diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/index/OIndexAbstract.java b/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/index/OIndexAbstract.java
index e145532d749..de73f17f7c2 100755
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/index/OIndexAbstract.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/index/OIndexAbstract.java
@@ -270,19 +270,6 @@ public boolean loadFromConfiguration(final ODocument config) {
       try {
         indexId = storage.loadIndexEngine(im.getName());
         apiVersion = OAbstractPaginatedStorage.extractEngineAPIVersion(indexId);
-
-        if (indexId == -1) {
-          Map<String, String> engineProperties = new HashMap<>();
-          // this property is used for autosharded index
-          if (im.getMetadata() != null && im.getMetadata().containsField("partitions")) {
-            engineProperties.put("partitions", im.getMetadata().field("partitions"));
-          } else {
-            engineProperties.put("partitions", Integer.toString(clustersToIndex.size()));
-          }
-          indexId = storage.loadExternalIndexEngine(indexMetadata, engineProperties);
-          apiVersion = OAbstractPaginatedStorage.extractEngineAPIVersion(indexId);
-        }
-
         if (indexId == -1) {
           return false;
         }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/storage/OStorage.java b/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/storage/OStorage.java
index 1d5d5870cea..18af4372439 100755
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/storage/OStorage.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/storage/OStorage.java
@@ -320,9 +320,6 @@ int addIndexEngine(
 
   int loadIndexEngine(final String name);
 
-  int loadExternalIndexEngine(
-      final OIndexMetadata indexMetadata, final Map<String, String> engineProperties);
-
   void clearIndex(final int indexId) throws OInvalidIndexEngineIdException;
 
   void deleteIndexEngine(int indexId) throws OInvalidIndexEngineIdException;
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/storage/impl/local/OAbstractPaginatedStorage.java b/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/storage/impl/local/OAbstractPaginatedStorage.java
index 244d4628fcd..389fc411bf3 100755
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/storage/impl/local/OAbstractPaginatedStorage.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/orientechnologies/orient/core/storage/impl/local/OAbstractPaginatedStorage.java
@@ -2534,79 +2534,6 @@ public int loadIndexEngine(final String name) {
     }
   }
 
-  public int loadExternalIndexEngine(
-      final OIndexMetadata indexMetadata, final Map<String, String> engineProperties) {
-    final OIndexDefinition indexDefinition = indexMetadata.getIndexDefinition();
-    try {
-      stateLock.writeLock().lock();
-      try {
-
-        checkOpennessAndMigration();
-
-        // this method introduced for binary compatibility only
-        if (configuration.getBinaryFormatVersion() > 15) {
-          return -1;
-        }
-        if (indexEngineNameMap.containsKey(indexMetadata.getName())) {
-          throw new OIndexException(
-              "Index with name " + indexMetadata.getName() + " already exists");
-        }
-        makeStorageDirty();
-
-        final int binaryFormatVersion = getConfiguration().getBinaryFormatVersion();
-        final byte valueSerializerId = indexMetadata.getValueSerializerId(binaryFormatVersion);
-
-        final OBinarySerializer<?> keySerializer = determineKeySerializer(indexDefinition);
-        if (keySerializer == null) {
-          throw new OIndexException("Can not determine key serializer");
-        }
-        final int keySize = determineKeySize(indexDefinition);
-        final OType[] keyTypes =
-            Optional.of(indexDefinition).map(OIndexDefinition::getTypes).orElse(null);
-        int generatedId = indexEngines.size();
-        final IndexEngineData engineData =
-            new IndexEngineData(
-                generatedId,
-                indexMetadata,
-                true,
-                valueSerializerId,
-                keySerializer.getId(),
-                keyTypes,
-                keySize,
-                null,
-                null,
-                engineProperties);
-
-        final OBaseIndexEngine engine = OIndexes.createIndexEngine(this, engineData);
-
-        engine.load(engineData);
-
-        atomicOperationsManager.executeInsideAtomicOperation(
-            null,
-            atomicOperation -> {
-              indexEngineNameMap.put(indexMetadata.getName(), engine);
-              indexEngines.add(engine);
-              ((OClusterBasedStorageConfiguration) configuration)
-                  .addIndexEngine(atomicOperation, indexMetadata.getName(), engineData);
-            });
-        return generateIndexId(engineData.getIndexId(), engine);
-      } catch (final IOException e) {
-        throw OException.wrapException(
-            new OStorageException(
-                "Cannot add index engine " + indexMetadata.getName() + " in storage."),
-            e);
-      } finally {
-        stateLock.writeLock().unlock();
-      }
-    } catch (final RuntimeException ee) {
-      throw logAndPrepareForRethrow(ee);
-    } catch (final Error ee) {
-      throw logAndPrepareForRethrow(ee, false);
-    } catch (final Throwable t) {
-      throw logAndPrepareForRethrow(t, false);
-    }
-  }
-
   public int addIndexEngine(
       final OIndexMetadata indexMetadata, final Map<String, String> engineProperties) {
     final OIndexDefinition indexDefinition = indexMetadata.getIndexDefinition();