Forum Discussion

Nguyenais's avatar
Nguyenais
Iron Contributor
Jan 17, 2025

Turn off Search Query from Windows File Explorer

It's really annoying when I’m looking for a file and it doesn’t look up by relevance. Then it also put my files in these small number groups that don’t have any relevance to the search. 

 

  • Stephennen's avatar
    Stephennen
    Iron Contributor

    In the Advanced Attributes window, uncheck the box that says “Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties." This way, Windows won't be trying to index every file’s content, which can sometimes cause irrelevant search results.

  • If you only want to clear the search history without disabling suggestions:

    1. Open File Explorer.
    2. Click on the Search bar.
    3. Use the arrow keys to highlight a previous search query.
    4. Press Delete on your keyboard to remove it.
  • Gabrielasip's avatar
    Gabrielasip
    Iron Contributor

    Since you’re on an Insider Preview build, there’s a chance the update itself has some bugs. Look for new updates or roll back to a previous stable version if possible. Go to Settings > Windows Update and see if there are any new updates addressing audio issues.

  • When you search, you can use the * character (the asterisk) for a general search within the folder where you're looking. When you do this, it may help show all items without grouping them too rigidly.

  • This prevents Windows Explorer from using previous search data that might interfere with your searches.

    1. Press Windows + R, type control.exe folders, and press Enter.
    2. In the Folder Options window, go to the Search tab.
    3. Uncheck the box for "Don't use the index when searching in file folders for system files" and "Include system directories" (optional).
    4. Click OK.
  • ArusikO's avatar
    ArusikO
    Iron Contributor

    If you’re finding that the search is cluttered, try using the command bar directly. You can search specifically by using file types. For example, typing *.jpg will show you all JPG files.

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