Windows Search builds an index on your device so it can find files faster. You can choose which locations and file details it indexes, while connected-account results and Bing web results follow separate privacy controls. Here’s how to set the scope and understand what each control affects.
How does Windows Search index files?
Windows Search catalogs information about files in a local index, then updates that catalog in the background as files change. Depending on your settings, the index can include file names, full paths, properties, and text inside files. Microsoft describes its purpose simply: “This index allows Windows to quickly locate and retrieve the information you need.” Microsoft Support: Search indexing in Windows.
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What does Classic or Enhanced indexing include?
In Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows to choose the indexing scope and manage locations. Classic and Enhanced differ in how much of the PC is included:
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| Mode | Default scope | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | Documents, Pictures, Music, and the desktop | Indexes a narrower set of common locations by default. |
| Enhanced | The entire PC, including user folders and files | Search is more comprehensive; Microsoft says it may use more system resources. |
You can customize indexed locations rather than relying only on either default. In Classic mode, select Customize search locations to open the older Indexing Options controls. The Windows 10 path for file-indexing scope is Settings > Search > Searching Windows; its search permission and history controls are under Settings > Search > Permissions & History. Microsoft’s indexing guide and Search and Privacy guide describe these controls.
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Can Windows Search find words inside documents?
Yes, if the file type is configured to index its content and the file is in an indexed location. In Indexing Options, go to Advanced > File Types, select a type, and choose whether to index properties only or properties and file contents. Properties-only can still find a file by its name and indexed properties, but not by words in its text. Indexing content can make text searches work for that type, at the cost of a larger index.
Does Windows Search upload my files?
Local file indexing is a device-search feature, separate from search results drawn from connected accounts or the web. Microsoft’s statement that semantic-indexing data “None of it is stored by Microsoft or used to train AI models” applies specifically to semantic-indexing data stored locally, not every kind of Windows Search data. Microsoft Support describes that scope.
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Local files and the local index
For ordinary file search, you can limit the locations included in the index and, by file type, choose properties-only rather than content indexing. On Copilot+ PCs, semantic indexing supplements traditional indexing; Microsoft says its semantic-index data stays locally on the PC (or locally to Cloud PC storage on AI-enabled Windows 365 devices).
Connected Microsoft accounts
Windows Search can also show cloud content when the relevant account controls are enabled. The personal Microsoft account setting can include items from personal OneDrive, Outlook, and other Microsoft services. The work or school account setting can include OneDrive for Business, Outlook, SharePoint, and other services through Microsoft Search. These controls are separate from the locations used for local file indexing. Microsoft: Windows Search and privacy.
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Web results and suggestions
Windows Search web results and suggestions use Bing. Microsoft says Bing may personalize results when you use web search or suggestions, so this behavior is distinct from searching the local index. Microsoft’s privacy guide explains the distinction.
What is different about semantic indexing on Copilot+ PCs?
Microsoft says Copilot+ PCs use semantic indexing alongside traditional indexing. It can find conceptually related material—for example, a search for “pasta” may also surface a document about lasagna. The feature is enabled by default on Copilot+ PCs, and indexing controls can exclude locations or file types.
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Microsoft lists these supported formats in its documentation: text and documents (.txt, .pdf, .docx, .doc, .rtf, .pptx, .ppt, .xls, .xlsx) and images (.jpg/.jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .ico). These details reflect the Microsoft page accessed October 7, 2026 and may change. Microsoft Support: Search indexing in Windows.
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Remove the folder from indexed locations rather than disabling all file indexing. On Windows 11, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows. If you use Classic mode, open Customize search locations and adjust the included locations in Indexing Options. For Windows 10, use Settings > Search > Searching Windows. Changes affect local file indexing; they do not by themselves turn off connected-account or Bing results.
How do I clear Windows Search history?
Device search history and Microsoft-account-associated web search history are separate. Use Search permissions or permissions and history in Settings to clear device search history. To review or delete web search history associated with a Microsoft account, use the Microsoft privacy dashboard. Clearing device history does not clear account-associated history. Microsoft notes that Bing may collect search terms and other information, including IP address and location, for Bing searches. Windows Search and privacy and Microsoft privacy dashboard.
What to check when Windows Search misses a file
First confirm the file is in an indexed location and that its file type is configured for the kind of match you expect: properties-only indexing will not find words in file contents. Also check whether the file is hidden or has moved, particularly after a Windows upgrade. To run Microsoft’s troubleshooter, open Advanced indexing options > Advanced > Index Settings > Troubleshoot search and indexing. Microsoft: Fix problems in Windows Search.
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