Все способы:
- Поиск файлов в Виндовс 10
- Способ 1: Специальный софт
- Способ 2: Стандартные инструменты системы
- Заключение
- Вопросы и ответы: 2
Многие пользователи держат на своих компьютерах огромное количество различных файлов – коллекции музыки и видео, пухлые папки с проектами и документами. При таких условиях поиск нужных данных может вызвать значительные затруднения. В этой статье мы научимся эффективно производить поиск по файловой системе Windows 10.
Поиск файлов в Виндовс 10
Искать файлы в «десятке» можно несколькими способами – с использованием встроенных инструментов или сторонних программ. Каждый из методов имеет свои нюансы, о которых мы и поговорим далее.
Способ 1: Специальный софт
Программ, предназначенных для решения поставленной сегодня задачи, разработано довольно много, и все они имеют схожий функционал. В качестве примера мы воспользуемся Effective File Search, как наиболее простым и удобным инструментом. Данный софт имеет одну особенность: его можно сделать портативным, то есть записать на флешку, причем без применения дополнительных средств (читаем обзор по ссылке ниже).
Читайте также: Программы для поиска файлов на компьютере
Для того чтобы описать принцип работы, смоделируем такую ситуацию: нам необходимо найти на диске C: заархивированный в ZIP документ MS Word, содержащий информацию о программе Rainmeter. Кроме того мы знаем, что он был добавлен в архив в январе и больше ничего. Приступим к поиску.
- Запускаем программу. В первую очередь идем в меню «Опции» и ставим флажок возле пункта «Искать архивы».
- Нажимаем кнопку обзора возле поля «Папка».
Выбираем локальный диск С: и жмем ОК.
- Переходим на вкладку «Дата и размер». Здесь ставим переключатель в положение «Между», выбираем параметр «Создан» и вручную прописываем диапазон дат.
- На вкладке «С текстом», в самом верхнем поле пишем искомое слово или фразу (Rainmeter).
- Теперь жмем «Поиск» и ждем завершения операции.
- Если мы кликнем ПКМ по файлу в поисковой выдаче и выберем пункт «Открыть Содержащую Папку»,
то увидим, что это действительно ZIP-архив. Дальше документ можно извлечь (просто перетащить на рабочий стол или в другое удобное место) и поработать с ним.
Читайте также: Как открыть ZIP файл
Как видите, обращаться с Effective File Search довольно просто. Если вам требуется более точно настроить поиск, можно воспользоваться другими фильтрами программы, например, поискать файлы по расширению или размеру (см. обзор).
Способ 2: Стандартные инструменты системы
Во всех версиях Windows имеется встроенная система поиска, а в «десятке» была добавлена возможность быстрого доступа к фильтрам. Если поставить курсор в поисковое поле, то в меню «Проводника» появляется новая вкладка с соответствующим названием.
После ввода имени или расширения файла можно уточнить место для розыска – только текущая папка или все вложенные.
В качестве фильтров возможно использовать тип документа, его размер, дату изменения и «Другие свойства» (дублируются наиболее распространенные для быстрого доступа к ним).
Еще несколько полезных опций находится в выпадающем списке «Дополнительные параметры».
Здесь можно включить поиск по архивам, содержимому, а также в списке системных файлов.
Кроме встроенного в проводник инструмента, в Windows 10 имеется еще одна возможность находить необходимые документы. Скрывается она под значком лупы возле кнопки «Пуск».
Алгоритмы этого средства несколько отличаются от тех, что используются в «Проводнике», и в выдачу попадают только те файлы, что были созданы недавно. При этом релевантность (соответствие запросу) не гарантирована. Здесь можно выбрать только тип – «Документы», «Фотографии» или выбрать еще из трех фильтров в списке «Другие».
Такой вид поиска поможет быстро отыскать последние использованные документы и картинки.
Заключение
В описанных способах есть несколько отличий, которые помогут определиться с выбором инструмента. Встроенные средства имеют один существенный недостаток: после ввода запроса сразу начинается сканирование и, чтобы применить фильтры, приходится дожидаться его окончания. Если это делать «на лету», процесс начинается заново. Сторонние программы не имеют этого минуса, но требуют дополнительных манипуляций в виде подбора подходящего варианта, загрузки и установки. Если вы не часто ищете данные у себя на дисках, вполне можете ограничиться системным поиском, а если эта операция входит в число регулярных, лучше воспользоваться специальным софтом.
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In this article, I will show you the easiest ways to search your files in Windows 10 and 11.
1. Taskbar search
With Windows Taskbar, you can rapidly search for files in your indexed folders. Besides the document search, you can also use it to search for settings, applications, emails, folders, and different types of files – images, music, videos, and others.
Here is a quick guide on how to search with the Taskbar:
- Click on the search bar at the bottom left of your screen or press the Windows key.
- Type your keywords.
If you want to display only the documents, click the «Documents» tab.
Click the «More» tab to display a specific category of files like Music, Photos, Videos, and more.
It is important to mention that the Taskbar allows you to search only the indexed folders. In the Windows Indexing section, you can see how to add a folder to the index so that you can search it with the Taskbar.
2. File Explorer
File Explorer is the built-in file manager in Windows. It offers many functional capabilities for searching your files and folders.
Search by file name
1. Open the folder you want to search. If you choose «This PC,» you will search all drives on your computer.
2. Click on the search box and type the name or part of the name of the file you are looking for.
The more files in the folder, the longer it will take for the search to complete.
Search file contents
You can also use File Explorer to search the text content of files. If you want to find a document whose name you don’t remember, search for words you think are in the file’s contents.
To search the text of the documents:
- In Windows 10, click on «Advanced options» -> «File Contents.»
- In Windows 11, type the search words and click on the «Search options» -> «File Contents.»
Windows 10
Windows 11
This helpful feature also has some disadvantages compared to the external search tools:
- Finding all the files takes a long time, especially in a large folder.
- You can’t see the found text until you open the file and search for the same words again.
Windows indexing
When searching for files in Windows, you will mainly use File Explorer and Taskbar. While the File Explorer can search any folder, the Taskbar is limited to indexed folders only.
Indexed folders are pre-read and cataloged by your computer, so you get fast results when you search through their contents. Non-indexed folders need to be read by your computer on every search, which makes the process very slow for folders with large numbers of files.
This is why you might consider indexing your important folders.
By default, Windows indexes only the Pictures, Documents, Music, and Desktop folders (including subfolders).
You can add to the index any folder you like by following these steps:
- On the Taskbar, type «Windows Search settings» to open the Search settings.
- In Windows 10, click «Customize search locations here» under the «Classic» menu.
In Windows 11, click on «Advanced indexing options.»
- Click the «Modify» button.
- Locate all the folders you want to add to the index and select each with the checkbox.
- Click «OK» — «Close.»
If you want to index your entire PC, under the «Find My Files» menu, check «Enhanced.»
When you have selected this option, you can add some folders to exclude them from the index by clicking on «Add an excluded folder.»
Search options
Once you’ve clicked in the search box and typed the search words, you’ll see the various options you can apply to your search.
Search in subfolders – Check or uncheck this option to include or exclude subfolders.
Windows 10
Windows 11
Filter by date modified – Click the «Date modified» button and select a date. For example, if you check today’s date, only files that were changed today will be displayed.
Windows 10
Windows 11
File types – Select the type of files you want to search – such as photos, videos, music, games, and more.
Windows 10
Windows 11
Search by folder name – To search by folder name, select «Kind» -> «Folder.»
Search by file size – Click on the «Size» button to filter the files by size.
Windows 10
Windows 11
Search filters — you can specify the type of file you’re looking for. To specify a specific file type, type «ext: filetype» after your keywords.
To search for two or more types simultaneously, type OR between them:
You can combine multiple filters with multiple options.
You can access these filters from the search menu as well. Just head to the «Refine» section.
Sort the files — right-click the results pane and select «Sort by.»
Choose your sort criteria and the display order – whether ascending or descending.
Boolean operators
Boolean operators consist of the words «AND,» «OR,» and «NOT.» They allow you to add more conditions to your search.
You can use the Boolean operators in File Explorer. For example, if you want to search for .docx and .pdf documents containing both terms «art» and «e-commerce» and not the term «reports,» you can type:
art AND e-commerce NOT reports ext: doc OR pdf
Finally, let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of File Explorer in terms of searching files.
Advantages
- You don’t need to install anything – it is built into Windows.
- It offers a wide variety of options.
- You can search in the text of the documents.
Disadvantages
- The tool doesn’t show the found text – you need to open each file separately and search for it again in the document.
- You cannot see the folder containing each file in the results.
- You cannot search for word combinations.
- Searching the text of files is slow unless you enable the indexing option.
SeekFast’s unique text search capabilities
When it comes to searching for text in your files, I recommend SeekFast — a popular and convenient program for textual search on your computer, created in 2008. It supports Windows and macOS and comes with a free and paid version.
SeekFast’s user-friendly interface and intelligent search function set it apart from similar tools. The intelligent search function allows you to search as conveniently on your computer as with web search engines such as Google and Bing. You can search for combinations of words that occur in different places in the text. SeekFast then analyzes the results and ranks the most relevant at the top, making it easy for you to find what you’re looking for.
SeekFast can search in all popular document types – MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, WordPerfect, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, LaTeX, RTF, email files, eBook files, audio files, video files, and many types of text files, including programming language files.
Some other essential features of SeekFast are:
- Load a list of search terms from a text file.
- Save the search result to a CSV or text file.
- Sort results by relevance, date, or file name.
- Fine-tune the search using the «Case sensitive,» «Match word,» «Any of words,» and other options.
How to use SeekFast
To start using SeekFast, follow these steps:
1. Download and install SeekFast.
2. Press the «Browse» button to select a folder to search.
3. Type a search word or combination of words in the search box and click «Enter.»
4. In the search results you see both the names and folders of the found files and the sentences containing the search words. You can click on the file name to open it.
5. Click on the sentence to see a larger context without opening the file.
You can load previously searched folders instantly:
Fine-tune your search
Below the SeekFast search field is a ribbon from which you can fine-tune your SeekFast search:
- Choose how to sort results — by relevance, date, or file name.
- Search Case sensitive.
- Search by exact word match.
- «Any of words» option allows you to see all sentences in which at least one of the searched words occurs.
- Search file names — search both text and file names.
- Include subfolders — control whether the search should be only in the main folder or all its subfolders.
In addition, the «Options» menu allows you to control many other program features.
Advantages
- Intelligent search, allowing you to see the most relevant results on the top.
- You can search for combinations of words.
- The search is very fast.
- Support of all commonly used document types.
- You can sort the results by different criteria.
- Convenient and easy to use interface.
- The program has a free version.
Disadvantages
- The free version can only search up to 50 files at a time.
4. Everything
If you need to search only the names of the files, Everything is a very suitable program for you – it is fast, convenient, and is made just for this purpose.
I do not recommend Everything to search the text of your documents because it is relatively slow for this kind of search. In addition, you will not be able to see the text of the sentences found without opening the file itself.
How to use Everything
1. Download Everything.
2. When installing the program, in the «NTFS indexing» options, leave the default option «Install Everything service» so that your searches can be fast.
3. Start the program and enter the word you are looking for in the search field.
4. Click on a folder or file to open it.
Search within a specific folder
By default, Everything searches your entire PC. If you only want to search a specific folder, follow these steps:
1. Go to «Search» -> «Advanced Search.»
2. Click the «Browse» button and select the desired folder.
3. Leave «Include subfolders» checked if you want to search in subfolders.
4. Click «OK» to close the Advanced Search.
5. Type your search word to the right.
Search the text of the documents
Everything can search the text of almost all types of documents, but the search is very slow. I recommend you use it only in a specific folder with a small number of documents.
To search the text of documents, follow these steps:
1. Go to «Search» -> «Advanced Search» and select the search folder as described above.
2. In the «A word or phrase in the file» field, enter the search word.
3. Click «OK» to close Advanced Search.
Advantages
- Completely free.
- When searching by file name, it shows the found files instantly.
- The interface is simple and easy to use.
Disadvantages
- Searching the text of the files is slow.
- The tool does not show the sentences found in the text.
5. Listary
Listary is a handy tool for searching by file name on your computer. It has a free and paid version.
In addition to searching for files, with Listary, you can open applications, copy and move files between folders, and perform other operations.
How to use Listary
1. Download and install the program.
2. Open File Explorer and double-click the «Ctrl» key.
3. Enter the search word in the search box.
4. Click on the file or program you want to open.
You can add favorite folders using the icon to the right. You can also view the recently opened and modified files.
From the last icon on the right, you can display a context menu with other useful program features.
Advantages
- The tool has a free version.
- Quickly finds files and programs.
- Easily to open with a shortcut key.
Disadvantages
- The tool cannot search the text of the documents.
- The free version does not offer advanced search, filters, and other valuable features.
- There is no standard graphical interface.
6. Findstr
If you are okay with working from the command line without using a graphical interface, findstr is a good choice. It is a built-in Windows tool with excellent search capabilities, but requires some knowledge. It is similar to the grep tool in Linux. The findstr commands resemble the grep commands – you can see them in the article about searching files in Linux.
It is important to note that findstr can only search in plain text files, such as *.txt, *.html, *.xml, *.csv, and others. If you want to search complex file types such as MS Word, Excel, or PDF documents, it will not work.
The most significant advantages of findstr search are the wide range of options and the ability to use regular expressions.
To use the tool, open the Search Box, type «cmd», and click on «Command Prompt» – it is the working environment for findstr, where you will write the commands.
Search for a word in a folder
Finding a word in the text files in a folder is easy. For example, if you want to search for the word «painting» in the «books» folder located on drive D, your search should look like this:
findstr painting "D:\books\*"
Search subfolders
To search in subfolders as well, you need to add the /s option:
findstr /s painting "D:\books\*"
Search for files with a specific extension
To search only for files with a specific extension, add the extension after the asterisk. For example, to search for «.txt» files, enter:
findstr /s painting "D:\books\*.txt."
Case insensitive search
To ignore the case, use the /i option. For example, if you’re looking for «painting,» you’ll also find «Painting»:
findstr /s /i painting "D:\books\*"
Write the line number
If you want to see the line number in which the search word is located, add the /n option:
findstr /s /i /n painting "D:\books\*"
You can find more useful information on using findstr in the official findstr user guide.
Advantages
- You do not need to install anything as the program is built into Windows.
- You have a wide variety of search options.
- You can use regular expressions.
Disadvantages
- There is no graphical interface.
- The tool can only search text files.
- Knowledge of command line options is required to work with the program.
7. Conclusion
I hope this short guide to searching for files in Windows was helpful to you.
If you’re running macOS, make sure to check out our article about searching on Mac.
Now I would like to hear from you – which task do you have to do more often?
Which of these programs is most convenient for you?
Let me know by leaving a comment below!
About the author
Borets is a specialist in electronics and software technologies from Sofia, Bulgaria. In his articles, he tries to explain as synthesized as possible the most helpful things in using software tools.
Файл — это программы или данные, хранящиеся в памяти компьютера и имеющие имя.
Каждый файл имеет свои параметры: имя, размер, дату создания и дату последней модификации (изменения).
Имя файла состоит из двух частей, разделённых точкой. Слева от точки записывается собственное имя (задаётся пользователем), а справа записывается расширение, которое указывает на тип файла, а также на то, в какой программе можно открыть этот файл.
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Рис. \(1\). Состав имени файла
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На носителе информации (карта памяти, флеш-память, жёсткий диск) хранится очень много файлов, и для удобства их размещают по папкам (каталогам).
Каталог — это поименованная совокупность файлов.
Каталог тоже имеет имя. Группируют файлы по определённым признакам: по содержимому, по времени создания и т. д.
Поиск файла можно осуществлять по его маске.
В маске можно использовать следующие символы:
? (знак вопроса) означает, что ровно один знак пропущен;
* (звёздочка) означает, что пропущена последовательность символов любой длины или вообще пустая последовательность.
При маске *.txt будут найдены все файлы с расширением txt.
При маске m?.* будут найдены файлы, которые начинаются с m: в имени всего два символа, и расширение может быть любое.
При работе с большим количеством файлов на компьютере иногда возникает необходимость поиска файла с определённым размером, именем или расширением.
Для этого в операционных системах есть функции поиска.
Для поиска по операционной системе Windows можно применять несколько способов.
1. Поисковая строка «Пуск».
Можно нажать «Пуск» или на значок лупы рядом с поиском и написать свой запрос.
Рис. \(1\). «Пуск» и строка поиска
В строку поиска нужно вписать запрос. Далее можно выбрать место поиска: приложения, документы, интернет, музыка и т. д.
Рис. \(2\). Поиск
2. Использование средств поиска Проводника.
Можно выполнять поиск файлов через открытие Проводника. Необходимо написать свой запрос в строку Быстрый доступ.
Рис. \(3\). Проводник
Для поиска файла по его расширению необходимо вписать в строку поиска следующую комбинацию:
\(*\).расширение.
Например, \(*.pdf\).
Рис. \(4\). Поиск через Проводник
В операционной системе Linux система поиска находится в диалоговом окне.
Необходимо открыть нужную папку и нажать кнопку поиска.
Рис. \(5\). Кнопка поиска
Далее необходимо записать расширение файла.
Рис. \(6\). Поиск по расширению файла
Можно установить дополнительные параметры поиска, если необходимо найти, например, файлы, в названии которых определённое количество символов.
Рис. \(7\). Поиск по маске файла
Если необходимо найти файлы определённого размера, то нужно выбрать дополнительные настройки во вкладке Свойства.
Рис. \(8\). Поиск файлов по размеру
Источники:
Изображения 1–8. Поиск средствами операционной системы. © ЯКласс.
Search through file contents in Windows 10: Laptops or PCs are the storage devices where you keep all your data like files, images, videos, documents, etc. You store all kind of data and data from other devices such as phones, USB, from the Internet, etc is also saved on your PC. All the data is saved in different folders depending on the location where that data is saved.
So, if you want to look for a particular file or app, then what will you do?? If you are planning to open each and every folder and then look for that particular file or app in it, then it will consume a lot of your time. Now to solve the above problem Windows 10 comes with a feature which enables you to search whatever file or app you are looking for, by just typing it in the search box.
Also, it not only provides you an opportunity to search for a particular file but also lets you search among the contents of the files by simply typing what you looking for. Although most of the people are not aware that this feature exists in Windows 10, so to use this feature first you need to enable it. So, in this guide, you will see how to enable the feature that will allow you to search among the contents of the file and other various searching options available in Windows 10.
Table of Contents
Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.
Method 1: Search using the Search box or Cortana
The basic search option that is available in all the versions of Windows is a search bar available at the Start Menu. Windows 10 Search bar is more advanced than any of the previous search bar’s. And with the integration of Cortana (the virtual assistant of Windows 10) you can not only search for files under your local PC but you can also discover files available on Bing and other online sources.
To search any file using the search bar or Cortana follow the below steps:
1.Click on the Start Menu and a search bar will appear.
2.Type the name of the file you want to search.
3.All the possible results will appear, then you will have to click on the file that you were looking for.
Method 2: Search using the File Explorer
If you’re looking for a file and if you know in which folder or drive it is under then you can search for the file directly using the File Explorer. It will take less time for the file to be found and this method is quite easy to follow.
To do so, follow the below-given steps:
1.Press Windows Key + E to open File Explorer.
2.From the left side choose the folder under which your file is present. If you don’t know the folder then click on This PC.
3.A search box will appear on the top-right corner.
4.Type the file name you want to search and the required result will appear on the same screen. Click on the file you want to open and your file will open up.
Method 3: Using the “Everything” tool
You can also use a third-party tool called “Everything” to search for any file on your PC. It is very fast as compared to inbuilt search features and is very simple to use. It creates a search index of PCs within a few minutes and when you use the same, it starts working immediately. It is very lightweight and handy application.
If you want to quickly search any file on your computer then Everything tool is the best solution as compared to other integrated searching tools.
All the three methods above will give only file names and folders available on your PC. They will not give you the content of the file. If you want to search the content of the requisite file, then go for the below method.
Method 4: Search for Text or Contents of Any File
Searching through the file content is possible in Windows 10 by using the Start Menu Search. If you are unable to do so, then it is because that feature is turned off by default. So, in order to use this feature, you need to enable this feature.
To enable searching among file content feature, follow the below steps:
1.Open the Cortana or search bar and type Indexing options in it.
2.Click on the Indexing Options that will appear as a result on top or simply hit the enter button on the keyboard. Below a dialog box will appear.
3.Click on the Advanced button available at the bottom.
4.Under Advanced Options, click on File types tab.
5.Below a box will appear in which by default all the extensions are selected.
Note: As all the file extensions are selected, this will allow you to search through the contents of all types of files available under your PC.
6.Check the radio button next to Indexed Properties and File contents option.
7.Click on OK.
8.A Rebuilding Index warning box will appear which gives you a warning regarding some content may not be available under search until the rebuilding is finished. Click OK to close the warning message.
Note: Rebuilding the index might take a long time to complete depending upon the number & size of the files on your PC.
9.Your indexing is in process.
10.Click close on the Advanced options dialog box.
After the indexing is completely finished, now you can search for any text or word in any file using the File Explorer. To do so, follow the below-given steps:
1.Press Windows Key + E to open File Explorer.
2.From the left side, choose “This PC“.
3.Now from the right top corner, a search box is available.
4.Type the text in the search box you want to search among the content of the available files. All the possible result will appear on the same screen.
Note: If you do not get any result, then it is possible that indexing has not been completed yet.
This will give you all the results which include both the content of files as well as the file names which contain that particular text which you searched.
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So, there you have it! Now you can easily Search for Text or Contents of any File on Windows 10. But if you still have any queries regarding this guide then feel free to ask them in the comment’s section.
Description: Learn how to search the content of files in Windows 11. Windows 11 includes a built-in search feature that helps you find files, documents, and apps quickly. You can search a file by content and by its name on your computer and use keywords to search on the web using the search feature in Windows 11. In addition, you can manage search options to control what a search feature can find and how a search works in Windows 11.
There are not any noticeable changes to the overall working of Windows search in Windows 11 compared to Windows 10. However, it comes with many improvements to the search feature, such as dedicated file type search, search a file by content, support for cloud search in conjunction with cloud storage services, indexing options, faster and efficient results.
Continue reading to learn about different ways to search files in Windows 11. Additionally, you will learn how to find files by their type and content/text.
Following are some ways that you can use different options to search a file in Windows 11.
Keyboard shortcut
Press Windows+S on your keyboard to quickly search for files, apps, or on the web in Windows 11. A window will pop up, then start typing, and you will get the results listed below. You can even narrow down your results by category by clicking on the headings below the search bar, such as apps, documents, web, or more.
Search button on the Taskbar.
Click on the Search Icon (which looks like a magnifying glass) on the taskbar to open the Search Menu in Windows 11. It is the same menu as you get when you press Windows+S. But if you do not have a Search Icon on your Taskbar, you can add it. For this, open Settings and go to Personalization. Click on the Taskbar, then Taskbar Items, and turn ON the switch beside Search.
Click Start and type your search.
Click the Start button on the Taskbar, the Start Menu will appear. Then start typing, and the menu will turn into the Windows Search Menu, and you can search the same as the last two methods.
Search in File Explorer.
Another way to search files is within File Explorer. Open File Explorer by clicking on the folder icon on your desktop/taskbar or pressing Windows+E. Navigate to the folder you want to search. Then in the upper right corner of the window, click on the Search Bar and type your search query. You will get every matching result for files.
How to add file extensions to Windows Search Index?
You can find files using the search feature in Windows 11. However, you can search for text in a file for limited file types by default. But you can include other text-based files to expand your searching options in Windows 11.
- Press on the Search Icon in the Taskbar to open a Windows Search window.
- Type index and open the Indexing Options from results.
- Once the Indexing Options window opens, press the Advanced button.
- In the Advanced Options, press on the File Types tab. Mark the extensions for the file type that you want to include in your content searches. Then select the Option Index Properties and File Contents under the list to see the filter in the filter description that will be used to open a specific file type. For example, when you choose the bat extension, the plain text filter will be the filter type.
- However, if you do not have your required file type in the list, it means that the file type does not have an app as the default handler. You can add your new file type by typing the extension in the box under Add New Extension to list and then press Add. Because Windows Search does not have another app associated with those types of files, it will use a plain text filter to search their contents by default.
To search for a specific file extension/type.
Follow the given steps to search for a file type in file explorer.
- Open File Explorer by clicking on the folder icon on your desktop/taskbar or pressing Windows+E.
- Navigate to the folder you want to search. Then in the upper right corner of the window, click on the Search Bar and type the extension of the file you intend to search.
- You will get files matching your extension.
How to enable searching a file by content/text using Windows Search in Windows 11?
Use the following steps to enable searching a file by content/text using Windows Search in Windows 11.
- Click on Start, and open the Control Panel from the Start Menu.
- Once the Control Panel window opens, click on Folder Options.
- In the Folder Options window, click on the Search tab.
- Then under the What to Search option, select the Always Search File Names and Contents and press OK. It will enable searching a file by its name and content in Windows 11.
How to search a file by content/text using Windows Search in Windows 11?
Using Windows Search in Windows 11, you can search a file by content/text by following the steps below.
- Open File Explorer by clicking on the folder icon on your desktop/taskbar or pressing Windows+E.
- Navigate to the folder you want to search. Then in the upper right corner of the window, click on the Search Bar and type the string: content: “your phrase/text/content”. Window 11 will recognize this as a specific instruction, and the text color will change to light blue.
- You will get files matching your text. For example, if you type .pdf in the search box to find all the files with the pdf extension.
Bonus: Search Text in Files with AnyTxt
AnyTxt is a powerful tool that allows you to search text in files on your computer. You can use AnyTxt to find any document, email, ebook, or archive that contains the keywords you are looking for.
It supports multiple file formats, such as PDF, DOCX, EPUB, ZIP, and more. You can also customize the search options, such as case sensitivity, file size, and date range. AnyTxt is fast, accurate, and easy to use. It can help you search files by content in Windows 11/10/7.
Conclusion
To conclude, one can say that the search feature in Windows 11 makes the process of searching files and documents convenient and quick. You can find a file by its name, type, date, size, and even by its content using Windows Search in Windows 11.
Manage Indexing Options and Settings for Windows 11 – A Tutorial