How to hide files and folders and remove them from search in Windows 11?

How to Hide Files and Folders from Search on Windows 11

The first thing we need to look at is customizing the location of Windows search files. By skipping these specific locations, you should be able to see results faster while also hiding any files you want to protect.

If you want to exclude files and folders from searches on Windows 11, use the following steps:

1. Open the Start menu and select Settings . Alternatively, press the Windows key I on your keyboard.
2. When Settings opens, select Privacy and Security on the left.
3. In Privacy & security, select the Searching Windows option.
4. Click to expand the Find My Files option.
5. Under Find my files > Classic, click the Customize search locations option.
6. In the "Index Options" window, press the "Modify" button at the bottom.
7. Next, check the folders you want to include, uncheck the folders you want to exclude from Windows Search, and click OK to save.

Now Windows will only search the index folder you specified.

How to Hide Folders from Search on Windows 11

To hide a specific folder from Windows Search, use the following steps:

Click# The ##Start
1. button opens the Start menu and selects Settings. In
"Settings"
2. , press "Privacy and Security" > "Search Windows". Scroll down the list and select the
Add Excluded Folder
3. option. Select the folder you want to hide and click the
Select Folder
4. button. The folder you selected will no longer be included in the search results. If you want to unhide a folder, click the
three-dot icon next to the folder, then click
5. Delete.
How to Hide Files from Search on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can select any file type and prevent it from appearing in search results.

To hide certain file types from Windows 11 search results:

1. Press Start, type indexing options, and select the top result.
2. In Index Options, press the Advanced button.
3. Next, click on the File Types tab.
4. In the File Types tab, browse and uncheck the file types you want to exclude from the search. For example, you might want to exclude certain media files, such as MP3 or MPEG.
5. After deselecting the file type, click the Index Settings tab.
6. Click the Rebuild button in the Troubleshooting section to rebuild the search index.
7. The time required to rebuild the index will vary based on the number of files on your PC. The more files there are, the longer it will take to rebuild. When the confirmation screen appears, click OK.
8. At the top of the "Index Options" window you will see the status of the process.

After rebuilding the index, excluded file types will no longer appear in search results.

Enhanced Windows Search

It is important to note that when you hide files and folders on Windows 11, you may get incorrect results when trying to find specific items. If this happens to you, you can enable Enhanced Search to conduct a broader search of your PC.

Enhanced search functionality will scan your entire PC. Searches will be slower, but your search results will improve and provide a wider range of results.

To enable enhanced search on Windows 11, use the following steps:

1. Press Start and open Settings.
2. When Settings opens, navigate to Privacy and Security > Search Windows.
3. Under the Find My Files section, click the Enhanced option.

#From this point on, when you run a search query, your entire system will be scanned, except for your hidden files and folders.

Improvements in Windows 11 Search

Windows 11 includes several ways to search for files and other items. For example, you can click the Start button or press the Windows key and type your query. You can use the search icon to the right of the Start button.

Since the Start button and Search icon are close to each other, you may want to hide Search from the taskbar. Another trick for better search results is to disable web results on Windows 11.

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