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Asked: 2024-09-24T16:59:20+05:30 In:

How can I turn off file indexing on my Ubuntu system?

So, I’ve been diving into some performance tweaks on my Ubuntu system lately, and I stumbled upon file indexing. I guess it’s supposed to help with searching for files quickly, but it feels like it might be slowing things down instead. I run a lot of heavy applications, and I’ve noticed some lagging when I’m trying to access files.

I read somewhere that file indexing can take up a good amount of system resources, especially if you have a ton of files or if they’re constantly being modified. That got me thinking—should I just turn it off? I mean, I use the terminal most of the time, and I’m not really a big fan of using the GUI search function anyway. Just a few simple commands usually get me where I want to go.

Here’s my dilemma: I’m not super tech-savvy when it comes to these settings, and I don’t want to mess anything up. I’ve poked around a bit in the system settings and through some online tutorials, but it’s all a bit overwhelming. Some places mention disabling indexing via the file manager or tweaking some settings in the terminal, while others talk about completely removing indexing services.

If anyone has gone through this process, I could really use some straightforward steps. Like, do I need to access any specific configuration files? Is there a simple command I can run to disable the services? And will turning it off significantly speed things up on my machine, or am I just imagining things?

Also, while we’re at it—if I do decide to turn it off, should I be on the lookout for any issues later? Will it affect file searching in any way, or will I basically just have to rely on remembering where I put stuff?

I’m really looking for something user-friendly that doesn’t dive too deep into the technical weeds. Any help or advice from those who’ve been there, done that would be awesome! Thanks in advance!

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    2 Answers

    1. File Indexing on Ubuntu: To Disable or Not?

      It sounds like you’re in a bit of a pickle with file indexing. Totally understandable, especially if you’re running heavy applications. Here’s a simplified take on things:

      Should You Disable File Indexing?

      If you’re not using the GUI search much and prefer the terminal, turning off file indexing might actually help. It can hog resources, especially on systems with a lot of files, so if you’re noticing lag, it’s worth considering.

      How to Disable Indexing

      Here’s a simple way to do it through the terminal:

      sudo systemctl disable tracker-miner-fs.service

      This command stops the indexing service. If you want to stop it immediately, you can run this:

      sudo systemctl stop tracker-miner-fs.service

      That should give you some breathing room on your resources!

      What Happens Next?

      After you disable it, searching for files will probably take a bit longer since it won’t be indexed anymore. You’ll be doing manual searches or relying on command-line tools like:

      find /path/to/search -name "filename"

      or

      locate filename

      (Just make sure you run `sudo updatedb` first to get your database updated if you have `locate` installed.)

      Any Downsides?

      Just keep in mind, without indexing, you might find it harder to quickly search for files, especially if you forget their locations. However, if you already know your way around the terminal, it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.

      Final Thoughts

      Go for it if you’re okay with relying on terminal commands for searching. If you experience a noticeable performance boost, then it’s win-win!

    2. File indexing can indeed consume system resources, particularly on machines with a large number of files or when those files are frequently updated. If you’re primarily using the terminal for file management and not leveraging GUI search functionalities, disabling file indexing might be a worthwhile option for you. It should help alleviate some of the lag you’re experiencing when running heavy applications. To disable the indexing service in Ubuntu, you can use a terminal command. First, you may want to open the terminal and run the command sudo systemctl stop tracker-miner-fs.service to stop the indexing service immediately. To disable it from starting up again after a reboot, use sudo systemctl disable tracker-miner-fs.service. Just keep in mind that this will stop real-time indexing of your files, which means searching for files might take longer without the indexing cache.

      As for potential issues after turning off indexing, the primary factor to consider is that you’ll lose the quick search benefits that come with it. This means if you frequently search for files, you may have to rely more on your memory or use commands like find or locate for manual searches. While locate uses a database that needs to be updated separately with the command sudo updatedb, it can still be quite efficient for searching through files if you run this occasionally. So, if you’re comfortable managing your files through the terminal, turning off indexing shouldn’t cause too many issues, and it may improve your overall system responsiveness when running resource-intensive applications. Just keep track of where your important files are located, and you should be fine!

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