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"Discovered but not crawled" in Bing: what it means and how to fix it

Bing knows the page exists but has not crawled it yet, so it can't appear on Bing. Here is why it happens and what to do.

Bing Webmaster Tools: URL InspectionChecked on October 8, 2026

By Bruno Amorim · ·

Where you see it

In Bing Webmaster Tools, open URL Inspection and enter the page. The Index card shows "Discovered but not crawled" with "URL cannot appear on Bing" under it. In Site Explorer, the same kind of page is under the filter "URLs selected but not yet crawled".

What it means

Bing found the page address, from your sitemap, a link, or a submission. But Bingbot has not visited the page yet. A page Bing has not crawled can't show up on Bing or in Microsoft Copilot answers.

Bing's own message on this status says: "The inspected URL was discovered but has not been crawled yet." It is a waiting state, not an error on the page itself.

The Live URL tab can show "URL can be indexed by Bing" at the same time. That is not a contradiction. Live URL tests your page right now. The Index card shows what Bing has done with it so far.

Common causes

Most likely first.

  1. The page or the site is new, and Bing has not got to it yet. Bing says it still needs to crawl and assess a page, even after you submit it.
  2. Few links point to the page. Pages with no links from your other pages, or a site with no links from other sites, wait the longest.
  3. Bing does not see enough value in the site to crawl more of it yet. Bing's help says it can't select every page, and it picks the sites most likely to help searchers.
  4. A Crawl-delay line in robots.txt slows Bingbot down. Bing's message on this status asks you to remove it.
  5. Your server is slow or returns errors to Bingbot, so Bing crawls less.

How to tell which cause applies

  1. Run the Live URL test in URL Inspection. If it says "URL can be indexed by Bing", Bingbot can reach the page, and the cause is time, links, or how Bing rates the site.
  2. Open your robots.txt at /robots.txt. Look for Crawl-delay in the * group or in a bingbot group.
  3. Search Bing for site:yourdomain.com. If none of your pages show, the whole site is waiting, which points to a new site or a site-level quality call. If most pages show, the problem is these pages: links or content.
  4. In Site Explorer or URL Inspection, check when Bing discovered the page. A page discovered last week needs time. A page discovered months ago needs work.
  5. Check that your server answers Bingbot. Your host's or CDN's log should show bingbot requests with status 200.

How to fix it

  1. Remove any Crawl-delay line from robots.txt. To slow Bingbot at busy hours, use Crawl Control in Bing Webmaster Tools instead.
  2. Submit your sitemap in Bing Webmaster Tools under Sitemaps, and keep it current. List only pages you want on Bing.
  3. Link to the page from pages Bing already shows, such as your home page or a popular post.
  4. Tell Bing when pages change. Use IndexNow, or URL Submission in Bing Webmaster Tools.
  5. In URL Inspection, click Request indexing for the pages that matter most. Bing says it acts on it if it can fetch the page and the page follows its guidelines.
  6. Make each page worth showing: original text that answers what a searcher wants. Merge thin pages that say the same thing.
  7. If nothing changes after a few weeks and your site follows the guidelines, open a ticket with Bing Webmaster support from inside Bing Webmaster Tools.

When you can ignore it

You can ignore it for pages you don't want in search, such as tag pages, filtered lists, or old test pages. Take those out of your sitemap so Bing spends its time on the pages that count.

With CrawlCoach

Connect Bing Webmaster Tools on any paid plan. CrawlCoach lists the pages that are on Google but that Bing has not crawled, or has not crawled in 90 days. On Pro and Agency, CrawlCoach sends those pages to Bing for you, up to Bing's daily limit, and marks each fix done when Bing crawls the page. On Starter, you get the list to paste into URL Submission.

Questions

Why does Live URL say "URL can be indexed by Bing" when the page is "Discovered but not crawled"?

The two views answer different questions. Live URL fetches your page now and finds nothing that blocks it. The Index card shows that Bing has not crawled it yet. Both can be true. The page is ready, and Bing has not got to it.

How long does "Discovered but not crawled" last?

Bing gives no time. New pages often wait days or weeks. If a page stays in this state for months, treat it as a links or quality problem, not a waiting problem.

Does Request indexing fix it?

It can move a single page up the queue, and it uses your daily URL Submission quota. It does not help if Bing does not want to crawl more of the site. Many site owners report clicking it with no change. Fix links and content first, then request indexing for your key pages.

My whole site shows "Discovered but not crawled". What does that mean?

When site:yourdomain.com returns nothing on Bing and every page shows this status, Bing is holding back the whole site. Check robots.txt, your firewall, and the Bing Webmaster Guidelines. Then contact Bing Webmaster support. Only Bing can say why a whole site is held back.

Related guides

Sources

Checked on October 8, 2026. Vendors change their tools and docs, so check the source if something looks different.

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