Indexing speeds up searches for HDDs but is unnecessary for SSD

To disable indexing on an SSD in Windows, follow these steps:

Option 1: Disable Indexing for the Entire Drive

1. Open File Explorer (Win + E).
2. Right-click on your SSD drive (usually C:) and select Properties.
3. In the General tab, uncheck “Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties”.
4. Click Apply. A new window will appear asking to apply changes to all folders and subfolders.
5. Select “Apply changes to drive, subfolders, and files”, then click OK.
6. If any files can’t be changed, select Ignore All to continue.
7. Click OK and restart your computer if prompted.

Option 2: Disable the Windows Search Service (Completely Stop Indexing)

If you want to completely disable indexing, you can turn off the Windows Search service:

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. In the Services window, scroll down and find Windows Search.
3. Right-click Windows Search and select Properties.
4. In the Startup type dropdown menu, select Disabled.
5. Click Stop if the service is currently running.
6. Click Apply and then OK.
7. Restart your computer to apply changes.

Option 3: Disable Indexing for Specific Folders

If you want some indexing but not for certain folders (e.g., large folders that don’t need searching), you can:

1. Open Start and search for Indexing Options, then open it.
2. Click Modify.
3. Uncheck folders you don’t want indexed (e.g., large media folders).
4. Click OK, then Close.

Should You Disable Indexing on an SSD?

• If you rarely use Windows Search, disabling it can reduce unnecessary SSD writes.
• If you use search frequently, you might want to keep indexing enabled for some directories.

Let me know if you need further clarification! 🚀