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.

n today’s modern workplace, email is one of the primary channels of communication, and the majority of us use email applications like Outlook to manage our inboxes and send and receive messages. However, when the number of emails we receive increases in our inbox, it may become more difficult for us to locate specific emails when we require them. The search function in Outlook is really helpful in situations like this one.

In this piece, we will go through several different ways to search for an email in Outlook to make your experience searching for emails easier.

Using the Search Bar

The search box in Outlook is the quickest and easiest way to look for an email that you have stored in the program. It may be found in the upper-right-hand corner of the Outlook window and is often indicated by an image of a magnifying glass. The following actions need to be taken to search for an email using the search bar:

1. Open Outlook.
2. In the box labeled “Search,” insert a word or phrase associated with the lost email you are trying to find. Before you press Enter, it will show some quick matching results.
3. To begin the search, either press Enter on your keyboard or you can also click on the magnifying glass symbol.

When you input a term or phrase, Outlook will display emails that match that keyword or phrase. You can view other results by clicking the “Next” button if the email address you’re looking for isn’t in the first set of results on your screen.

Search in Outlook Email Body – Advanced Search

You can use the advanced search option if the standard search bar does not provide you with the required results. By allowing you to choose a variety of factors, including the sender, recipient, subject, date, and even more, the advanced search option enables you to obtain results that are more specifically tailored to your needs. Follow these steps to do a more advanced search within Outlook:

1. Click in the Search field.
2. The Search tab opens on the ribbon automatically.
3. Expand the Options group, if necessary.
4. Click the Search Tools button.
5. Select Advanced Find.
6. The Advanced Find dialog box appears. Here, you can choose to search for keywords in the subject or body of a message, specify a sender to search for, or specify a date range to search.
7. Click the More Choices or Advanced tabs in the dialog box to have more search options, such as read or unread items, items with attachments, or flagged items.
8. Fill in the search criteria you know.
9. Click Find Now.

Outlook Search Syntax

If you want to perform more advanced and precise searches in Outlook, you can use the Outlook search syntax. This is a set of operators, keywords, and filters that you can use to create complex search queries.

For example, you can use operators such as AND, OR, NOT, NEAR to combine multiple terms or exclude certain terms from your search. You can also use keywords such as from:, to:, subject:, cc:, bcc:, etc. to specify which field of the email you want to search in. You can also use filters such as hasattachment:, isflagged:, isread:, etc. to narrow down your search by certain attributes of the email.

Here are some examples of Outlook search syntax for different scenarios:

• To find emails from John Smith that have attachments: from:”John Smith” hasattachment:yes
• To find emails that have “report” in the subject line and were sent in January 2024: subject:report received:1/1/2024..1/31/2024
• To find emails that contain “budget” or “forecast” but not “sales” in the email body: (budget OR forecast) NOT sales
• To find emails that are marked as unread and have high importance: isread:no importance:high

Using Search Folders

The contents of your inbox can be viewed in a more organized fashion by using search folders, which are essentially digital equivalents of physical folders. You may search for emails using search folders, which saves you from manually entering the search criteria each time. Follow these steps to establish a search folder in Microsoft Outlook:

1. Open Outlook.
2. To create a new search folder, select the Folder tab and then click “New Search Folder.”
3. Choose the kind of search folder you wish to create from the drop-down menu in the “New Search Folder” window. For instance, you can construct a search folder that shows all of the emails with a particular sender or those with a particular subject.
4. Indicate the criteria that should be used for the search folder.
5. To initiate the creation of the search folder, select the “OK” button.
6. The search folder will now be visible in your list of folders and will present you with all the emails relevant to the search parameters you chose. You may get to the search folder whenever you like by selecting it from the folder list and clicking on it.

Additionally, you can optimize your search by customizing your Outlook search settings according to your preferences. You can access the search settings by clicking on the “File” tab in the toolbar, and then selecting “Options”. In the Options window, click “Search” in the left pane.

Search for Emails in Outlook 365

If you are using Outlook 365, which is the cloud-based version of Outlook, you may have some additional features or considerations related to searching emails. For example:

• You can use Microsoft Search to access a unified search experience across all your Microsoft 365 apps, including Outlook.  You can access Microsoft Search by clicking on the search bar in the toolbar, or by pressing Ctrl+E.
• You can use natural language queries to search for emails in Outlook 365. This means you can type your search in plain English, without using any operators or keywords. For example, you can type “emails from John about the project” or “emails with attachments I received last week”.
• You can use the Search tab in the ribbon to access more search options and tools in Outlook 365. For example, you can use the Refine group to filter your results by sender, subject, date, etc. You can also use the Scope group to change the scope of your search from the current folder to all mailboxes, or to a specific folder.

Conclusion

When you have a significant number of emails in your inbox in Outlook, it might be challenging to search for a certain email among all those messages. You may make the experience of searching for emails in your inbox more manageable by using the numerous options that are covered in this article, such as the search bar, advanced search, search folders, and fast search. By making use of these capabilities, you will be able to quickly and effectively locate the email that you are looking for.

If you are still looking for the correct email address, you might try utilizing a text search engine such as Anytxt. Because you can use this tool to search for specific content within your email and other files, it is an extremely helpful resource that may help you discover what you need in a hurry.

You can simplify the process of searching for emails and easily locate what you’re looking for by using the search options in Outlook. In addition, you can use Outlook search alternative, AnyTXT for quick file search.

Excel is a robust spreadsheet program that facilitates the orderly storage and management of massive datasets. Excel’s search function is a lifesaver for quickly finding a single piece of text or a certain number inside a large spreadsheet. Working with huge datasets can help users save time and energy by facilitating the rapid identification and modification of pertinent data to find and search text in excel files.

This tutorial will teach you how to search and find text in Excel files via the program’s built-in search tool and more advanced filters and macros. Whether you’re just starting with Excel or a seasoned pro, you’ll benefit from these search and analysis techniques. Continue reading →

If you use Windows, you presumably have a large number of files saved on your computer. Documents, pictures, movies, music, emails, and more. Finding the proper file when you need it can be difficult, especially if you have a vast and complicated file structure. That is why having a reliable desktop search engine is critical for saving time and increasing productivity.

In this post, I will recommend the best desktop search engines for Windows, which may help you discover files quicker and simpler. You will learn their features, benefits, and downsides, as well as provide advice on how to select the ideal one for your requirements.

Everything

Everything is a very quick and efficient desktop search engine that can locate any file on your computer in seconds. It works by generating a database of all the file and folder names on your hard disk and updating it in real time as you add or remove files. This allows you to quickly search for any file name using a simple and easy interface.

Image: Everything Search- A Powerful File Search Tool For Windows

Everything has several elements that make it a great search tool, including:

•  It allows for sophisticated searches using wildcards, Boolean operators, and regular expressions.
•  You may filter results by size, date, qualities, and more.
•  It allows you to change the design and functionality of the search window, including fonts, colors, columns, hotkeys, and more.
•  Search results may be exported or imported as CSV or TXT files.
•  It may be launched as a portable program from a USB drive or a network site.

AnyTxt Searcher

AnyTXT is another quick and effective desktop search engine that can locate any text file on your PC. It indexes the content of numerous file kinds, including PDF, DOCX, TXT, and HTML, and allows you to search text in Excel or other files.

AnyTXT includes various advanced capabilities that distinguish it from other desktop search engines, such as:

•  It enables OCR (optical character recognition) searches, which means it can search text in photos or scanned documents.
•  It offers a fuzzy search, which allows it to detect similar terms or typos in your search query.
•  It provides full-text preview, allowing you to see the context of your search results inside the file content.
•  It supports a variety of languages and encoding schemes.

Listary

Listary is a sophisticated desktop search application that works perfectly with Windows Explorer. It improves the built-in Windows Search capability by adding new capabilities and shortcuts. To open Listary from any folder or program, press Ctrl twice or use a mouse motion.

Listary offers various sophisticated search options that make it a flexible and useful tool. These include:

•  It allows real-time search, which means the results appear as you enter.
•  It features keyword shortcuts, which allow you to rapidly access folders, apps, webpages, and other resources by typing predetermined terms.
•  It supports a variety of file types and extensions, including ZIP, RAR, and ISO.
•  It features smart commands, allowing you to conduct actions on your search results like as copy, move, delete, rename, and more.

Copernic Desktop Search – Free Trial

Copernic Desktop Search is a powerful search tool for Windows that can locate any file or email on your PC. It indexes the content of multiple file kinds and email systems, including Outlook, Gmail, and Thunderbird, and allows you to search for keywords or phrases inside them.

Copernic Desktop Search includes several characteristics that make it a dependable and accurate search tool, including:

•  It supports content indexing, which means it may look for words or phrases in the file content as well as file names.
•  It features complex filters, which allow you to narrow your search results by category, date range, size range, and so on.
•  It offers search customization, which allows you to define and save your search criteria for later use.
•  It integrates with several file formats and email systems, including PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, Outlook, Gmail, and Thunderbird.

Lookeen – Free Trial

Lookeen is a powerful desktop search engine that can locate any file or email on your computer with rapid indexing and precise results. It indexes material from various file formats and email platforms (e.g. Outlook, Exchange, Office 365) and searches for keywords or phrases inside them.

Lookeen offers user-friendly and effective search options, including:

•  Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) can be used to combine or exclude terms in search queries.
•  Filters allow you to restrict your search results by category, date, and size.
•  Preview options allow you to examine search results without opening files or emails.
•  The user-friendly design allows for easy access and customization of the search window, toolbar, and settings.

Windows Search: Advanced Query Syntax

Windows Search is Windows’ built-in search feature, which can find any file or folder on your computer. It works by indexing the file and folder names on your hard disk and updating them as you add or delete files. You may use Windows Search from the Start menu, the taskbar, or any folder.

Windows Search has a feature called Advanced Query Syntax, which allows you to improve your file searches with operators and filters. Windows Search Syntax can help you search files more quickly and accurately by setting parameters such as file name, extension, date, size, type, and so on.

For instance, you may use AQS to look for:

•  Files with the following name: name:report.docx
•  Files having the following extension: ext:pdf.
•  Files changed on a certain date: datemodified:20240122
•  Files greater than a certain size: size:>10mb
•  Files of a certain type: kind:picture

You may also combine numerous criteria using parenthesis and Boolean operators. In addition, you can use Findstr commands to search and find files in Windows from a command prompt. 

Selecting the Right Desktop Search Engine

As you can see, there are several desktop search engines available for Windows that may help you discover files more quickly and easily. However, not all of them may meet your requirements and preferences. As a result, while choosing a desktop search engine, various variables must be considered, such as:

•  Speed: How quickly does the search engine index and search your files?
•  Features: What features does the search engine provide to help you improve your file searches?
•  Customization: How much can you change the search engine’s design and behavior?
•  Compatibility: How well does the search engine work with your file system and apps?

Depending on these considerations, you could favor one desktop search engine over another. For example, if you value speed and simplicity, you could like Everything or Listary. Copernic Desktop Search or Lookeen may appeal to you if accuracy and comprehensiveness are important. If you value flexibility and ease, you might choose AnyTXT or Windows Search with AQS.

Finally, the best approach to finding the finest desktop search engine is to test them out and discover which one works best for your needs.

Conclusion

In this post, we’ve looked at and selected some of the best desktop search engines for Windows that can help you discover files faster and simpler. We examined their features, benefits, and downsides and provided advice on how to select the best one for your requirements.

We hope this information was helpful and instructive to you. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below.

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.