What is SearchProtocolHost.exe? Is SearchProtocolHost.exe spyware or a virus?
How to fix SearchProtocolHost.exe related problems?
1. Run Security Task Manager to check your SearchProtocolHost process
2. Run a Windows Repair Tool to fix SearchProtocolHost.exe related PC problems
3. Run an Antivirus to find persistent malware
Process name: Microsoft Windows Search Protocol Host
Product: Microsoft Windows Operating System or Windows Search
Company: Microsoft (microsoft.com)
File: SearchProtocolHost.exe
SearchProtocolHost.exe is part of the Windows Indexing Service, an application that indexes files on the local drive making them easier to search. This is a crucial part of the Windows operating system and should not be disabled or removed.
If you want a detailed security rating about your SearchProtocolHost.exe (and all other running background processes) read the following user opinions, and download the free trial version of Security Task Manager.
Note: Any malware can be named anything - so you should check where the files of the running processes are located on your disk. If a "non-Microsoft" .exe file is located in the C:\Windows or C:\Windows\System32 folder, then there is a high risk for a virus, spyware, trojan or worm infection! Check it out!
Click to Run a Free Scan for SearchProtocolHost.exe related Errors
Users Opinions
Average user rating of SearchProtocolHost.exe: based on 63 votes. Read also the 45 reviews.
2063 users ask for this file. 19 users rated it as not dangerous. 6 users rated it as not so dangerous. 7 users rated it as neutral. 11 users rated it as little bit dangerous. 20 users rated it as dangerous. 8 users didn't rate it ("don't know").
| All comments about SearchProtocolHost.exe: | |
|---|---|
| searchfilterhost | |
| :searchprotocolhost is spyware that comes from certain internet applications and add-ons. It slows down internet browsing performance by about 30%. some details that support this idea is that the process' priority can be changed, meaning it is not a "virgin" system process JayZ | |
| AVG flagged it in 2 different places and firewall traced it going to ports VJ | |
| Part of Windows Search desktop indexing service See also: Link joku | |
| Along with SearchFilterHost.exe it's part of Windows Indexing Service. You may look at Process Explorer to verify that Vit | |
| I've just installed Win7, and it's currently hitting my disk hard, am I worried? no, cos I check things out first - I'm not worried about an infection cos I know my machine is secure See also: Link GoldChip | |
| It directly creates ChkDisk.dll and protect.dll if you try to remove them from the registry or stop them from running MsConfig. This is not safe program behavior. I used ProcMon to track it. We are working with AvertLabs to fix this issue. These Dlls are linked to breaking one of our Web Apps. Kory Olson | |
| Apparently it is no longer an invisable process, it is used with the search indexer for windows search services. Turn off indexing and turn off the windows search service (Then restart the computer), if that doesn't make the searchprotocolhost.exe stop running than it's probably a bug or malware. SSherry | |
| Its a virus. AVG Virusscanner Zwarmapapa | |
| hit my system suddenly , over loaded my memory , slow down all system ... reinstal windows , searchprotocolhost.exe still there == system work ok up till now ... looks like this file comes with Windows UpDates , there is no programs or any thing else was instal on windows after compleet new set up . Andrey Muller | |
| on vista sp1 closing it in taskmanager stops browser redirects | |
| searchhostprotocol.exe Is a Windows process.... HOWEVER if its running in task manager you can bet you have an infection...... But it is part of windows.... Thetruth | |
| Searchprotocolhost.exe is a Windows program. However its possible for it to become infected. EVEN IF A Anti-Virus program puts searchprotocolhost.exe in chest you still have the real one located in your system files. Deleting this file manually is a bad idea. Google it and try fixes. KyKy420 | |
| Even if it isn't spyware, it's still a garbage process that slows down computers, and hogs memory and resources. Mikee | |
| It's most likely a virus. Find the file on disk and see where it is and what folders are around it. Mine was in an odd directory name with a ton of download folders containing crap. Pete | |
| It's for indexing the contents on the PC (files, data files, outlook email files) so that Windows can quickly find the string match when we search for keywords Elmo | |
| Elmo is the only one with a clue. SearchProtocolHost.exe indexes your PC contents for faster searching. OJ | |
| SearchProtocolHost.exe is trustable, but i think that a virus is using its name (SearchProtocolHost.exe *32) in commandpromt. I got two, the real is in /Windows32, the other is in /SysWOW64 Christian. | |
| It's for indexing files so that Windows can quickly find, when we search for keywords BUT there are many viruses triggered processes named searchhostprotocol.exe ,easy way to distinguish between them are look at the priviledge and trusted installer it will be windows if it true process otherwise it would be the user jishnuprathapmp | |
| avg detected it as a virus. i removed it and after a moment it came back! izzko | |
| I have a step to add. Even after stopping and disabling it from the Run...Services.msc window, it reasserts itself instantly in Task Manager. Therefore, in the same window, right-click on Windows Search and open Properties. Go to the Recovery tab and change the actions for the First and following failures to "Take No Action". This helped me to keep it from continually popping up. Terry | |
| This file is not a virus or sypware. Is used by Windows Search service and is indexing almost everything you do. You can disable that buy going to MSconfig. However if the file is not in System32 its not an original file Pet | |
| Christian: you see 2 copies because you're running 64-bit windows. The one in /Windows32 is to help with 64-bit apps; and the one is /SysWOW64 is for 32-bit apps ("obviously"). Duke | |
| It slows down everything and I don't need it for searches Chuck | |
| can be accessed by third parties to remotely search a computer for any indexed file. | |
| It is a Spyware, Although this application is in the original system running as SYSTEM appears, the running SPYWARE version appears as if the user had opened, that is your name (in my case MIKE) Info from: Microsoft Forum mmiiqquueell | |
| Looks like there is at least 2 versions of SearchProtocolHost. One is from Microsoft and is located in the System32 folder. Another is related to search.conduit.com and was installed with the Free Ride Games Player. I have Virus Total Updater 2.2-beta installed on my Win 7 computer. It is free to use at the link provided. SearchProtocolHost showed up on Virus Total. I had just installed the game player from Free Ride Games. When I uninstalled search conduit from add/remove programs, SearchProtocolHost was gone from Virus Total. Search.Conduit.com becomes the home page on your browsers as well as the default search engine. Basically a high-jacker / pup. Even though SearchProtocolHost is no longer showing up in VirusTotal the Microsoft version is still in my Sytem32 folder. See also: Link Link Linda | |
| If in System folder then there is no danger. Morehumor | |
| It's from Microsoft (part of Windows) - It does the indexing of your hard drive to make searching for files faster. You CAN turn off the indexing. See also: Link Jim | |
| The file is from Microsoft Windows, however, files can infect this process and it will slow your system, make it use all your hard disk and CPU force. Ponptc | |
| This file is a windows file and is used in several search mechanisms. Don't take my word for it, but if a antivirus product like Symantec does not make an issue of it, it will be safe. See also: Link Jaap | |
| Can be infected, but 85% of the time it's just doing what it's supposed to in a haphazardly obtuse way. If you have no need to search your own PC, just disable it through msconfig or services.msc. Also, what Terry said, don't forget to swap it to "Take No Action" (remember to check for this on any system process you need disabled or it'll pop right back up) Like most 'essential' windows files, there's dozens of ways it can muck itself up and get caught in a loop. If it only happened a couple times a month let it do its thing, any more often feel free to keep it shut down. If the main task manager services window isn't detailed enough for you, pick up Process Explorer. Should show really fast what, if anything, it's connected to. If it isn't by itself it's usually stuck beneath the largest svchost. If you're familiar with Of Mice and Men, my dad used to like to refer to the search programs as the "lennies" of microsoft, because they're not the smartest programs and wind up causing more damage than convenience. Before you do anything else on a new computer or a fresh install, it's probably a good habit to take snapshots of all the processes in both Proc and Task Manager so you can manually return it to the bare essentials without confusion. See also: Link Krawczyk | |
| It's windows indexing files service | |
| It's part of the Windows Search service. See also: Link MarkCidade | |
| My only concern is my McAfee All Access Internet app keeps notifying me (I set it to notify me of any programs requesting internet access) that SearchProtocolHost wants internet access. f it is just an indexing app to speed up local searches on my computer, then WHY does it need internet access? Is it reporting all of my files to Microsoft for the government to look at if it so chooses to do so without my consent or a warrant? Other than that I have no problem with this program. I have decided that Microsoft and whomever else doesn't need to know of this programs findings, so I have blocked it from internet access for now using my Mcafee app. Bill | |
| This seems to be a normal indexing process for Windows Zee | |
| It's not a virus, just part of Windows Search. Badly designed maybe, but harmless. Daniel | |
| downloads enorous amounts of data without any visible reason Ron | |
| Not sure what it's up to, but every time I send a web link to someone with Outlook, it comes up again, trying to access config.edge.skype.com. N | |
| AVAST showed me a box stating SearchProtocolHost is going somewhere/doing somewhere and suggested disabling it. So I accepted to disable it. No clue why the suggestion. Thereafter, I checked where do I have such file(s). Found (after disabeling decision) it only once, and in the system32 folder. So.. dunno whether there was another or not, but followed AVAST suggestion to disable, at least what AVAST "reported". Jukka | |
| this, tried to search a document, and my antivirus found it barack trump | |
| In my case this is a "legitimate" process. It is not a virus nor a worm. But I am pretty sure, Microsoft uses it to log information about users in its databases. Maybe it's "just" meta-data. But also with little information the profile is growing to something worse than Orwell ever had imagined. Since I am using Malwarebytes Microsoft firewall control I can see that MS contacts its servers every one to ten minutes. This is the reason I will switch to linux now. See also: Link Sebastian B. | |
| It's normally a part of windows search desktop indexing service, but it may have been corrupted if it doesn't work as it should. Ellie | |
| Safe background process that is running when user tries to find or create files. Daniel Shaulov | |
| This executable is a valid part of Windows, and normally shouldn’t be a threat. Daniel Shaulov | |
Show all 45 comments
More process information
Is SearchProtocolHost.exe spyware or a virus, trojans, adware or worm? Is there a known SearchProtocolHost.exe error?
Other Processes
lxrjd31s.exe mpshhook.dll SearchProtocolHost.exe pastisvc.exe tpsbattm.exe naprdmgr.exe aolsoftware.exe psdrvcheck.exe [all processes]