The Windows.edb file grows very large in Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012

Symptoms

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In Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012, the Windows Search Service may bloat the Windows.edb file. When this issue occurs, the Windows.edb file grows to a very large size and consumes lots of disk space. In some instances, the file size can be larger than 50 gigabytes (GB).

Windows.edb file location

The Windows.edb file is a hidden file, located in the following folder:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\Windows.edb

Delete Windows.edb file

Open Services.msc and navigate to Windows Search service.

Double-click on it to open its dialog box. Stop the Service.

Now visit the Windows.edb file folder and delete it.

To delete and rebuild the Index, open Control Panel and open Indexing Options. Click on Advanced and select the Rebuild Index option.

Resolution

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Update information

To resolve this issue, install update rollup 2836988 for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. For more information about how to obtain this update rollup package, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

2836988 Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 update rollup: May 2013

Note This update is preventative, but not corrective. To reduce the size of a Windows.edb file that is already affected by this issue, you must rebuild the search index after you install this update.

How to delete and rebuild index

1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. Or, if you are using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and then click Search.
2. Tap or click Settings.
3. In the search box, type indexing options.
4. Tap or click Indexing Options.
5. Tap or click Advanced.
6. Tap or click Rebuild on the Indexing Settings tab.
7. Tap or click OK to confirm.

How to offline defrag the index

1. Change the Windows Search service so that it does not automatically start. To do this, run the following command in cmd.exe:
   

   Sc config wsearch start=disabled

2. Run the following command to stop the Windows Search service:

   Net stop wsearch

3. Run the following command to perform offline compaction of the Windows.edb file:

   esentutl.exe /d %AllUsersProfile%\Microsoft\Search\Data\Applications\Windows\Windows.edb

   
   
4. Run the following command to change the Windows Search service to delayed start:                   Sc config wsearch start=delayed-auto
5. Run the following command to start the service:

   Net start wsearch