When you press the Windows key and start typing the name of a document or application, the Start Menu usually returns results instantly. This speed is possible because a background service called the “Windows Search Indexer” constantly scans your hard drive and builds a massive database of every file location. However, if this database becomes corrupted, the Start Menu search will completely break down. You might search for a file you know exists on your desktop, only for Windows to claim “No results found,” or the search box might simply freeze entirely.
When the standard Windows Search Troubleshooter fails to resolve the issue, you must manually force the operating system to completely delete the corrupted Windows.edb database file and rebuild the entire index from scratch.
How to Completely Rebuild the Windows 11 Search Index
You can trigger a complete database rebuild via the legacy Indexing Options control panel.
- Click the Start button, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
- In the top right corner of the Control Panel window, change the “View by” setting to Large icons or Small icons.
- Click on Indexing Options.
- A small window will appear showing exactly how many thousands of items are currently indexed on your PC. Click the Advanced button at the bottom of this window. (Click “Yes” if prompted by UAC).
- Under the “Troubleshooting” section in the middle of the Advanced Options window, you will see a button labeled Rebuild. Click it.
- A warning box will appear, stating that rebuilding the index might take a long time to complete and that searches will be incomplete during the process. Click OK.
The “Items indexed” counter will drop to zero and slowly begin climbing back up. You can close the Control Panel windows and continue using your computer normally while Windows works in the background. Depending on the size of your hard drive and the speed of your processor, it may take several hours to fully rebuild the database. Once finished, your Start Menu search will instantly locate your missing files again.