If you work with a lot of Word documents, you may need to search for specific keywords within them to locate the file. However, opening each document and using the Find feature can be tedious and time-consuming.

Fortunately, there are other ways to search for keywords in Word documents without opening them. In this article, I will show you some methods and techniques that can help you find the keywords you need quickly and efficiently.

Basic Search in Microsoft Word

One of the simplest ways to search for keywords in Word documents is to use the built-in Find feature. You can access this feature by pressing Ctrl+F or clicking on the Home tab and selecting Find in the Editing group.

This will open a navigation pane on the left side of the document, where you can type the keyword you want to find. Word will highlight all the occurrences of the keyword in the document and show you a list of results in the navigation pane. You can also use the arrows at the bottom of the page to jump to each occurrence.

How to search for keywords in multiple Word documents

If you want to search for keywords in multiple Word documents at once, you can use the File Explorer content search feature. It is not enabled by default. You can follow the steps below to enable it and search text in multiple documents. 

Step 1. Open File Explorer and go to View > Options > Change folder and search options. 

Step 2. In the Folder Options dialog box, go to Search tab and check the box that says Always search file names and contents. 

Step 3. If you have compressed documents, you can also check the option Include compressed files (ZIP,CAB…). After that, click Apply to save the changes.

Now, you can go to the drive or folder where your Word documents are stored and type the keyword in the search box. File Explorer will show you all the file that contain the keyword in their names or contents.

If you only want to search for documents files that contains the keyword, you use File Explorer syntax to filter files. For example, to search all word documents that contains keyword “command”, you can type: type:docx command

If you want to include other documents files like PDF, you can type:  kind:document command

Search for keywords in multiple Word documents from command line

If you are familiar with command prompt, you can also use findstr commands to search multiple documents. This tool allows you to search for strings in files using regular expressions or simple text queries. 

If you are in Windows File Explorer, you can navigate to the folder contains the docments to search for. Then type “CMD” in the address bar and press Enter to open an command prompt in the current folder. Use the following command to search for a keyword in all Word documents within the current directory

findstr /S /I “your_keyword” *.docx

/S: Searches for matching files in the current directory and all of its subdirectories.

/I: Performs a case-insensitive search.

“your_keyword”: Replace this with the actual keyword you’re searching for.

*.docx: Specifies that the search should be conducted in files with a .docx extension. Adjust the extension based on the Word document format you are using.

You can also use other switches and parameters to customize your search. For example:

• – /r: This switch will enable regular expression mode.
• – /n: This switch will display line numbers along with file names.
• – /p: This switch will skip files with non-printable characters.

For more information about findstr, you can type findstr /? in Command Prompt.

Search for Keywords in Documents with AnyTXT

If you want a more user-friendly and powerful tool to search for keywords in documents, you can try AnyTXT Searcher. It is a free desktop search engine that can index and search various types of files, such as Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. You can download and install AnyTXT Searcher from its official website.

Best free content search tool.

When you open it for the first time, it will quickly create an index of your files. You can also click Options > Index Manager to select the folders and file types you want to index. You can also customize the index settings, such as the update frequency, the index location, and the file size limit.

 After creating the index, you can start searching for keywords by typing them in the search box and click Type to only select word documents. AnyTXT Searcher will show you a list of matching files with previews and highlights. You can also use filters, such as Date, Size, or Path, to refine your results.

Conclusion

Searching for keywords in Word documents can be a daunting task if you have a lot of files to deal with. In that case, you can use findstr commands or AnyTXT to locate your documents with the certain keywords faster.

Whether you use File Explorer or the AnyTXT Searcher, you can search Word documents for keywords you need without opening each document. Hopefully, you can use these methods to streamline your keyword searches in Microsoft Word.

If you are an advanced user of Windows, you might want to use the command line to find files on your system. You can use the command line to find files by date, content, size, and location, etc. In this article, I will show you how to use various methods and commands to find files using the command line in Windows 10/11.

Basic File Search Commands

One of the simplest ways to search for files using the command line is to use the dir and findstr commands. The dir command lists the files and folders in a directory, and you can use it with wildcards (*) to find file by name or extension from the Windows command line. For example, to use CMD to search for files with the extension TXT in the current directory, you can use the command:

dir *.txt

The Findstr command searches for a string of text in a file or files. You can use it with the /i option to ignore case sensitivity and with the /s option to search in all subdirectories. For example, to search for the word “hello” in all text files in the current directory and its subdirectories, you can use the command:

findstr /i /s "hello" *.txt

CMD Find File Name Containing a String

As mentioned, you can use the dir command to find a file name containing a specific string. For example, to find a file name containing the string “share” in the current directory and its subdirectories, you can type:

dir /s /b *share*

This will return a list of file names that match the pattern. The /s switch tells the command to search in all subdirectories, and the /b switch tells it to display only the bare file name.

You can also use wildcards to specify more complex patterns. For example, to find a file name that starts with “report” and with extension “.docx”, you can type:

dir /s /b report*.docx

Advanced File Search Commands

The find command searches for files that match certain criteria, such as name, size, date, and attributes. You can search words within files using the command prompt.

For example, to search for the word “hello” in all text files in the current directory, you can use the following command:

findstr /i /m "hello" *.txt

To search for all files larger than 1 MB in the C: drive, you can use the command:

forfiles /P C:\ /S /C "cmd /c if @fsize gtr 1048576 echo @path"

where Command for Executable Files

If you want to search for executable files, such as programs and applications, you can use the where command. It is mainly for locating executable files in a specified path or paths. You can use wildcards (*) with the where command to search for files with a specific name or extension. For example, to search for all executable files with the word “chrome” in their name in the C: drive, you can use the command:

where /r C:\ *chrome*.exe

Combine Dir and Find Commands

You can also use advanced filtering options with the dir command to search for files based on their attributes, such as size, date, and extension. You can use various switches with the dir command to filter your results. For example, to search for all readonly files in the current directory, you can use the command:

dir /a:r

To search for all files modified after January 1st, 2024 in the current directory, you can use the command:

dir /t:w /o:d | findstr /b "01/01/2024"

To search for all PDF files smaller than 100 KB in the current directory and its subdirectories, you can use the command:

dir /s *.pdf | findstr /v "<DIR>" | findstr /v "bytes" | findstr /r "[09][09][09] KB"

Windows CMD Find File Recursively

If you want to perform recursive searches using the dir command, you can use the /s switch. The /s switch searches for files in the current directory and all its subdirectories. For example, to search for all text files in the current directory and its subdirectories, you can use the command:

dir /s *.txt

Recursive searches are useful for locating files that are buried deep in your system’s folders.

You can also use the Where command to search recursively. For example, to list all files that start with “ffmp” in the c:\windows directory and its subdirectories, use the following command:

where /r c:\users ffmp*

PowerShell Commands for File Searches

PowerShell is a powerful command line tool that allows you to perform various tasks on your system. You can also use PowerShell commands to find files based on various criteria. For example, to search for all text files that contain the word “hello” in the current directory and its subdirectories, you can use the command:

Get-ChildItem -Path .\* -Include *.txt -Recurse | Select-String -Pattern "hello"

To search for all files larger than 1 MB in the C: drive, you can use the command:

Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Path C:\ | Where-Object {$_.Length gt 1MB}

To search for all PDF files created before January 1st 2024 in the current directory and its subdirectories, you can use the command:

Get-ChildItem -Path .\* -Include *.mp4 -Recurse | Where-Object { $_.CreationTime -lt '2024-01-01' }

Common CommandLine File Search Parameters

Here are some general tips for optimizing your command line file searches in Windows:

•  Use wildcards (*) to search for files with a specific name or extension.
•  Use the /s switch with the dir, find, and findstr commands to search in all subdirectories.
•  Use the /r switch with the where command to search in a specified path or paths.
•  Use the /a switch with the dir and find commands to filter files by attributes, such as hidden, readonly, system, etc.
•  Use the /t switch with the dir command to filter files by date, such as creation, modification, or access.
•  Use the /o switch with the dir command to sort files by name, size, date, or extension.
•  Use PowerShell commands to perform more advanced file searches with various criteria.

Conclusion

In this article, I have shown you how to find files using the command line in Windows 11/10. Hopefully, you have learned to use advanced filtering and sorting options with these commands to get your results quickly. 

In this article, I will show you how to search files by date in Windows 10 or 11 like a pro. You will learn various methods and techniques for date-based file searches, from basic to advanced, and from built-in to third-party tools. By the end of this article, you will be able to find any file on your Windows computer by date with ease and confidence.

Date-Based Searches in Windows File Explorer

The simplest way to search files by date in Windows is to use the File Explorer. It is the default file manager in Windows that lets you browse and organize your files and folders. You can access File Explorer by clicking the folder icon on the taskbar, or by pressing the Windows key + E shortcut.

To search files by date in File Explorer, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder or drive where you want to search for files.
2. When you click on the Search box, Search Tools will unfold. From there, you can click Date modified to filter files. Alternatively, you can type “date:” (without quotes) in the search box.
3. To narrow down your search results, you can use the drop-down menu next to the search box to filter by different date ranges, such as Today, Yesterday, This Week, Last Week, This Month, Last Month, etc.
4. Alternatively, you can also type a specific date after the “date:” keyword in the search box, using the format YYYY-MM-DD (for example, 2024-01-28). This will show you all the files that have that exact date as their date property.

Within Search Tools, you can click Advanced Options to enable file content search. Besides, you can use Windows Search syntax like, “datemodified:”, “datecreated:”, and “dateaccessed:” to specify which date property you want to search by.

Multiple Search Filters and Syntax

In addition to the date-based filters we discussed above, there are many other search filters and syntax you can use in File Explorer to make your date-based file searches more precise and accurate. Here are some examples of these filters and syntax:

You can use operators like “<,” “>,” “=” to specify how you want to compare the dates. For example, “date:<2021-01-28” will show you all the files that have a date property before 2021-01-28, while “date:>2021-01-28” will show you all the files that have a date property after 2021-01-28.

You can use two dots “..” to specify a date range. For example, “date:2021-01-01..2021-01-31” will show you all the files that have a date property between 2021-01-01 and 2021-01-31 (inclusive).

You can use parentheses “()” to group multiple criteria. For example, “(date:2024-01-28 OR datemodified:2024-01-28)” will show you all the files that have either a date property or a date modified property of 2024-01-28.

You can use logical operators like “AND,” “OR,” and “NOT” to combine multiple criteria. For example, “date:2021-01-28 AND NOT datemodified:2024-01-28” will show you all the files that have a date property of 2024-01-28 but not a date modified property of 2024-01-28.

Windows File Search Settings

Another way to improve your date-based file searches in Windows is to customize the search settings in Windows. These settings allow you to adjust how Windows indexes and searches your files and folders.

To access the search settings in Windows, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings by clicking the gear icon on the Start menu, or by pressing the Windows key + I shortcut.
2. Click on Search.
3. On the left pane, click on Searching Windows.
4. On the right pane, you will see various options for customizing your search settings.

From here, you can choose which folders are included or excluded from indexing and more

AnyTXT – Fast File Search

If you think Windows default file search is too slow, you might want to try AnyTXT Searcher. It is a free and fast desktop search tool that supports full-text for various file types, including PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ePub, HTML, TXT, and more.

You can specify file type and folders. Once you enter a search term, it will show you results instantly. You can sort the results by date modified, type, size, etc. It also supports advanced search operators and syntax for more precise and accurate date-based file searches.

Additionally, you can use AnyTXT to search text on images.

Conclusion

Searching files by date in Windows is a very useful skill for efficient file management. You now have mastered various methods to search file by date in Windows 10/11. You may try the method you prefer and improve your productivity.

Finding anything on your computer shouldn’t feel like digging for buried treasure. Windows File Explorer offers a built-in search bar, but sometimes it seems to miss more than it finds. Thankfully, you can use Windows File Explorer search syntax.

In this article, I will show you how to improve your file search experience on Windows by using advanced search syntax and more.

Advanced Search Syntax in Windows File Explorer

You can improve your file search experience on Windows by employing advanced search syntax options. These options enable you to tailor your search queries, resulting in more accurate and relevant results. These are some of the most helpful advanced search syntax choices in Windows File Explorer.

Searching by file extension

If you know what kind of file you are looking for, you can use the asterisk (*) wildcard character followed by the file extension to narrow down your search. For example, if you are looking for a PDF file that contains the word “report”, you can type in “report *.pdf” in the search bar. Alternatively, you can use the type: operator followed by the file extension to achieve the same result. For example, “report type:pdf”.

Searching by file type

The kind: syntax in Windows File Explorer allows you to search for files based on their type, such as documents, pictures, music, videos, etc. To use the kind: syntax, you need to type it in the search box of the file explorer, followed by a colon and the file type you want to find.

Examples:

kind:folder to find folders only.

kind:email to find email files (e.g., .eml, .msg).

kind:music to find music files (e.g., .mp3, .wav).

kind:picture to find image files (e.g., .jpg, .png).

kind:document to find document files (e.g., .docx, .pdf).

kind:video to find video files (e.g., .mp4, .mov).

How to use store: syntax in Windows File Explorer

While Windows File Explorer doesn’t have a built-in store: syntax for general searching, it does have a mechanism for searching within specific data stores or locations, primarily in the context of Windows Search.

To search within a specific app’s data or store, use store: followed by the app’s name or identifier.

Examples:

store:outlook to search within Outlook email content and attachments.

store:notes (if configured) to search within Lotus Notes data.

Other apps might have their own store names for searching, but this functionality isn’t always well-documented or user-friendly.

Applying filters

If you want to filter your search results by date, size, or other attributes, you can use various filters in your search query. These filters allow you to specify a range or a condition for your search criteria.

For example, if you are looking for a document modified in the last week, you can type “report datemodified:this week” in the search bar. If you are looking for a document that is larger than 1 MB, you can type in “report size:>1MB”. You can also use multiple filters together to further refine your search results.

Using boolean operators

If you want to combine multiple keywords or phrases in your search query, you can use boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT. These operators allow you to specify whether you want to include or exclude certain terms from your search results.

For example, if you are looking for a document that contains both the words “report” and “summary”, you can type in “report AND summary” in the search bar. 

If you want to find files that are either music or video files modified within the last week, use the parentheses and syntax “(kind:music OR kind:video) AND datemodified:lastweek”.

No Need to Remember Windows File Explorer Search Syntax

Windows search tools in File Explorer can help you use these search syntax. Here are some steps to use them:

Step 1. Open File Explorer from the taskbar or the Start menu, or press the Windows logo key + E.

Step 2. Click on the search box on the top right, the Search tab for Search Tools in the ribbon will be available

Step 3. Now you can click Kind, Size, Other properties, and Date modified to add advanced syntax in your file search. 

If you want to search by file contents, you can click the Advanced options to enable it in Windows 10/11. 

Limitations and Challenges with Windows File Explorer Search

While using advanced search syntax options can improve your file search experience on Windows, they still have some limitations and challenges. In that case, you may want to use Findstr commands or an alternative app for faster file search. Some of these limitations and challenges are:

Inconsistency: Windows may disregard or misinterpret some of your search terms, returning different results depending on how you type them.

Compatibility: Using advanced search syntax options may not work with all file types or apps. Some file formats or programs may use proprietary metadata or indexing methods that Windows does not recognize or support.

Performance: Depending on the intricacy of your search query and the amount of files involved, Windows may take longer to complete your request and use more system resources. Especially, when you click This PC to search your entire computer for a file.

Use AnyTXT for Quick File Search

If you are looking for a more powerful and efficient file search alternative for Windows, consider AnyTXT. It is a versatile and lightweight file search tool that can help you find any file on your hard drive in seconds. It supports various file formats, such as PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TXT, HTML, and more, and allows you to perform quick and accurate file searches with advanced search options.

Some of the key features of AnyTXT are:

– Fast indexing: AnyTXT can index your files in the background without affecting your system performance. It can scan your hard drive and create a searchable database of your files in minutes. You can also customize the indexing settings to include or exclude certain folders or file types from your index.

Quick search: AnyTXT can search your files in seconds using its powerful search engine. You can type in any keyword or phrase in the search bar and get instant results. You can also use advanced search options, such as boolean operators, filters, wildcards, and more, to refine your search results.

Customizable search options: AnyTXT can offer more customizable search options than Windows File Explorer because it uses its own search engine instead of following Windows’ default rules. You can use advanced search options, such as boolean operators, filters, wildcards, and more, to refine your search results according to your needs and preferences.

User-friendly interface: AnyTXT has a simple and intuitive user interface that makes it easy to use. You can access AnyTXT from the system tray or by pressing a hotkey. You can also preview your files in the search results window or open them with their default applications.

Conclusion

Mastering Windows File Explorer search syntax can help you improve your file search experience on Windows. However, it is slow and hard to use.

If you are looking for a more powerful and efficient file search alternative for Windows, you might want to consider AnyTXT. It is a versatile and lightweight file search tool that can help you find any file on your hard drive in seconds. It supports various file formats and allows you to perform quick and accurate file searches with advanced search options.

While using Windows, I often get frustrated with the default Windows file search function. It is slow, inaccurate, or unable to search file content. In this post, I will explore some free Windows search alternatives that can help you enhance your file search efficiency and productivity.

These tools offer various features and advantages over the built-in Windows search, such as faster indexing, search content of files, OCR image search, and advanced filters. Whether you are using Windows 7, 10, or 11, you will find a nice file search software here. 

Everything File Search

Everything is a lightning-fast file search utility that can index your entire system in seconds. It can find any file or folder by name instantly, without scanning the disk or using the Windows search index.

Image: Everything File Search

To use Everything as an efficient Windows search replacement, you can download it from its official website. You can then launch it from the Start menu or the system tray icon and type any keyword in the search box. You will see a list of matching files and folders in real-time, which you can open, copy, delete, or rename with a right-click.

You can also customize Everything’s settings, such as the hotkey, appearance, filters, and indexing options. You can also enable Everything Service to index files that require administrator privileges.

AnyTXT Searcher

AnyTXT is a versatile and lightweight file search tool for Windows that can index and search various file formats, such as PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ePub, HTML, TXT, archive files, and more. It can also index the content of these files, allowing you to find files by keywords within them.

To use AnyTXT effectively as an alternative for Windows search, you can free download it and install it on your computer. If you need OCR search, you can download the AnyTXT Searcher OCR Installer. 

When you start a search, you will see a list of matching files with their titles, paths, sizes, and dates. You can also preview the content of the files by clicking on them. You can also adjust AnyTXT’s settings, such as the hotkey, language, theme, filters, and indexing options. You can also pause or resume the indexing process at any time.

Listary – Integrated in Windows Explorer

Listary is a powerful file search utility that integrates seamlessly with Windows Explorer. It can help you find files and folders quickly and easily by typing keywords or using shortcuts. It also offers features such as real-time search, smart commands, quick switch, and advanced search filters.

Listary lets you access files, folders, applications, and web pages with just a few keystrokes. You can also customize Listary to suit your preferences and workflow. Listary integrates with Windows Explorer, popular file managers, and various productivity apps. With Listary, you can save time and boost your efficiency when working with files and folders on your computer.

Listary is free forever for personal use. For commercial use, you can spend $19.95 for Listary Pro for features like dark theme, custom filters, index shared network drives, etc. 

SearchMyFiles – Potable

SearchMyFiles is a versatile and customizable file search tool from NirSoft that can help you find files by various criteria, such as file name, size, date modified, attributes, content, and more. It can also generate reports and statistics of your search results.

SearchMyFiles is easy to use and does not require installation. You can download it from the official website and run it from any folder you want. You can also use wildcards (*) or regular expressions to match file names or content. After clicking Start Search, you will see a list of matching files with their details. You can also export the results to various formats or copy them to the clipboard.

You can also change SearchMyFiles’ settings, such as the language, columns, colors, filters,

and actions. You can also save your search parameters as profiles for future use.

Agent Ransack

Agent Ransack is a powerful file search utility with advanced search capabilities. It can help you find files by name or content using regular expressions or Boolean operators. It can also search within compressed archives (ZIP, RAR) and Unicode files.

Agent Ransack also supports previewing and editing of text files, as well as exporting and printing of search results. Agent Ransack is easy to install and use, and you can use it as a Windows search alternative for Windows 7 to 10. You can also modify Agent Ransack’s settings, such as the language, appearance, filters, expressions, and actions. You can also save your search criteria as sessions for future use.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a faster and easier way to find files on your Windows system, you may want to try these Windows search alternative tools. They can help you enhance your file search efficiency and productivity by offering various features and advantages over the built-in Windows search engine. You can download and install them on your computer and see which one suits your needs best.