disable web results. Microsoft documents a separate web-results policy for certain managed Windows editions, but not a universal consumer toggle.
Choose what Windows Search can index
Windows Search can return results from your device, personal Microsoft account, work or school account, and the web. Local indexing controls change what Windows catalogs on the PC; they do not remove cloud-account results or turn off web results. Microsoft describes the local index as a catalog that speeds up searches. It indexes file properties by default and may also index file contents.
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On Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows. Under Find my files, choose the coverage that fits your needs:
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- Enhanced indexes more broadly across user folders and files on the PC. Broader coverage can use more system resources and may affect battery life and CPU consumption.
Windows 10 uses Settings > Search > Searching Windows. Labels and menus can vary by Windows release. See Microsoft’s Search indexing in Windows guidance for details.
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Exclude a private folder from the local index
To stop Windows Search from cataloging a particular location, open Customize search locations on the Searching Windows page and remove the sensitive folder from the indexed locations. This removes that location from the local index; it does not erase the files or guarantee that other apps cannot access them.
Microsoft says the index is typically less than 10 percent of the size of the indexed files, though the share can be higher with many small files or code. Initial indexing can take up to a couple of hours; later changes are processed in the background. These are Microsoft Support rules of thumb, with no publication year stated on the support page.
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Keep filenames searchable but exclude file contents
If you want a file’s name and properties to appear in search but do not want Windows Search to search inside that file type, use the file-type setting instead of excluding its whole folder:
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- Open Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows in Windows 11, then select Customize search locations. In Windows 10, go to Settings > Search > Searching Windows.
- In Indexing Options, select Advanced, then open the File Types tab.
- Select the extension you want to change and choose properties only.
Microsoft explains that properties-only indexing does not look at a file’s contents or make them searchable. The file name remains searchable. This is different from excluding a folder, which removes that location from the index. See Microsoft’s indexing guidance.
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What you can do about web results
Local index settings do not control web results. Windows Search can query the web and show Bing-powered results and suggestions. Microsoft documents the DoNotUseWebResults device policy: when enabled, it prevents web queries and hides web results in Search. The policy path is Computer Configuration > Windows Components > Search > Don’t search the web or display web results in Search.
Microsoft lists this policy for Windows 10 version 1803 and later on Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions. Pro is not listed as supported. It is a device policy, typically managed by an administrator—not a documented universal consumer setting. The current Microsoft Learn entry is Search Policy CSP.
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The cited Microsoft documentation does not establish a supported web-results-off toggle for every Home or Pro installation. Avoid assuming that an unofficial registry change is universal or supported.
Do not confuse SafeSearch with disabling web search
SafeSearch filters sensitive web content or previews; it does not remove the web as a source of Search results. In Windows 11, Microsoft places it under Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions. Changing it is not a substitute for a policy that stops web queries and results. See Microsoft’s Search and privacy page.
Copilot+ PCs and account-based results
Microsoft says semantic indexing is enabled by default on Copilot+ PCs, and that semantic-indexing data is stored locally. Its Windows Search settings provide ways to exclude locations and file types. That does not mean every indexed item is inaccessible to other software: Microsoft separately notes that installed apps may be able to read index data.
If results from OneDrive or a work or school account are the concern, changing the local folder index may not affect them. Review Search permissions and the settings for the relevant account; the local-index controls described above do not establish that cloud copies or account-based results have been removed.
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