Remove URLs from search results (SharePoint Server 2010)
Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010
Summary: Learn about search result removal or watch a video that shows how to immediately remove items from the index and exclude items from crawls.
A Search service application administrator can exclude specific URLs from being displayed in search results. After an administrator removes a URL, the system removes the URL from the content index and automatically creates a rule that excludes the URL from future crawls.
Video: Remove items from search results
There are two ways to remove URLs from search results. The first way uses the Remove the Item from the Index option, which is located on each URL drop-down list. The second way uses the Search Result Removal feature. The Search Result Removal feature allows for bulk URL removal and can provide a more efficient method of URL removal in instances where many search results are removed. Both methods of removing search result URLs create crawl rules after the URLs are removed.
Note
As a best practice, you should remove individual search result URLs by using the URL drop-down list method when you remove few search result URLs, and you should use the Search Result Removal feature when you remove many search result URLs. Consider that when you remove many search results, each removal will also create a crawl rule that is processed during each successive crawl. After you remove the desired search result URLs, you should work with end users to provide them with guidance for the locations, access, and permissions for all objects that they do not want to show in future search results.
Use the following procedures to remove URLs from search results.
To remove individual URLs from search results by using the URL drop-down list
Verify that the user account that is performing this procedure is a service application administrator for the Search service application.
Navigate to the SharePoint Central Administration Web page.
On the SharePoint Central Administration home page, click Manage service applications.
On the Service Applications page, click the Search service application for which you want to remove URLs from search results.
On the Search Service Application: Search Administration page, on the Quick Launch, in the Crawling section, click Crawl Log.
On the Search Service Application: Crawl Log – Content Source page, click URL.
On the Search Service Application: Crawl Log - URL page, point to the URL that you want to remove from the content index, click the arrow that appears, and then click Remove the item from the index.
In the dialog box that appears, click OK.
The URL is immediately removed from the content index, a crawl rule is created, and the following text is appended to the URL: Removed from the search index by Admin. This item will be excluded from future crawls.
Repeat the previous steps for each URL that you want to remove from search results.
To remove multiple URLs from search results by using the Search Result Removal feature
Verify that the user account that is performing this procedure is a service application administrator for the Search service application.
Navigate to the SharePoint Central Administration Web page.
On the SharePoint Central Administration home page, click Manage service applications.
On the Service Applications page, click the Search service application for which you want to remove URLs from search results.
On the Search Service Application: Search Administration page, on the Quick Launch, in the Queries and Results section, click Search Result Removal.
On the Search Service Application: Crawl Log – Remove URLs From Search Results page, in the URLs to remove text box, paste or type the search result URLs that you want to remove.
Important
All text must be in lowercase letters. If any uppercase text is present in the URLs to remove text box, unexpected results may occur, including failure to create crawl rules or remove search result URLs without an error message displayed.
Tip
When you paste search result URLs into the URLs to remove text box, you may find it helpful to first create the list of search result URLs in Notepad or similar text editor, make any uppercase letter corrections, and then paste the corrected list into the URLs to remove text box. This will let you avoid excessive scrolling to make corrections in the URLs to remove text box directly.
When all search result URLs are entered, click Remove Now.
Each URL is immediately removed from the content index, a crawl rule is created, and the following text is appended to the URL: Removed from the search index by Admin. This item will be excluded from future crawls.
To verify that all search result URLs are removed by using the Search Center site, search for keywords contained in the removed search result URLs.
To verify that a crawl rule exists for all removed search result URLs by using Central Administration, take the following steps: While in Central Administration on the Search Service Application: Search Administration page, on the Quick Launch, in the Crawling section, click Crawl Rules. A crawl rule for each removed search result URL should appear.