QuickBooks is Creating Folders when I Open Company Files

Hello, EnglishTea!

Thanks for posting today. Let me shed light on the SearchIndex folders and share the steps to stop QuickBooks from creating a new one.

Quickbooks auto-creates Filename>.qbw.SearchIndex when its Search preference is set to automatically update. The program uses the contents of this folder to run a quick index search when you press F3 in a company file. You can turn this off, but it might take longer when you do searches in your company. You can re-enable it if the search performance is heavily affecting your work.

1. Go to the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Select Search, then Company Preferences.
3. Uncheck Update Automatically.
4. Click OK.

You can hide the current folders, and I recommend checking with your computer’s instructions to hide a folder or contact Microsoft about it. The steps may vary per OS version.

On the other hand, feel free to check out more references for QuickBooks Desktop on the main support page. You can also press F1 to launch the Help window and to search for the topics you like.

Let me know if you have more questions about the folders or anything about QuickBooks. Take care and more power to your business!

Hi JessT,

As mentioned in my OP, I know better than to delete these types of folders, but thank you for the warning.

Do you have an answer/solution to my question?

Thank you,

EnglishTea

Hi there, EnglishTea.

Let me share what I know about the  SearchIndex folders.

The contents of this folders are what QuickBooks uses to run a quick index search when you press F3 in a company file.

You can hide the folder if you really want to minimize the details showing on your file storage. If you're using Windows 10 as your operating system, you can follow these steps below to hide it:

1. Right click the folder.
2. Choose Properties.
3. At the Attributes section, put a check mark on Hidden.
4. Click Apply, then OK.
   

If you're using Windows 7, here's how you can hide the folder:

1. Right-click the Windows logo.
2. Select Open Windows Explorer.
3. Choose Organize.
4. Click Folder Options.
5. Go to the View tab.
6. Under Files and Folders find the option Hidden files and folders.
7. Select Don't show hidden files, folders, or drives.

I'd also suggest that you ask for help with an IT guy to look other options or steps that won't affect your company file.

I've also included this article to help you if you've encounter issues with QuickBooks: Fix company file and network issues with QuickBooks File Doctor

Let me know if you need further assistance. I'm always here to help. Have a wonderful week.