Glossary
Windows Search service (WSearch)
The Windows service that crawls indexed locations and maintains the search index database (Windows.edb or Windows.db) used by Start and File Explorer.
The Windows Search service, service name WSearch, runs SearchIndexer.exe. It crawls the locations configured in Indexing Options, runs property handlers and filters on each item, and stores the results in the search index: Windows.edb on Windows 10 and earlier, Windows.db and Windows-gather.db on Windows 11.
Microsoft's troubleshooting guide expects it to run with the Automatic (Delayed Start) startup type. Because it holds the databases open, a live copy fails or is inconsistent. A disabled service, visible in the registry and event logs, explains an index that stops at a given date. See Windows Search index forensics.