Indexing in Windows 10 refers to organizing files and folders for efficient searching and access.
Indexing in Windows 10 refers to organizing files and folders for efficient searching and access.
Hello everyone, I have some worries about how files are indexed on Windows 10 using an SSD. As you're aware, turning off indexing is recommended for SSDs because frequent writes can shorten their lifespan (along with other optimizations Windows offers). The issue here is that indexing is turned off in certain areas like mail items and file groups—since the SSD is the sole storage option. People usually say "no need to enable indexing on C: drive; your SSD is already sufficient." But even if it's fast, without indexing, finding files becomes very difficult, and searches are much worse compared to when indexing is active, even in Windows 7. Have you heard of any solutions to this problem? I faced this at home and also at work—workstations have been moved to Windows 10, and it seems indexing was disabled via Group Policies, especially on SSD laptops. Thanks!
Indexing was turned off during the early days of SSDs due to performance problems, which reduced their durability. This concern has been resolved in today’s SSDs. You’re welcome to keep it on if desired, and for better results, consider using a separate HDD—just move the index file there.
I share Tsuki's view. SSDs nowadays (even a few years back) are quite reliable. They handle a huge number of writes each day. Even with daily defragmentation, I’m confident they’ll last over ten years (assuming no defects). However, I want to clarify—just because you use an SSD doesn’t mean you can dump it into a server that gets constantly discarded. Opt for server HDDs or SSDs designed for heavy use. Indexing matters too. Even the fastest NVMe drives lag behind without proper indexing.
Hi, thanks for the feedback. It's surprising how many optimizations are suggested for SSDs. I also noticed some people disable Windows Event logs because they think it might interfere with updates. Since I won't be able to activate it at my workplace (indexing resets on reboot), I'll try enabling it again at home. Feel free to keep discussing this thread—I think it could help many people. I rarely see anyone advising turning it back on with new SSDs. Thanks, Youyoun
It's okay to skip all the advice about extending SSD life. Hibernate on the page file is fine, Superfetch should stay on, and you can keep it enabled even though I usually turn it off to avoid problems.
It comes down to the details. Longevity is important, but only if you actually use it. Modern SSDs usually last a long time even with regular use. If you avoid using Windows search (as I do), it doesn’t add much value. The same goes for hibernation—SSD works fine, but skipping it wastes space. I suggest keeping features enabled unless you specifically need to disable them. Focus on what you use, not just how long the hardware lasts.