Disabling the built-in search feature in Microsoft Windows 11 can speed up the operating system on slow computers, technology publication MakeUseOf has reported.
Journalist Oluwaseun Bamisele discovered through empirical testing that search indexing in Windows 11 can consume between 200 and 500 megabytes of random access memory. Bamisele recommended turning off the background search setting whenever a computer experiences performance problems caused by a lack of available memory.
The indexing feature exists to keep local search results up to date across the storage drive. To maintain an updated index, Windows constantly scans files in the background. Bamisele noted that this continuous background scanning is why the search service continues to consume central processing unit, system memory, and disk resources even when a user is not actively searching for anything.
Search indexing is a system process designed to catalogue files, applications, and documents so that users can locate items quickly. However, background indexers require continuous system resources. When available random access memory runs low, operating systems often swap memory contents to storage drives, causing overall system responsiveness to stall on hardware with limited specifications.
How to pause or disable Windows search indexing
Users who want to temporarily halt indexing can adjust their system preferences without permanently shutting down the service. To pause indexing, navigate to the Privacy and Security section within Windows Settings, select the Search category, and open Advanced Indexing Options. In the configuration window that appears, click the Pause button to halt file scanning.
Users looking to turn off background indexing permanently can do so through the system management tools. Launch the Services application, locate the entry named Windows Search, right-click it, and select Properties. From the properties menu, change the startup type configuration setting to Disabled to prevent the background process from running automatically.
MakeUseOf is an international consumer technology website that publishes software tutorials, operating system guides, and hardware troubleshooting advice for personal computer users.
Leaked keys and Windows operating system history
The discovery follows earlier comments from former Microsoft engineer Dave Plummer regarding historical security vulnerabilities in older versions of the operating system. Plummer previously stated that a leaked volume license key for Windows XP allowed an enormous number of unauthorized copies to be activated worldwide. A photograph depicting a CD-ROM disk with the leaked product key written across its surface in permanent marker later became a well-known internet meme.
Plummer worked as a software developer at Microsoft during the 1990s and early 2000s, contributing code to core utilities such as Windows Task Manager and the zip file installation wizard. Windows XP, released by Microsoft in 2001, relied heavily on volume activation keys for corporate licensing before digital product verification became standard practice across modern software platforms.
