Baloo re-indexes file contents after reboot

I had have many files (PDFs), after the recent update (2021-11-19 TBD), baloo started re-indexing every file and their contents, I waited until it reached 100%, and the next time when I started the PC it again started to index them from 58%.

I tried fixing this issue by

  1. Disabling Baloo
  2. Deleting the old index database
  3. Deleting the old config file of baloo (a new config file was automatically created after deleting it)
  4. Enabling Baloo

Again I waited for it to index the contents of every file, and when I restarted again I started to index the contents from 76%, and this keeps repeating. So, how do I solve this?, I have already formatted my pc more than 50 times in the past, this installation is perfect so I don’t wish to format one last time. Please Help.

I also have a “baloofileinformationrc” in my .config folder, will deleting that file solve the problem?, this file in not present in a fresh installation of manjaro.

Welcome to the forum!

Baloo is meant to run all the time ─ just as UNIX systems themselves are meant to be used ─ and it will periodically update its database due to changes to the content of files. It is generally most active upon login.

My advice would be to let Baloo index the files but not their content, as well as to exclude certain paths from being indexed. In System Settings, navigate to…

Workspace → Search

There, untick the checkbox next to “Also index file content”, and add the folders you do not want indexed ─ such as /var ─ to the list below. For each entry in that list, you can select the option not to index them from a combo box. Likewise, you can also include folders there that you do want indexed.

:arrow_down:

I frequently search inside the PDFs, (Currently its unticked) but I wish to enable it, it is very helpful.

Then I’m afraid you’re going to have to put up with the periodic reindexing, and then the best you can do is add folders that Baloo must not index to the list below the main settings, as in my screenshot above.

But this issue never occurred before.

It most certainly did. The forum is full of threads from people complaining about how Baloo slows down their system at boot.

Does that mean excluding /opt, /srv/mmedia, /usr and /var solve the issue?

The directories that I’m excluding ─ and including ─ in that list are specific to my setup; I am pretty sure you don’t even have a /srv/mmedia, which I am including in my search results.

I would definitely however exclude /var, if Baloo does not do that automatically ─ it may be hard-coded to do that already, but I don’t know.

The problem was probably created due to BTRFS and not Baloo
I use BTRFS and a easy way to fix the issue is to reinstall your system with ext4/2/3 or xfs.

I have used Manjaro with ext4 in the past and Baloo was fine that time, currently I use BTRFS

Reasons: 404057 – Uses an insane amount of memory (RSS/PSS) writing a *ton* of data while re-indexing unchanged files

Then how come I am not seeing that same problem here? I too am using btrfs. :man_shrugging:

Because you have not enabled “Also index file content”

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