Windows 11 Search searchhost.exe

Question

For whatever reason I disable the service 'windows search' on some machines and restart. Even though this service is disabled the process searchhost.exe still exists. And even though it is suspended it has OPEN network connections. I do not want open network connections. How do I completely disabled or at least stop the open network connections for searchhost.exe?

Answer 1

Hi there,

Search Filter Host is a component of Windows Search Indexer, which is a service that is designed to search and index files on Windows PCs.

It might also be a Malware attack as most users have shared that they had the same experience. Try running a Malware scan and then stopping the process.

Change Indexing Options and see if it is Helpful
Type indexing options in the Search bar and then click Indexing Options to open it.
In the newly pop-out window, click Modify at the bottom to open Indexed Locations.
Click Show all locations, then uncheck huge locations and other file locations that may prompt the search process to spawn again and again. Click OK to save changes.

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Answer 2

Thank you for your reply. It is not Malware. Maybe it is possible to prevent SearchHost.exe from running by using 'winget uninstall' if it is started by an app. Or maybe it is triggered by some service other than 'Windows Search' or maybe it is started by a scheduled task or maybe it is part of 'package' that can be removed? Was hoping someone could pinpoint it down.