“The search results are not being indexed” – New items aren’t being indexed or included in search results.

If new items are not being indexed or included in search results in SharePoint, it usually indicates an issue with the search crawl, indexing process, search service, or permissions. This means that SharePoint is not properly crawling or updating the index with newly added content.

Below is a detailed and step-by-step troubleshooting guide to diagnose and resolve this issue.

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Step 1: Verify That Content Exists and Is Accessible

Before troubleshooting, ensure that the content you’re trying to search for actually exists in SharePoint.

1. Manually browse the document library or list where the missing content is stored.
2. If you are searching for a specific document or item, copy its exact title and try searching for it using that title.
3. If the content exists but does not appear in search, proceed to the next steps.

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Step 2: Check Search Crawl Status

If search results are not updating, it may be due to the search crawl not running or failing.

2.1: Open the Search Crawl Log

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Click Manage Service Applications.
3. Select Search Service Application.
4. Under Crawling, click Crawl Log.
5. Look for errors such as:
   • Access Denied – Permissions issue.
   • Crawl Component Not Available – Search component failure.
   • Error Retrieving Content – Index corruption or connectivity issue.

If there are errors, proceed with fixing them in the upcoming steps.

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Step 3: Check if the Content Source is Configured Correctly

SharePoint uses content sources to determine what content to index.

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Go to Search Service Application > Content Sources.
3. Ensure that the correct site URL is listed in the content source.
4. If the site URL is missing, add it manually:
   • Click New Content Source.
   • Select SharePoint Sites.
   • Enter the Site URL.
   • Click Start Full Crawl.

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Step 4: Perform a Manual Full Crawl

If new items are not being indexed, forcing a full crawl can help.

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Go to Search Service Application > Content Sources.
3. Select SharePoint Sites.
4. Click Start Full Crawl.
5. Wait for the crawl to complete and check if search results update.

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Step 5: Verify Search Indexing Settings for Libraries and Lists

Sometimes, specific document libraries or lists are excluded from search indexing.

5.1: Check Library/List Search Settings

1. Navigate to the document library or list where the missing content exists.
2. Click Library Settings (or List Settings).
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Scroll to the Search section and ensure:
   • “Allow items from this document library to appear in search results?” is set to Yes.
5. Click OK and test search again.

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Step 6: Check Search Indexing Status

If the search index is corrupted, new content will not be indexed.

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Go to Search Service Application.
3. Click Index Reset.
4. Click Reset Now (Caution: This will remove the entire index and require a full crawl).
5. After resetting, perform a full crawl.

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Step 7: Verify Crawl Account Permissions

The Crawl Account must have the correct permissions to read content.

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Click Security > Configure Service Accounts.
3. Find the account used for the Search Service Application (e.g., SP_Crawl).
4. Ensure this account has Read access to all site collections.
5. If necessary, grant permissions using PowerShell: $web = Get-SPWebApplication "http://YourSiteURL" $web.GrantAccessToProcessIdentity("DOMAIN\SP_Crawl")

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Step 8: Ensure Managed Properties Are Configured Correctly

Search results rely on Managed Properties to filter and display content.

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Go to Search Service Application > Search Schema.
3. Ensure the following Managed Properties exist:
   • Title
   • Content
   • Author
   • Modified Date
4. If any are missing, create new mappings.

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Step 9: Restart the Search Service

If the search service is malfunctioning, restarting it may help.

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Go to System Settings > Manage Services on Server.
3. Find:
   • SharePoint Server Search
   • Search Host Controller Service
4. If they are stopped, click Start.

You can also restart via PowerShell:

Restart-Service -Name OSearch15 -Force

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Step 10: Check SharePoint Search Logs for Errors

If indexing is still not working, check the SharePoint ULS logs.

1. Open SharePoint Management Shell.
2. Run the following command: Get-SPLogEvent | Where-Object { $_.Category -eq "Search" } | Select-Object -First 20
3. Look for errors related to indexing and search.

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Step 11: Verify SQL Server Permissions

If search still isn’t indexing new content, check SQL Server settings.

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
2. Expand Databases and check:
   • Search Administration Database (Search_Service_Application_DB).
   • Crawl Database (Search_Service_Application_CrawlStore).
   • Analytics Database (Search_Service_Application_AnalyticsStore).
3. Ensure that the Search Service Account has:
   • DB_OWNER and DB_ACCESSADMIN roles.

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Step 12: Rebuild the Search Service Application (If Needed)

If all else fails, you may need to delete and recreate the Search Service Application.

12.1: Delete the Existing Search Service Application

1. Open Central Administration.
2. Go to Manage Service Applications.
3. Select Search Service Application and click Delete.

12.2: Create a New Search Service Application

1. Open Central Administration > Manage Service Applications.
2. Click New > Search Service Application.
3. Enter:
   • Service Name (e.g., Search_Service_New).
   • Service Account (Select an existing or create a new one).
4. Click OK and perform a Full Crawl.

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Step 13: Restart the SharePoint Server

If search is still not indexing, restart the server.

Restart-Computer -Force

After restarting, verify indexing using:

Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance

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