Indexing Options, the "Exclusion List"

Windows 10; Build 11082.
WHERE is the DATA folder located? I am trying to remove it from the exclusion list.

I don't have that on 11082. Click on modify, then expand C until you see a box that isn't ticked.

By default C:\Users\<whoever>\Appdata is excluded but you've changed it to something else....

Yes. I know. Did that. Can't find it ANYWHERE on my C:/ drive

I recreated your issue by indexing everything on C. It automatically excluded ProgramData and Windows so included them. Now Data is excluded. It is somewhere in ProgramData but I can't find it either. Yet...

It is C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data

It's a hidden system directory (owned by SYSTEM) that doesn't show in indexing options even with "show hidden files" on and "hide protected OS files" off in view settings.

It makes sense I guess it doesn't try to index itself. Anyway I don't think you can change this (not in 1511 either).

Nicely done! Thanks for doing the legwork!

I manually found the folder, changed all the permissions and it disappeared from my exclusion list!