Turn off Windows Libraries features that rely on indexed file data

Policy ID
DisableIndexedLibraryExperience
Scope
User Configuration
Supported on
At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
Source
Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 2026 Update (26H2) (version 1.0)
Category
Windows Components › File Explorer

Description

This policy setting allows you to turn off Windows Libraries features that need indexed file metadata to function properly. If you enable this policy, some Windows Libraries features will be turned off to better handle included folders that have been redirected to non-indexed network locations.
Setting this policy will:
* Disable all Arrangement views except for "By Folder"
* Disable all Search filter suggestions other than "Date Modified" and "Size"
* Disable view of file content snippets in Content mode when search results are returned
* Disable ability to stack in the Context menu and Column headers
* Exclude Libraries from the scope of Start search
This policy will not enable users to add unsupported locations to Libraries.

If you enable this policy, Windows Libraries features that rely on indexed file data will be disabled.
If you disable or do not configure this policy, all default Windows Libraries features will be enabled.

Registry

UserHKEY_CURRENT_USER
  • DisableIndexedLibraryExperienceREG_DWORD

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