What does the Indexer do?
The Logos indexer powers the Logos search engine by building an index of your library. Indexing is essential for finding results from every resource in your library.
The initial index may take a significant amount of time, but subsequent updates to the index should take less time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What if I add a new book?
A. Your new book (or books) will be indexed by itself, then merged into the main index. This is typically much faster than building the initial index.
Q. Is there a way to pause indexing?
A. Yes. There is an option to pause the indexing process for 4 hours at a time. You'll find it at the bottom of the Logos window during indexing.
Note: You can also pause indexing by right-clicking on the Logos indexer icon that appears in the System Tray (by your computer's clock and internet connection icons) on Windows or by clicking the same icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen on macOS.
Pausing the indexer will prevent it from processing more information, reducing the strain on your system resources, but does not free up memory that is already in use.
Q. Can I speed it up?
A. You might try temporarily pausing your anti-virus or backup software.
Indexing speed is also affected by the amount of memory available and the speed of your hard drive. Upgrading RAM or replacing the computer's drive with a Solid State Drive hard drive may increase indexing speed significantly on some systems.
Indexing Tips
- Be sure not to put your computer to sleep (hibernate) while indexing. This includes not closing the lid if you're using a laptop.
- You may find using your computer while indexing makes it perform more slowly. Using your computer will not harm the index, but it will slow the process depending on how many system resources are being used by additional tasks.
- If you need to rebuild the index, or need to reinstall Logos, doing so overnight will help prevent the potentially lengthy process from getting in the way of using the computer otherwise.
Troubleshooting
Indexing Errors:
Indexing is generally a very smooth process, but occasionally some problems can occur, especially if the process has been interrupted. You may receive the following message:
"Logos Bible Software Indexer has encountered a problem and needs to close".
or
You may simply see the notification icon next to the sync arrows continuously indicate Logos is indexing, and never go away. To see if the indexer is crashing there is one location you can check to verify whether or not it is running.
- On Windows, look for a Logos icon in the system tray in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. You may need to click the "Show hidden icons" button.
- On Mac, look in the top right of the menu bar.
If the icon is missing from the location but the notification icon in Logos is indicating that it's still indexing, please try the following:
- Open Logos with logging enabled.
- Click the "Command" box at the top of the window.
- Enter the command: "Rebuild Index" and hit the Enter key.
The indexer should begin rebuilding your index immediately. This may take several hours for large libraries. If the indexer continues to crash please send us the log files (see the article for enabling logging instructions above.
Indexing is taking too long:
Indexing time can vary by computer and size of the Library. It may take a few hours to complete. It is important to leave your computer running while the indexer is running. Do not set it to "sleep" or "hibernate", turn it off or restart it. If you're using a laptop, be sure to leave the lid open and the power cable plugged in.
If interrupted, it will need to start over. If you feel it has stalled, please use the Rebuild Index command referenced above.