Microsoft has begun rolling out a Windows 11 Search feature that can automatically add frequently used folders to the operating system's search index. Microsoft says "Windows now automatically indexes your most used folders," putting files from those locations into later search results.

The feature debuted with the August 27 KB5120998 preview update for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, and is being delivered through a gradual rollout. Users can find the toggle under Settings, then Privacy & security, then Search.

Availability can vary between eligible devices due to the staged rollout.

The feature debuted with the August 27 KB5120998 preview update, which raised Windows 11 25H2 to build 26200.9278 and 24H2 to build 26100.9278, with the Search changes listed under Microsoft's gradual rollout. The changes were later included in the September 8 KB5124008 cumulative security update, which moved 25H2 to build 26200.9445 and 24H2 to build 26100.9445.

Because it is a gradual rollout, installing the update does not mean every PC receives the feature immediately.

Users who receive the automatic indexing option can manage it in Settings:

1. Open Settings, then Privacy & security, then Search.
2. Locate "Automatically find additional relevant locations."
3. Switch it on or off from that page.

Turning the option off does not disable Windows Search indexing. Existing indexed locations remain available, and users can continue managing search locations through Windows' regular indexing settings.

Microsoft's Windows Search documentation lists two indexing modes. Classic indexes Documents, Pictures, Music, and the desktop by default, with extra folders added through Customize search locations and Modify.

Enhanced mode indexes the entire PC, including user folders and files, which Microsoft says provides more comprehensive results and may use additional system resources.

The new option changes how extra locations enter the index. A folder a user accesses frequently can become an indexed location without the user manually selecting it through the existing controls.

Microsoft has not published the criteria Windows uses to classify a folder as frequently used, and its documentation does not give an access threshold or number of folder openings that triggers automatic indexing.

The indexing addition arrived alongside other Search changes. Microsoft says "Search home has been simplified," and search results now identify their source as an app, setting, file, web result, or Microsoft Store suggestion.

The update also added a setting under Settings, then Privacy & security, then Search, for web and Microsoft Store suggestions, letting users choose whether those appear next to local results.

The automatic folder indexing is rolling out gradually to Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 devices, so PCs that do not yet show the setting may still be waiting for the rollout to reach them.

Users who prefer manual control can disable the option and manage locations through the existing indexing controls. Microsoft has not detailed a completion date for the rollout.