Windows 7 search system. How to quickly find files, folders and search programs in Windows! How to find a file by content
The large capacity of modern disks allows you to save many documents or multimedia files. Therefore, without initially subjecting your directories to a certain structuring, you can end up with complete chaos on your hard drive. If this has already happened and you have forgotten the location of any files, it will not be easy to find them without knowing how to use the built-in search of the operating system.
Search by file name
Knowing the name of the document, you will make your task much easier and after a short period of time you will already see the file you are looking for on your computer screen. There are several ways to find it by name in Windows 7.
Via the Start menu
The operating system's Start menu has a search box. To find the required document through this field, you must:
- Click on the “Start” button.
- Find the field.
- Enter the name to be searched.
- Review the proposed results.
After entering the expected name of the document, you will immediately be shown a list of found files:
In this case, in Windows 7, a document called “Agency” was searched. As you can see from the previous screenshot, the first option offered is the file you are looking for.
How to find it in a folder?
There is another way to find documents. Each directory in Windows 7 Explorer has a corresponding field:
Therefore, knowing the file name and its location, you can:
- Open the desired folder in Explorer.
- Enter the name of the document in the field.
- Get the result.
In this example, the search was conducted using the "Biology" template. As a result, the following files and folders were found:
Knowing the location of the object is not necessary. It simply speeds up the operating system's search for files. Since modern computers have high performance, the duration of finding the necessary information with a known location and with an unknown one is practically the same. If you have no idea in which folder or even on which drive the file is saved, you can search throughout your computer:
Additional filters
With common file names, you run the risk of seeing several thousand options, making it difficult to select the right document. If you know the modification date of the file or its size, you can specify them when searching (by entering a pattern in the field, you will see suggested filters):
You can also scroll down the found list and limit the search range by clicking the “Other” button:
After this click, Windows 7 will display the settings window:
In this window you should:
- Mark the desired folders to be searched.
- Confirm your selection with the “OK” button
After these steps, the number of found elements in the list will decrease significantly, so finding the one you need will become much easier.
How to find inside files?
The methods discussed above make it easier to search by name. But what if you don’t know the name? In this case, you should approximately know the text of the document you are looking for. Windows 7 can find files based on their contents. This function was not introduced in vain, because it is easier for a computer user to remember what is inside a document than to try to remember its name.
Default in operating system This method of finding files is disabled. To enable it, you must:
- Open "Computer" in Explorer.
- Press and release the ALT button (this action allows the top horizontal menu to appear, which is usually hidden in the normal state).
- Select "Service".
- Go to the “Folder Options” sub-item.
After clicking on the specified submenu, Windows 7 will display the following window:
In it you should:
- Go to the “Search” tab.
- Check the box responsible for scanning the contents of objects;
- Confirm the changes with the “Apply” button.
The procedure is shown in the following screenshot:
This method significantly slows down finding the desired object, but sometimes it is simply irreplaceable (for example, if several people use the computer). Therefore, if you don't want to wait and don't want to waste time scanning inside all the documents, you can turn this option on or off as you wish. After changing the settings, the file search is carried out in the same way as described above, without any changes.
An example of finding a document by its content
You can find an object using any phrase, but it is especially easy to search for a file with poems. After all, it’s easier to remember a line from a poem than a phrase from an accounting report. However, in the second case, a few of the most frequently occurring words in a document will help you find any report.
For example, you have a document somewhere with Shakespeare's sonnets, and you remember the phrase from one sonnet: "Will you compare me." To find this collection on your computer, you need to:
- Open “Computer” in Explorer.
- Go to the desired folder (if known).
- Enter the phrase you remember in the search field.
- Get the result.
Any information can be found in this way, provided that it is stored on your disk.
In this article you will learn some very interesting things about the built-in file Windows search and after reading the material you will be able to find even files lost in folders about which you know bits of information.
It is not difficult to guess that this article will talk about advanced search in Windows. Undoubtedly, every computer user periodically uses a form of the standard Windows “search engine,” but not everyone knows that this search engine can be used much more productively and is a difficult tool, as it might seem at first glance.
Options and parameters that expand search capabilities
Despite the fact that the title contains the word “expanding”, these same options will help us put additional screening filters on our search query for files and folders in Windows and will actually narrow the number of files found, which is to our benefit.
* - Means any sequence of any characters, i.e. all characters.
? - Any one character
~<" something" - Search for a name (File name, author, etc., depending on where to put it) which should begin with the one in quotes. The example searches for the name where the beginning is something.
~>" something" - Search for a name that must end with the one in quotes.
=" Course work" - Search for an exact match with what is in quotes.
~=" Well" - Search for names that contain the exact set of characters like the one in quotes. Those. on request filename:~="course" there will be files not only with the word Well, but also simply containing this sequence of characters (Kursovoy, Kursach).
~!" Well" - Search for files that do not contain what is in quotes. Those. this parameter is completely opposite to the previous one.
<> - Means like “neither is”, “not”. Those. request where it will be view:<>picture , will search everything except pictures.
() - Brackets serve to separate and clarify the combining group where the operators operate.
"" - Quotes are used to accurately find the order of characters inside quotes. Because of this, operators inside quotes do not work at all, as do filters.
OR- Operator OR. For example, request filename: kcoursework OR work will search for files where words occur either coursework or Job well, or both. In the English version OR.
AND- Operator AND. For example, request filename: k ursovaya and work will look for files where both words are present, and it makes no difference in what places they are located and not necessarily next to each other. In the English version AND.
NOT- Operator NOT. For example, request filename: coursework NOT work will search for files containing the word coursework but there is no word Job. In the English version NOT.
Here are some examples of using operators:
size:10MB and- Finds Ivan’s files of 10 megabytes, which were changed after 2009.
filename: (*156*) AND type:(PNG OR JPEG) - Finds files where the name contains 156 and its extension is PNG or JPEG.
Now filtering options.
Below we present what filtering options you can use when searching for files and folders.
file name:- The name of the file you are looking for. Analogue on English-language Windows - filename.
type: Indicates what type of file is currently being searched. Can take both file extension values (For example, type: PNG), and their logical definition (For example: type: music or type: picture ). Analogue on English-language Windows - type.
view:- Same thing as type:. Analogue on English-language Windows - kind :
Date of change:- Indicates when the files were modified. Can take exact values, ranges, as well as verbal meanings (long ago, yesterday, etc.). Analogue on English-language Windows - datemodified.
modified date: 05/25/2010
date modified: >2009
date modified: 21.01.2001 .. 05.01.2014 (Required two points in the range)
date of creation:- Indicates when the file was created. The values are the same as for Date of change. English equivalent datecreated.
size:- Indicates the size of the searched files. Can take both exact values up to decimal numbers and a range of sizes. The units of measurement are KB, MB, GB. English language option - size:.
size:<=7Мб >1.5MB - files larger than 1.5 megabytes, but less than or equal to 7.
attributes:- Sets an additional search mask by tags. The parameter is not often used due to the fact that tags are rarely used.
owner:- Search for files of a specific owner.
executor:- Specifying this attribute is relevant when searching for music of a particular artist.
Combining filtering options
You can use several different options at once when searching, and this will even be better, because it will reduce the list of found files, while increasing their relevance. When using several search filters, place a space between them; in fact, it replaces the AND operator.
Attention! The AND and OR NOT operators are never highlighted in blue in the search bar. If yours is highlighted, it means you forgot either quotes or brackets or something else. Please note that some filters may not work with certain operators. For example it cannot be type:(BMP AND PNG), since any file can only be of one type.
For example, you can use the query:
size:5KB..20 KB type:picturefilename:~<"m" *little* датаизменения:01.03.2014 .. 31.03.2014
This app ros looks for images between 5 and 20 kilobytes in size with a file name that begins with a letter m and in which the word appears little. In this case, the file should have been changed during March 2014.
As you can see for yourself, with such capabilities you can easily search for files from many years ago, remembering at least some little details about it.
Several templates
In order for you to understand everything better and be able to try Windows advanced search yourself, we decided to make several of the most commonly used advanced search templates that can often come in handy.
How to find all files in a folder?
Sometimes a person wants to count how many files are in a particular folder and he is faced with the question of how to do this. Using Windows Search? But then what should I introduce? The input originates from regular expressions, and those who know first-hand what it is have already guessed what kind of character needs to be entered into the search field.
In the search field you need to enter: * (Star).
How to find all files of the same type (Extensions)?
If you want to find, for example, only pictures, use the filter type:picture, and if you want to find files of a specific extension, then you can use either *.jpeg or type:JPEG.
How to find files created at a specific time?
For this you need to use a filter creation date:DD/MM/YYYY. It is written about above. You can also set a filter not by the exact time the file was created, but by the interval. For example, from September 2011 to December 2012. The correct formulation of a search query with such a filter is described above.
How to find files of a certain size?
You need to use a filter size: and indicate the required file size in kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes. You can read above about how you can search in a range of sizes and how to correctly indicate the size of the files you are looking for.
We really hope that this material will be useful to you, and if you have anything to add, then write in the comments.
The search mechanism in Windows 7 is organized a little differently than in Windows XP, but it is no less convenient and is performed at a much faster speed.
How to start a search
To start searching for files in Windows 7, you need to open Explorer and select the folder in which you want to search, or, if you don’t know what directory the file is located in, select “My Computer.” Then the search will be performed on all hard drives.
You need to search for files of any format using the search bar, which is located in the upper right corner of Explorer in any of its windows. The keyword or phrase must be entered in this line.
The search is performed very quickly, similar to the request processing mechanism in any search engine. As you enter a query word, the system immediately begins scanning files and producing results with titles containing the characters, words, or phrases you entered.
How to use search filters
At first glance, it may seem that the usual filters available in XP, such as date created or modified, file type, size and author, are not available when searching in Windows 7, but this is not at all the case.
When you enter a search query in the drop-down line below, a list of filters corresponding to the desired file type appears, the conditions of which can be set right there in the search line. To do this, click on the desired filter and set its value, for example, the change date “Last week”.
How to find files of a specific type
To find a file whose format is known, for example audio, video, photo or document, but its name, creation date or other parameters are unknown, you can use a search by file type, specifying its extension in the search conditions.
Documentation . To search for documents in Word format, you need to enter the characters “*.doc” (for Word 2003 format) or “*.docx” (for Word 2007-2010 format) in the search bar. An asterisk denotes any sequence of any characters.
For Excel files you need to use the symbols “*.xls” (for Excel 2003 format) or “*.xlsx” (for Excel 2007-2010 format).
For text format files created using the Notepad application, you need to enter “*.txt” in the search bar.
Video. To search for video files, enter the video file extension in the search bar. The most popular extensions: “*.avi”, “*.mp4”, “*.mpeg”, “*.wmv”, “*.3gp”, “*.mov”, “*.flv”, “*.swf” " You can find out the file extension by right-clicking on it and selecting “Properties” in the context menu, where its extension will be indicated in the “File type” line.
Audio. The most popular audio file format used on computers is MP3, and to search for them you need to enter the characters “*.mp3” in the line.
Images and photographs. To search for pictures, you should enter the most used extensions of such files “*.jpg”, “*.jpeg”, “*.png”, “*.bmp”, “*.tiff”, “*.gif” in the search bar.
How to find a file in a large list of already found files
It often happens that the file attributes are unknown, or only one is known, and it is very uninformative. For example, we know that the document was created last year. However, over the past year, a huge amount of documents have been created and stored in different places. It is often not possible to view and check a huge number of files found based on one criterion.
To find the desired file in the list of already found files, you can use several filters simultaneously, setting and changing each of them during the search process as necessary. Each time you add a new filter, the selection will be made again in the list of found files, reducing processing time and the number of results, which greatly simplifies the search for the very desired file.
How to find a file by content
As a rule, files are searched in Windows 7 based on the content of the query in the file name, and not on the text that the file contains. To find a file with the desired word in its text, and not in its name, you need to make simple settings.
Let’s say the task is to find a document among 500 files with the word “Shovel” in its content. To do this, click “Arrange” on the control panel and select “Search folder options” from the drop-down menu.
It is worth noting that searching with this option will take longer, and when the need to search by content is no longer necessary, this option should be disabled.
How to save search terms
It often happens that files need to be searched frequently, for this the same search conditions are used, and there are several of these conditions. In order not to waste time entering the same search parameters every time, the list of these conditions can be saved.
To do this, you need to set the search conditions, wait for the results to be displayed, and upon completion, click “Save search conditions” on the control panel, and in the window that opens, enter the file name for the recurring query, for example, “JULY 2013.”
In the future, when the saved set of search conditions is needed again, the desired shortcut can always be selected in Explorer in the “Favorites” folder under the saved name.
How to clear your search terms
By clicking on the cross at the end of the search line, you can clear the previously entered information and filter conditions that were used for the search, and the line will become empty.
Having tried search in Windows 7 several times, you can verify in practice that it is practical, easy and fast. Now you know how to search for files in Windows 7.
When you use a computer for a long time, a huge amount of information can accumulate on it over time (we are talking about Windows) - various programs, files. It is not always possible to remember what is where, and for beginners it is also sometimes difficult to find the programs they need. In order not to manually climb through folders in search of the desired file or not to search for the necessary Windows programs and tools through a special control panel, you can use the built-in search and quickly find the information or program you need. In this article, I will show you how to search for the information and programs you need on computers with the Windows operating system installed (using Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10 as an example).
In the article, I consider the 3 above systems as examples, since they are by far the most common. For example, Windows XP and Windows Vista have long been outdated and are used by a minimal percentage of users.
Search in Windows 7
In Windows 7, search is located in the Start menu and in all Explorer windows.
Let's first consider the most accessible search, which is the fastest to open - search in the Start menu. It's located at the very bottom of this menu:
Right there you just need to type the name of the desired file or program in whole or in part (just the beginning, for example) and Windows will try to find what you are looking for.
Example of program search
Let's say you want to find and run the Windows Uninstall Tool. In Windows 7 it is called "Add or Remove Programs".
To find this tool, in the search you just need to type “programs” (1) and after a few seconds a list will appear where you can already see the tool we need (2):
All you have to do is click on the search result and the desired program will open.
Also in this window you can see the “Programs and Features” and “Uninstall a Program” tools. It's all the same.
Example of searching for a file or folder with files
Let’s assume that on my “C:” drive in the “Documents” library there is a file with a work report called “Report for 2015”.
To find this file through the search, just type part of the name, for example “report” or “report”, and Windows will try to find everything that is with that name on your computer.
For example, I typed the query “otch” (1) into the search and my file (2) was found.
In Windows 7, you can quickly open the search tool using the keyboard shortcut: Win+F.
Search in Windows 8 and Windows 10
In Windows 8 and Windows 10, searching for information is no different in principle from what it was in Windows 7. The only difference is in the interface of the operating systems, since in new Windows it is quite different.
How to open and use search in Windows 8
Let's look at the search capabilities using Windows 8 as an example. There is also a search through the Start menu. The search button in this menu is located at the top right (magnifying glass icon).
Before searching for something, you can select a search area, namely, search in parameters, files, pictures or videos from the Internet, and also everywhere at once. To select an area, click the default area (1) and select the desired one from the list (2). If you don’t know where to look, put “Everywhere”, you will find most of everything.
For example, I want to find and open the Windows Control Panel. I selected the “Everywhere” area and entered “Control Panel”. The results appear below. What was found in Windows will be displayed in the very first options (1)?, before the line. After the dash there are options for searching via the Internet (3).
If you click on the search button (4) with a magnifying glass icon, a more detailed list of results will open, including search results for Internet sites.
Another option to open the search: while on your desktop, move your mouse cursor to the lower right corner and hold for a couple of seconds.
A panel will appear on the right, where you will see a search button at the top:
Everything works exactly the same. Let’s say you have a file somewhere on your computer called “List of Workers.” Having selected the search area (in the example “Everywhere” was selected), I enter part of the name, for example “list” (1). The results appear below, among which will be the file you are looking for (2), which can be immediately opened from this list.
In Windows 8, you can quickly open the search tool using the keyboard shortcut: Win + F.
How to open and use search in Windows 10
In Windows 10, search is located on the Windows taskbar by default:
Clicking this button will open a search window. In the bottom line (1) we indicate the search query. Let's say I want to find and open the Windows tool for removing programs from my computer, so I enter the "uninstall" part of the query (1) into the search bar. Search results will appear above, among which I see the one that suits me “Add or remove programs” (2).
You can select a search area by clicking on the default area:
From the list that opens, you can select a specific area of Windows to search, for example, search by photos, programs, documents, etc. If you want to search in all areas at once, select “All”.
Another search example. Suppose there is a “My Database” file somewhere on your computer. I enter part of the name into the search, for example “Base” (1) and in the results I get what I need (2).
In Windows 10, you can quickly open the search tool using the keyboard shortcut: Win + S.
Search through "Explorer" in Windows 7, 8, 10
It happens that there is no point in searching for a file throughout the computer, so as not to waste extra time, because searching for a file throughout the computer can take a long time, depending on the amount of information on the computer, and especially since you know approximately in which folder or on which This file can be located on your local disk. To do this, it’s easier to use a search in a separate folder or local drive, i.e. through the Windows Explorer program. Let's look at an example based on Windows 7.
In Windows 8 and 10, searching through Explorer is absolutely no different!
Search in Explorer is located at the top right (1). When you open a folder, the search bar will indicate where the search will be performed (where you are now). For example, now I have the “Program Files” folder (2) open.
Let's say I want to find the "Drivers" folder in the "Program Files" folder where I am now. To do this, in the search at the top right (1) I write “drivers” or you can enter the first few letters (in case you don’t remember the full name). The results will appear below (2).
All that remains is to open the desired file, folder or program directly from the search results!
It can also sometimes be useful to use a filter when searching, for example, to search for files, folders and programs by a certain size or modification date. When you enter the name of what you are looking for, the filter modes will appear below:
Let's look at another example...
Somewhere on my “C:” drive I have a file for work called “Publish on the site.” Knowing that the file is located on the “C:” drive, I need to open Windows Explorer, and then this local drive in it. In the search, I type the beginning of the file name “published” (1) and the system finds the file I need (2), indicating below its location on the computer.
Tip for finding files. When searching for files in Windows, you can search by file extensions. For example, if you want to find all files with the extension .txt, then type *.txt in the search. Where * will mean that files with any names will be searched, but with the extension .txt.
Conclusion
Use Windows Search to quickly open programs and files that you have located somewhere deep in Explorer. This way you will save time. And of course, you shouldn’t try to search for the required file or folder manually all over your computer for a long time, since first of all you should use a regular search.
Have a nice day and good mood! ;)
Greetings to all readers, site guests and those simply looking for answers to computer questions!
Yesterday I spent quite a lot of time searching for one file that I had on my hard drive. I haven’t used it for a long time, and I completely forgot where it is. And this is where the search came to my rescue. Therefore, I decided in today’s article to describe this topic - how to find a file on a Windows 10 computer. It will be interesting! Go!
Standard search
This way you can find a file by word. There is a magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen. Let's click on it.
Let's say we are looking for some Windows function. We write a piece of its name, and the system itself will provide options for the found components.
If you know in which group or folder the utility or file is located, then click here.
The system will display a list of partitions. You can select one or more sections. Then the search will be more accurate and it will take less time.
And if you only know part of the file name, you can only maintain that part. The system will still find the data if it is on the hard drive.
Search through Explorer
This way you can find a file by word in the text or by creation date. Open any folder and pay attention to this area.
It is in the folder in which you are located that the search will take place. We write the name of the file or folder, and the system will immediately give us the results.
You can apply a filter and search by size.
In principle, you can search by extension in the same way.
Search by date modified or created
Searching by change creation date works almost the same way. Open any folder and enter the modification date in the search bar: dd...mm.yyyy. For example, like in the picture below.
Please note that in this case there will be quite a lot of files.
Addition
Many resort to downloading a program that helps in searching for files. For example, to find a game from the app store. The problem is that Windows 10 is still very crude, and many software of this kind simply do not work on it. Therefore, I advise you to use only the built-in tools of the system.
Otherwise, you just might clog up the registry. In addition, such software on a new operating system cannot find data that has not been used for a long time.
Conclusion
Well, these are all the methods that will help you quickly find a file. Windows 10 has everything for this and you don’t need third-party software. By the way, here are videos that will help you understand how and what to do
I would also like to advise you to catalog all your data. Music in one folder, documents in another, and so on. Believe me, it will serve you well.
Well, with this I will say goodbye to you! The article will really be useful to everyone, especially those who have just switched to a new OS. Share it on social portals with acquaintances, colleagues and friends. And also subscribe to update publications, and you will always know when articles appear! All the best to you and see you again!
