Windows Search (WSearch) indexes your files to enable fast search results. The indexer runs in the background, scanning new and modified files continuously.
What indexing does to performance
The indexer reads files from disk and writes index entries to a database (%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Search\Data\). This creates:
- Background disk I/O during indexing passes
- CPU overhead for text extraction and indexing
- RAM usage for the index database cache
When it matters
On HDDs: significant. The indexer competing with game I/O on a spinning disk is audible (head seek noise) and measurable (frame drops during indexing passes).
On SSDs: lower direct impact, but the background writes contribute to SSD write amplification and occasionally spike I/O during heavy indexing.
Identifying if indexing is affecting you
Open Resource Monitor → Disk tab during gaming. If SearchIndexer.exe shows high disk activity, it's the cause.
Disabling
sc config WSearch start= disabled
net stop WSearch
Windows Search in Start Menu still works for app launching — it just won't search file contents.
Alternative: exclude game folders
If you need file content search, exclude your game drive from the index:
Control Panel → Indexing Options → Modify → remove your game drive.
This keeps search working for your documents while eliminating game folder overhead.
IzanagiOP disables WSearch in Aggressive Optimizations. Safe Optimizations adds game folders to exclusion list. https://terweb.lt/
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