Windows 7 - Index - Rebuild

**Brink**

How to Rebuild the Windows 7 Index

Information

If the Windows 7 index cannot find a file in it's seach results that you know exists or not exists in an indexed location, then this will show you how to manually rebuild and update the index to have accurate search results from changes to the included locations since the last rebuild or update.

Note

The index will often run (indexing) automatically in the background to rebuild and update for changes made to the included index locations since the last index rebuild to increase search result accuracy.

By defualt, the indexing speed is reduced due to user activity. If the computer is running idle, then the indexing speed will be at full speed instead to finish indexing faster.

Warning

Rebuilding the index can take several hours, and searches might be incomplete until the index is fully rebuilt.

Here's How:

1. Open the Control Panel (All Items view), and double click on the Indexing Options icon.

2. Click on the Advanced button. (See screenshot below)

3. If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes.

4. Click on the Rebuild button. (See screenshot below)

5. Click on OK. (See screenshot below)

6. After a moment, you will notice the index being rebuilt. Click on Close. (See screenshot below)

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

RJV · 08-15-2009

Hi Shawn

In Vista there was a button in the Indexing Advanced Settings to "Restore Defaults" which would restore your index to it's original settings.

This option seems to be missing from the Windows 7 settings? Do you know of any other way to restore the default settings in Windows 7?

Thanks

RJV

**Brink** · 08-15-2009

Hello RJV,

Yeah, the restore defaults option for the Index is no longer available. However, all of the Index tutorials here (see also related links) have the default settings in the screenshots to help restore them manually if needed.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**Silvio1945** · 09-24-2010

Hello everybody.
Recently my index has been corrupted and I had to rebuild it. I have noticed that the Index Option window, after incresing the item counter for a while (up to 1400 or so) seems to stop, showing the message "Indexing Complete". Thus I closed it but soon discovered that the indexing was not done at all.
Starting again I have seen that the item counter does not update continuously and automatically but only if I start an application (e.g. Outlook), use it for a while and then return to the indexing. In this case the message 'Indexing speed reduced' appears and the counter jump to a higher number.
The fact that no advancement bar, nor other icons are shown to indicate the indexing progress, is dangerously misguiding!
Silvio

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