Microsoft windows search filter host is burning my cpu usage.

2 years and still helpful

I had the same problem and the advice on this page didn't help that much. troubleshooter was obviously incapable of finding a "problem" after literally hours of high cpu usage on my laptop.

Try this:

go to control panel... choose to view as small icons... then select indexing options

or search for indexing options

open it

advanced

choose rebuild from the troubleshooting section (DOH)

it would seem that an error in the index is causing this high cpu usage. I'm no expert but this solved the problem for me. windows search momentarily doesn't work... but the index is rebuilding so it will be ok.

it has nothing to do with indexing locations... I added the entire drive in the index and cpu usage dropped immediately after choosing to rebuild to 5%-10%.

there is a way of uninstalling windows search from programs in control panel. it's just a windows "feature". but I would advise against this as I have already tried that... and the windows 8.1 menu seems a little sluggish after this (also the OS in general).

This only works temporarily on my computer. After a week or two, the search host starts hogging around 30 % CPU at certain intervals again. It should pause indexing when the user is active, but it doesn't seem to.

I had this same problem suddenly when I updated to windows 8.1.

What fixed my problem was to disable indexing on openoffice/libreoffice files and xml files.  

How to:

1. Go to control panel
2. Search for "indexing options"
3. Click "indexing options"
4. Select "advanced"
5. Click the "file types"  tab
6. Press the o key on your keyboard
7. Unselect file type:   odb odg odm odp ods odt otg oth otp ots ott xml

7.1) additional files to remove from inexing if your still having troupble:  properties, yml, java, class, nb

I will update this If I notice any other file types which cause this issue.

It was these ones. I left checked XML and Java files and it ends indexing, no stuck.

So if you install Libreoffice/Openoffice uncheck all its extensions for indexing.

So I think the problem is about indexing service, with "fake text files". Libreoffice/Openoffice are supposed to be text files but they really have much binary data which indexer doesn't know what to do.

So the problem is that indexer SHOULD skip files that it makes it to stuck, and not to enter in an infinite loop of indexing them.

So after subscribing to this thread from an early point, I am still having problems. I DO NOT have Open Office installed so most of the file types above do not pertain. I disabled java. I have no yml, class, or nb.

Unsure what "properties" is.

I'm really tired of this and my laptop's continually indexing and seems to get stuck. It just keeps going and going. The only think I have left to index is OneDrive.

Any suggestions??

Please!

I had this same problem suddenly when I updated to windows 8.1.

What fixed my problem was to disable indexing on openoffice/libreoffice files and xml files.  

How to:

1. Go to control panel
2. Search for "indexing options"
3. Click "indexing options"
4. Select "advanced"
5. Click the "file types"  tab
6. Press the o key on your keyboard
7. Unselect file type:   odb odg odm odp ods odt otg oth otp ots ott xml

7.1) additional files to remove from inexing if your still having troupble:  properties, yml, java, class, nb

I will update this If I notice any other file types which cause this issue.

It was these ones. I left checked XML and Java files and it ends indexing, no stuck.

So if you install Libreoffice/Openoffice uncheck all its extensions for indexing.

So I think the problem is about indexing service, with "fake text files". Libreoffice/Openoffice are supposed to be text files but they really have much binary data which indexer doesn't know what to do.

So the problem is that indexer SHOULD skip files that it makes it to stuck, and not to enter in an infinite loop of indexing them.