Indexing not running in Windows 8.1

Anonymous
2013-10-26T15:38:03+00:00

Help ,  I am trying to find out why my Indexing is not running at all. I tried rebuilding the index which doesn't show anything at all. I have never

encountered this problem. I tried the Windows troubleshooter and its response is comic all (Indexing is not working). I have a hard time searching

for anything. I did a check disc on my C drive but its working fine. Any Ideas I would truly appreciate it.                   Bob G._2014

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments No comments

47 answers

Sort by: Newest
  1. Anonymous
    2014-03-05T11:08:35+00:00

    Will the next Win update include a fix for the indexing problem please? It's impossible to find emails on my PC since upgrading from Win 8 to 8.1 and it's very frustrating. I depend heavily on sent and received emails and it's a nightmare without the indexing facility - my PC says it's trying to index 4433 messages and it's been 'stuck' there for weeks. I'd rather not migrate to an alternative OS but my work is suffering as a result of this problem. Can you provide some assurance that Microsoft is working on a patch and will issue an upgrade soon please? Many thanks.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  2. Anonymous
    2014-02-28T15:22:27+00:00

    This worked for me! Thanks

    Running 8.1

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  3. Anonymous
    2014-02-22T19:29:11+00:00
    1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo and the letter R. It will launch the "Run" box.
    2. Type in "regedit"
    3. Now look for this string, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigs
    4. If you found it, right click on the folder and rename it to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\FileChangeClientConfigsBAK
    5. Close the Registry Editor and rebuild your Index

    As others have commented, the indexing of email in Windows 8.1 (Using Outlook 10) is a "real" issue and after several hours of searching I found this solution thread and indeed it worked immediately. Indexing in Outlook started! It does not require a reboot.   

    Thanks Kruger and others that suggested this rename fix to the Registry.  For those concerned about touching the Register: Just follow Kruger's directions and you will be fine.  There is one caveat, however, I won't know if it is a permanent fix for "awhile" will I?

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  4. Anonymous
    2014-02-19T05:51:37+00:00

    My Windows Search and indexing was failing to start, and I was able to fix it by following the steps here:

    http://www.kapilarya.com/fix-windows-search-service-failed-to-start-in-windows-8-1

    May be worth a try.

    I should also add that I found some pages saying this can be cause by registry cleaners, so you may also want to prevent them from starting and running automatically.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments
  5. Anonymous
    2014-01-22T23:45:27+00:00

    I suggest not to run or open programs (uninstalling it would even be great) like system mechanics or registry cleaners, this type of pograms will delete healthy registry strings. Personally, I don't recommend registry cleaners or such.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments