How to manage automatic indexing locations for faster searches on Windows 11

• Windows 11 can automatically index frequently used locations based on your activity.
• This feature makes files and folders in those locations available through Windows Search.
• You can disable the feature from the Search settings page.
• Windows 11 will then use your existing Classic or Enhanced indexing configuration.

On Windows 11, Windows Search is getting faster and more useful with a new option that can automatically add frequently used locations to the search index based on your activity.

Instead of relying only on folders you select manually, Windows 11 can use activity signals, such as recently opened files and frequently accessed locations, to determine what content should be indexed and made available through Search.

In other words, the existing indexing system continues to work as before, but Windows 11 can now automatically expand the index when you repeatedly access files from a location that isn’t currently included. The system can then index the contents of that location, making those files and folders available more quickly in future searches.

The feature can be useful if you regularly work with files stored in different locations. However, if you prefer to control exactly what Windows indexes or have privacy concerns about activity-based indexing, you can turn the option off.

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In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to turn automatic location indexing on and off on Windows 11.

• Enable automatic file location on Windows 11
• Disable automatic file location on Windows 11
• Pureinfotech’s Take

Enable automatic file location indexing on Windows 11

To enable automatic location indexing based on your activities on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

2. Click on Privacy & security.

3. Click the Search page on the right side.

4. Turn on the “Automatically find additional relevant locations” toggle switch.

   

Once you complete the steps, the operating system will expand file indexing locations based on your activities.

Disable automatic file location indexing on Windows 11

To turn off automatic location indexing based on your activities on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Privacy & security.

3. Click the Search page on the right side.

4. Turn off the “Automatically find additional relevant locations” toggle switch.

   

After you complete these steps, the system will index locations only based on the search configuration, whether you use the “Classic” or “Enhanced” option.

The Classic option searches only Documents, Pictures, Music, and the Desktop folder, while the Enhanced option indexes files across your entire computer.

If you don’t see this feature, it’s because, at the time of this writing, Microsoft is still gradually rolling it out with the latest September 2026 Security Update and later updates. 

If this is the case, you may be able to force-enable the features using these instructions.

Pureinfotech’s Take

I actually like this change because it makes Windows Search more useful without requiring users to constantly manage indexed locations. I would leave it enabled, especially on PCs where I regularly work with files outside the standard folders.

I can also see why some users will turn it off. If you want complete control over what Windows indexes, automatic location detection adds another layer you may not need.

What are your thoughts about this new Windows Search feature on Windows 11? Let me know in the comments.