Description: Learn how to search the content of files in Windows 11.  Windows 11 includes a built-in search feature that helps you find files, documents, and apps quickly. You can search a file by content and by its name on your computer and use keywords to search on the web using the search feature in Windows 11. In addition, you can manage search options to control what a search feature can find and how a search works in Windows 11.

There are not any noticeable changes to the overall working of Windows search in Windows 11 compared to Windows 10. However, it comes with many improvements to the search feature, such as dedicated file type search, search a file by content, support for cloud search in conjunction with cloud storage services, indexing options, faster and efficient results.

Continue reading to learn about different ways to search files in Windows 11. Additionally, you will learn how to find files by their type and content/text.

How to search for files in Windows 11?

Following are some ways that you can use different options to search a file in Windows 11.

Keyboard shortcut

Press Windows+S on your keyboard to quickly search for files, apps, or on the web in Windows 11. A window will pop up, then start typing, and you will get the results listed below. You can even narrow down your results by category by clicking on the headings below the search bar, such as apps, documents, web, or more.

Search button on the Taskbar.

Click on the Search Icon (which looks like a magnifying glass) on the taskbar to open the Search Menu in Windows 11. It is the same menu as you get when you press Windows+S. But if you do not have a Search Icon on your Taskbar, you can add it. For this, open Settings and go to Personalization. Click on the Taskbar, then Taskbar Items, and turn ON the switch beside Search.

Click Start and type your search.

Click the Start button on the Taskbar, the Start Menu will appear. Then start typing, and the menu will turn into the Windows Search Menu, and you can search the same as the last two methods.

Search in File Explorer.

Another way to search files is within File Explorer. Open File Explorer by clicking on the folder icon on your desktop/taskbar or pressing Windows+E. Navigate to the folder you want to search. Then in the upper right corner of the window, click on the Search Bar and type your search query. You will get every matching result for files.

How to add file extensions to Windows Search Index?

You can find files using the search feature in Windows 11. However, you can search for text in a file for limited file types by default. But you can include other text-based files to expand your searching options in Windows 11.

1. Press on the Search Icon in the Taskbar to open a Windows Search window.
2. Type index and open the Indexing Options from results.
3. Once the Indexing Options window opens, press the Advanced button.
4. In the Advanced Options, press on the File Types tab. Mark the extensions for the file type that you want to include in your content searches. Then select the Option Index Properties and File Contents under the list to see the filter in the filter description that will be used to open a specific file type. For example, when you choose the bat extension, the plain text filter will be the filter type.
5. However, if you do not have your required file type in the list, it means that the file type does not have an app as the default handler. You can add your new file type by typing the extension in the box under Add New Extension to list and then press Add. Because Windows Search does not have another app associated with those types of files, it will use a plain text filter to search their contents by default.

To search for a specific file extension/type.

Follow the given steps to search for a file type in file explorer.

1. Open File Explorer by clicking on the folder icon on your desktop/taskbar or pressing Windows+E.
2. Navigate to the folder you want to search. Then in the upper right corner of the window, click on the Search Bar and type the extension of the file you intend to search.
3. You will get files matching your extension.

How to enable searching a file by content/text using Windows Search in Windows 11?

Use the following steps to enable searching a file by content/text using Windows Search in Windows 11.

1. Click on Start, and open the Control Panel from the Start Menu.
2. Once the Control Panel window opens, click on Folder Options.
3. In the Folder Options window, click on the Search tab.
4. Then under the What to Search option, select the Always Search File Names and Contents and press OK. It will enable searching a file by its name and content in Windows 11.

How to search a file by content/text using Windows Search in Windows 11?

Using Windows Search in Windows 11, you can search a file by content/text by following the steps below.

1. Open File Explorer by clicking on the folder icon on your desktop/taskbar or pressing Windows+E.
2. Navigate to the folder you want to search. Then in the upper right corner of the window, click on the Search Bar and type the string: content: “your phrase/text/content”. Window 11 will recognize this as a specific instruction, and the text color will change to light blue.
3. You will get files matching your text. For example, if you type .pdf in the search box to find all the files with the pdf extension.

Bonus: Search Text in Files with AnyTxt

AnyTxt is a powerful tool that allows you to search text in files on your computer. You can use AnyTxt to find any document, email, ebook, or archive that contains the keywords you are looking for.

It supports multiple file formats, such as PDF, DOCX, EPUB, ZIP, and more. You can also customize the search options, such as case sensitivity, file size, and date range. AnyTxt is fast, accurate, and easy to use. It can help you search files by content in Windows 11/10/7.

Conclusion

To conclude, one can say that the search feature in Windows 11 makes the process of searching files and documents convenient and quick. You can find a file by its name, type, date, size, and even by its content using Windows Search in Windows 11.

Manage Indexing Options and Settings for Windows 11 – A Tutorial

If you use Windows, you may find it difficult to locate the files you want. The default search tool in Windows is slow, unreliable, and frequently produces irrelevant results. In that case, you want a more effective Windows file search utility.

A file search utility is a piece of software that allows you to quickly and conveniently locate files on your computer. It can index the whole system, search within files, and filter using multiple criteria, among other things. In this post, I will show you 5 free file search tools for searching for your documents, images, movies, and other data on Windows 11/10.

AnyTXT

AnyTXT is a flexible and lightweight Windows file search tool. It accepts a variety of file types, including PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ePub, HTML, TXT, and others. It can index your files rapidly and automatically update them. It also offers a basic and user-friendly UI.

Follow these steps to use AnyTXT for efficient file searches:

Step 1.  Get AnyTXT from its official website and install it.

Step 2. Start AnyTXT and let it index your files. Enter your search terms into the search box and hit Enter.

Step 3. Click the Go button to start the search.

The search results will be shown in the main windows. You may sort them by name, path, size, type, or modification date. You may also double-click any result to open it or right-click to get more choices.

By default, you will also have a quick preview of the file you select in the right window. You may also use the advanced search option to include other criteria like file properties or content matching.

AnyTXT includes various unique search features that set it apart from other file search software.

• You may mix numerous keywords or phrases by using operators (AND, OR, NOT).
• Quick file indexing and searching by content.
• OCR image search to locate images.
• Fuzzy search may be used to locate similar terms or mistakes in your keywords or file contents.
• You may use proximity search to locate terms in your keywords or file contents that are near to each other.

Everything

Everything is a powerful file search program for Windows 10/11. It can quickly index the system and display all files and directories matching your keywords. It includes a simple and intuitive user interface that allows you to execute rapid and accurate file searches.

Follow these instructions to utilize Everything for rapid and exact file searches:

Step 1.  Download Everything from the official website and install it.

Step 2.  Open Everything and type your search terms into the search box to locate a file or folder.  You may also use the Advanced Search from the Search menu for complex searches.

Step 3. The search results will be shown in the main window. You may sort them by name, path, size, type, or modification date. You may also double-click any result to open it, or right-click to get more choices.

Everything has advanced search features compared to the Windows built-in file search, making it a robust file search engine. As an example:

• Content searching in the latest 1.4 version.
• Rename multiple files in one go.
• Check searching history and bookmarks.
• Search for duplicate files.

Everything is a quick and accurate file search program that can quickly locate any file or folder on your computer.

Agent Ransack

Agent Ransack is a strong and free Windows file search program. It can search within files, including PDF, Word, Excel, and other file types. It also supports regular expressions and file content searches. It includes an extensive and customizable user interface that allows you to conduct successful file searches.

Follow these procedures to employ Agent Ransack for successful file searches:

Step 1. Download Agent Ransack from its official website and install it.

Step 2.  Enter your keywords in the File name and Containing text boxes of Agent Ransack. You may also combine search terms using familiar Boolean operators AND, OR, or NOT.

Step 3. To begin your search, click the Start button. The search results will be shown in the main window. You may sort them by name, path, size, type, or modification date. You may also double-click any result to open it, or right-click to get more choices.

Agent Ransack offers various innovative capabilities that set it apart from other file search applications. As an example:

• Regular expressions can be used to match complicated patterns in keywords or file contents.
•  Restricted Version for contexts where end-users are not permitted to search their local PC.
•  Boolean expressions can be used to combine numerous keywords or phrases using logical operators (AND, OR, NOT).

Listary

Listary is a powerful search engine with extensive functionality. It can search in real-time as you write and interface with a variety of file managers, including Windows Explorer, Total Commander, XYplorer, and others. It also includes a sophisticated and attractive user interface that allows for quick file searches.

Refer to the following steps to see how to use Listary for quick file discovery:

Step 1. Download Listary from its official website and install it on Windows 11/10/7.

Step 2. Open Windows File Explorer and press Ctrl twice. Enter your search terms and hit Enter. Use keywords like name:, ext:, or loc: for advanced searches.

Step 3. Explore Listary’s settings for customization options and custom actions, favorites, and quick switches for more functionality.

Listary includes various additional capabilities that set it apart from other file search applications. As an example:

•  You may do real-time searches while typing without opening any windows or dialog boxes.
•  Listary can be integrated with multiple file managers and its functions may be accessed from inside them.
•  You may execute actions on your files right from the search box by using commands (such as copy:, move:, rename:).
• You may search for certain file kinds or categories by using keywords (for example, music:, video:, doc:).
•  Projects (such as work:, home:, and school:) can be used to establish bespoke search scopes for distinct folders or drives.

SearchMyFiles

SearchMyFiles is a portable and customized Windows file search application. It does not need to be installed and may be executed from any folder or disk. It also has a plethora of additional search options for fine-tuning your file searches.

Follow these steps to use SearchMyFiles for specific file search needs:

Step 1. Download SearchMyFiles from its official website and extract it to a folder or disk of your choice.

Step 2. Start SearchMyFiles and type your search terms into the Base folder and Files wildcard boxes. .

Step 3. Adjust search filters like file size, date, or file attributes as needed.

Step 4. Click on “Start Search” to initiate the search process.

SearchMyFiles features extensive search capabilities as a Windows file search program:

• You may search in many locations and file kinds at the same time by using multiple base folders and wildcards.
•  You may exclude particular directories, files, or extensions from your search results by using exclude filters.
•  You may categorize your results by folder, extension, or size using summary mode.
•  Use duplicate mode to locate duplicate files on your system.

Selecting the Best File Search Utility

The best software to search files in computer is determined by your unique tastes and demands. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution for file searching. However, while choosing a file search application, you should consider the following factors:

•  Indexing and searching speed: How quickly can the program index and search your files?
•  Indexing capabilities: How extensive and up-to-date is the tool’s file index?
•  User interface: How simple is the tool’s user interface?
•  Customization possibilities: How much can you change about the tool’s settings and appearance?
•  Additional features: Aside from file searching, what other functions does the utility provide?

You may compare the speed and functionality of several file search programs.

Conclusion

Any Windows user must be able to search for files. The default Windows search tool, on the other hand, is inefficient and unreliable. That is why you want a superior file search software that can assist you in swiftly and simply locating any file on your computer.

I have shown you five effective file search applications for Windows users in this post. Among them, AnyTXT offers fast file searching and indexing. I hope this post has assisted you in locating the finest file search software for your requirements.