How to Exclude Folders From Windows Search
There are a few reasons why you might want to exclude folders from Windows Search. Perhaps you don’t want a folder appearing in your search results and potentially burying the file you’re actually looking for, or you just don’t want people snooping inside of it.
Fortunately, you can hide your folders from Windows Search by making a few changes within the system. In this guide, we will discuss how to exclude your folders from Windows Search in both Windows 10 and 11.
How to Exclude Folders From Windows Search in Windows 10
The easiest way of excluding one or more folders from appearing in the search results in Windows 10 is via the Settings app.
Here is how you can proceed:
How to Exclude Folders From Windows Search in Windows 11
We will be using the Settings app to hide folders from appearing in search results in Windows 11 as well, but the method is slightly different from Windows 10.
Here is all that you need to do:
How to Hide Folders From File Explorer on Windows 10 and 11
The methods mentioned above discuss how to hide folders from appearing in the search results in the Windows search utility. If you would like the selected folders to not appear in the File Explorer search as well, follow the steps listed below:
You can now close the Properties dialog.
However, keep in mind that the folder will only be hidden if File Explorer is explicitly configured to not display the hidden folders. Here is how you can check if this feature is enabled.
If you want even more privacy, check outhow to encrypt folders using BitLockerorhow to password-protect a folder in Windows.
Protect Your Privacy on Windows
You now know how to prevent certain folders from appearing in the search results on Windows. These tips and tricks can help you protect your privacy on your PC, especially if it is used by multiple people.
Is your Windows 11search bar gone, or is it not pulling up any results? Here’s how to fix it.
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