diff --git a/packages/search-in-workspace/src/browser/search-in-workspace-result-tree-widget.tsx b/packages/search-in-workspace/src/browser/search-in-workspace-result-tree-widget.tsx
index b2e414c094765..837363f702e11 100644
--- a/packages/search-in-workspace/src/browser/search-in-workspace-result-tree-widget.tsx
+++ b/packages/search-in-workspace/src/browser/search-in-workspace-result-tree-widget.tsx
@@ -290,7 +290,8 @@ export class SearchInWorkspaceResultTreeWidget extends TreeWidget {
             }
             return workspaceRootUri.toString().concat(pattern.replace('./', '/'));
         }
-        return globalPrefix.concat(pattern);
+
+        return pattern.startsWith('/') ? '**'.concat(pattern) : globalPrefix.concat(pattern);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -515,16 +516,16 @@ export class SearchInWorkspaceResultTreeWidget extends TreeWidget {
 
         matches.forEach(m => this.appendToResultTree(m));
 
-        // Exclude files already covered by searching open editors.
-        this.editorManager.all.forEach(e => {
-            const rootUri = this.workspaceService.getWorkspaceRootUri(e.editor.uri);
-            if (rootUri) {
-                // Exclude pattern beginning with './' works after the fix of #8469.
-                const { name, path } = this.filenameAndPath(e.editor.uri.toString(), rootUri.toString());
-                const excludePath: string = path === '' ? './' + name : path + '/' + name;
-                searchOptions.exclude = (searchOptions.exclude) ? searchOptions.exclude.concat(excludePath) : [excludePath];
-            }
-        });
+        // TODO: The following optimization is disabled until issue #9319 is resolved
+        // // Exclude files already covered by searching open editors.
+        // this.editorManager.all.forEach(e => {
+        //     const rootUri = this.workspaceService.getWorkspaceRootUri(e.editor.uri);
+        //     if (rootUri) {
+        //         const { name, path } = this.filenameAndPath(rootUri.toString(), e.editor.uri.toString());
+        //         const excludePath: string = path === '' ? './' + name : path + '/' + name;
+        //         searchOptions.exclude = (searchOptions.exclude) ? searchOptions.exclude.concat(excludePath) : [excludePath];
+        //     }
+        // });
 
         // Reduce `maxResults` due to editor results.
         if (searchOptions.maxResults) {
diff --git a/packages/search-in-workspace/src/node/ripgrep-search-in-workspace-server.ts b/packages/search-in-workspace/src/node/ripgrep-search-in-workspace-server.ts
index e15f1ab0823ae..fdc78e3216140 100644
--- a/packages/search-in-workspace/src/node/ripgrep-search-in-workspace-server.ts
+++ b/packages/search-in-workspace/src/node/ripgrep-search-in-workspace-server.ts
@@ -89,9 +89,6 @@ export class RipgrepSearchInWorkspaceServer implements SearchInWorkspaceServer {
     @inject(RgPath)
     protected readonly rgPath: string;
 
-    private static readonly GLOB_SUB_DIRECTORY_PATTERN = '**/';
-    private static readonly GLOB_COMMAND_ARGUMENT = '--glob=';
-
     constructor(
         @inject(ILogger) protected readonly logger: ILogger,
         @inject(RawProcessFactory) protected readonly rawProcessFactory: RawProcessFactory,
@@ -148,11 +145,15 @@ export class RipgrepSearchInWorkspaceServer implements SearchInWorkspaceServer {
 
     protected pathToGlobs(inputPath: string, rootFolder: string, exclude: boolean): string[] {
         const prefixPattern = (inputPattern: string): string => {
+            const globalCommandArgument = '--glob=';
             const excludeChar = exclude ? '!' : '';
-            const updatedPattern = inputPattern.startsWith(RipgrepSearchInWorkspaceServer.GLOB_SUB_DIRECTORY_PATTERN) ?
-                inputPattern : `${RipgrepSearchInWorkspaceServer.GLOB_SUB_DIRECTORY_PATTERN}${inputPattern}`;
+            const subDirGlobPattern = '**/';
+
+            const subDirGlobPrefix = inputPattern.startsWith('/') ? '**' : subDirGlobPattern;
+            const updatedPattern = inputPattern.startsWith(subDirGlobPattern) ?
+                inputPattern : `${subDirGlobPrefix}${inputPattern}`;
 
-            return `${RipgrepSearchInWorkspaceServer.GLOB_COMMAND_ARGUMENT}${excludeChar}${updatedPattern}`;
+            return `${globalCommandArgument}${excludeChar}${updatedPattern}`;
         };
 
         const toGlobPattern = pathToGlobPattern({
@@ -180,8 +181,8 @@ export class RipgrepSearchInWorkspaceServer implements SearchInWorkspaceServer {
         // we'll use to parse the lines.
         const searchId = this.nextSearchId++;
         const rootPaths = rootUris.map(root => FileUri.fsPath(root));
-        const rgArgs = this.getArgs(rootPaths, opts);
         const searchPaths: string[] = this.resolveSearchPaths(rootPaths, opts);
+        const rgArgs = this.getArgs(searchPaths, opts);
         // if we use matchWholeWord we use regExp internally,
         // so, we need to escape regexp characters if we actually not set regexp true in UI.
         if (opts && opts.matchWholeWord && !opts.useRegExp) {
@@ -344,18 +345,50 @@ export class RipgrepSearchInWorkspaceServer implements SearchInWorkspaceServer {
         }
 
         const searchPaths: string[] = [];
+        const patternPaths: string[] = [];
         opts.include.forEach(pattern => {
             rootPaths.forEach(root => {
-                const searchPath = path.join(root, pattern);
+                let searchPath = path.join(root, pattern);
+                let isPatternAValidPath = false;
                 if (fs.existsSync(searchPath)) {
+                    isPatternAValidPath = true;
+                } else if (fs.existsSync(pattern)) {
+                    searchPath = pattern;
+                    isPatternAValidPath = true;
+                } else if (pattern.endsWith('**')) {
+                    const patternPath = this.includeSubDirectoriesToPath(pattern);
+                    if (fs.existsSync(patternPath)) {
+                        searchPath = patternPath;
+                        isPatternAValidPath = true;
+                    }
+                }
+
+                if (isPatternAValidPath) {
                     searchPaths.push(searchPath);
+                    patternPaths.push(pattern);
                 }
             });
         });
 
+        // Exclude include file patters that were successfully translated to search paths
+        opts.include = opts.include.filter(item => !patternPaths.includes(item));
         return searchPaths.length > 0 ? searchPaths : rootPaths;
     }
 
+    protected includeSubDirectoriesToPath(pattern: string): string {
+        const parsedObj = path.parse(pattern);
+
+        let resultingPath = pattern;
+        if (parsedObj.base === '**') {
+            parsedObj.base = '';
+            parsedObj.name = '';
+            const transformed = resultingPath = path.format(parsedObj);
+            resultingPath = transformed.endsWith(path.sep) ? transformed.slice(0, -1) : transformed;
+        }
+
+        return resultingPath;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns the root folder uri that a file belongs to.
      * In case that a file belongs to more than one root folders, returns the root folder that is closest to the file.