Home › Knowledgebase › KB-792

How to Fix Windows 11 Search Indexer High CPU Usage Slowing Down Your PC

Performance & Troubleshooting KB-792

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to Fix Windows 11 Search Indexer High CPU Usage Slowing Down Your PC. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Quick Tip: Need immediate assistance? 💻 Open a Ticket

Common Causes

Windows Search Indexer is a background service that scans your files to make searching faster. Occasionally, it can consume excessive CPU resources, causing your computer to slow down or become unresponsive. This guide will help you identify and resolve high CPU usage caused by the Windows Search Indexer on Windows 11.

Quick Fix Steps

  1. Restart your computer to clear temporary glitches.
  2. Run the Windows Search and Indexing troubleshooter.
  3. Restart the Windows Search service via the Services app.

Detailed Instructions

Run the Windows Search Troubleshooter

  1. Click the Start button and select Settings.
  2. Navigate to System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
  3. Find Search and Indexing in the list and click Run.
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts to detect and fix common search problems.

Restart the Windows Search Service

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
  3. Scroll down and locate Windows Search in the list.
  4. Right-click Windows Search and select Restart.
  5. If Restart is greyed out, select Stop, wait a few seconds, then select Start.

Reset the Search Index

  1. Open Settings and go to Privacy & security > Searching Windows.
  2. Scroll down to More search indexer settings and click Advanced search indexer settings.
  3. Click the Advanced button.
  4. Under the Index Settings tab, click Rebuild.
  5. Click OK to confirm. Note that rebuilding the index may temporarily increase CPU usage until the process completes.

Limit Indexed Locations

  1. Open Indexing Options from the Start menu.
  2. Click Modify.
  3. Uncheck any folders or drives that contain large amounts of data you rarely search (e.g., backup drives or large media folders).
  4. Click OK to save your changes.

Troubleshooting

CPU usage remains high after rebuilding

If the indexer continues to consume high CPU resources, check for corrupted files. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

sfc /scannow

Allow the scan to complete and restart your computer if any issues were found and repaired.

Search results are missing or incomplete

Ensure that your user folders are included in the index. In Indexing Options, verify that locations such as C:\Users\[YourName]\Documents are checked.

Rebuilding the search index can take several hours depending on the amount of data on your computer. It is best to perform this step outside of business hours.
Avoid disabling the Windows Search service entirely unless absolutely necessary, as this will prevent the Start menu and File Explorer search functions from working correctly.

If you have followed these steps and your system is still experiencing performance issues, you may find our guides on Computer running slow or Applications freezing or crashing helpful. For further assistance, please Open a Ticket.

Still Having Issues?

Need more help? If the issue persists after trying these steps, please open a support ticket and our team will assist you.

💻 Open a Ticket

Related Articles