How To Add Or Remove File Types To Windows Vista Search Index

I really like Vista's search capabilities to the point where I first search for what I am looking for, instead of navigating through the start menu or folders. But sometimes the search results returns files that I don't care about or never find files that I know exist. Is there a way to customize Vista search index to add or remove different file types?

Great question! I never considered modifying Vista's indexing capabilities with adding or removing files types for searches. Unlike previous versions of Windows, you have more control over what file types you want included or excluded during searches.

To make modifications for file types in the index, press Win+R or click on Start \ Run… to open the Run window and type

control.exe srchadmin.dll

Then in the Indexing Options dialog box, click on the Advanced button.

Note: Indexing Options can also be found in the Control Panel.

In the Advanced Options window, click on the File Types tab.

Here, you can add or remove known file types by checking or unchecking the box next to the file type. You can also select how the file should be indexed (circled in screen shot below) by Index Properties Only or Index Properties and File Contents.

To add new file types, type the name of the file extension and click Add new extension button.

After adding the new file type, you can set how the file will be indexed and click OK twice to close the Indexing Options window. During the next indexing cycle, your changes will either be added or removed from the index.