Does Windows 11 Support Content Search in Image and Video Files?

Windows 11
1

I'm fed up with how slow Windows search is. I recently discovered the indexing feature and added some directories containing mostly image and video files.

While exploring the advanced settings, I found that I can choose to index either Properties Only or Properties and Contents.

I get why indexing the contents of text-based files is helpful, but I'm unsure about the benefits of indexing image and video files. What extra information can the system possibly index from these file types?

2

Windows 11’s search functionality can be a bit puzzling, especially when it comes to indexing image and video files.

To answer your question, yes, Windows 11 does support content search in image and video files, but it’s not as straightforward as you might think. When you choose to index “Properties and Contents” for image and video files, Windows 11 uses a technology called IFilter to extract metadata from these files.

Here’s what gets indexed:

  1. Image files: Windows 11 can extract metadata like camera model, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and even keywords and descriptions you’ve added to the file. This means you can search for images based on these properties.
  2. Video files: For videos, Windows 11 can index metadata like title, description, director, and even closed captions. This allows you to search for videos based on their content, not just their file names.

Now, here’s the important part: Windows 11 doesn’t actually index the visual or audio content of image and video files. It only indexes the metadata associated with those files. This means you won’t be able to search for specific objects or scenes within an image or video.

If you’re looking to improve Windows search performance, I’d recommend indexing only the properties of image and video files, unless you have a specific use case that requires searching based on metadata. This will save you some disk space and reduce the indexing time.

To adjust your indexing settings, follow these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the directory you want to index.
  2. Right-click on the directory and select Properties.
  3. In the Properties window, click on the Search tab.
  4. Under Indexing Options, select Properties Only or Properties and Contents depending on your preference.
  5. Click OK to save your changes.

Remember, indexing contents of image and video files can take a significant amount of disk space and time, so use it judiciously. If you have any more questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask