# What is a search index?

An index is what allows Curiosity to find files and messages. It's the basis of the search app.

Curiosity has the following indexes, which you can re-create in case of any issue:

• Search Indexes (files, folders, messages)
• Installed apps (e.g. to open PowerPoint or Slack)
• Filters (the filters you use to narrow down your search results)
• Commands (e.g. "shut down computer" or "new document")
• Missing Previews

| 💡 If you're not seeing a search result you'd expect, re-creating the Search Indexes can sometimes help.

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# How to re-create an index

To re-create an index:

1. In the left bar, click the cog (⚙️) icon for Preferences
2. Scroll down to the section Troubleshooting in the left sidebar
3. Click the 🔄 button next to the index you'd like to recreate
4. Confirm you want to re-create the index

The app will re-create the index. You can continue to use the app and let the reindexing run in the background.

| 💡 Re-creating Search Indexes can take some time if you have lots of files. See our user guide on how to schedule and change indexing speed.

|| ⚠️ When re-creating Search Indexes, search results will be incomplete until reindexing is finished.