Forum Discussion
Any simple way to disable AI search in file explorer?
I can't seem to find an option to disable the AI search in file explorer. The search results I get are useless, it can't even locate files by searching for keywords in file names. Are there any other tools on Windows I can use to search for files using keywords in file names?
4 Replies
Semantic indexing that was forced with the Windows 11 May 2025 security update returns garbage file search results in File Explorer in addition to normal results; it finds random patterns in graphic files, for instance, and semantically matches them to the search term. Users should be able to disable this semantic indexing feature.
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/how-to-get-started-with-semantic-indexing-on-windows-11Issue is semantic indexing that was forced with the Windows 11 May 2025 security update. Users cannot disable this feature. Check if your system has this feature by looking for a circular arrow with 2 stars in the search box of File Explorer. Also look under Settings > System > AI components for AI Phi Silica and AI Semantic Analysis
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/windows-11/how-to-get-started-with-semantic-indexing-on-windows-11You can disable the AI search feature by going to File Explorer Options → Search → Turn off Enhanced Search.
Not seeing an option for Turn off Enhanced Search -- up to date with Win11 updates
