Did you just close a text document you wrote a few minutes earlier for the millionth time? This is to say that you need something that gives you lightning-fast access to all your data. If you do not think so, put yourself to a little test.  Where did you put the most recent programs you obtained from the web? Could you identify where you find all of your media files? If not, your computer is usually a disaster, and you have no idea how to find anything on it.

The time spent “rummaging” through your computer’s files in quest of a misplaced file is too much to waste; if you are looking for a swift and time-saving process. Let’s show you how to use several useful programs that every computer user needs to know how to use to locate data.

Tips on how to search desktop files on a computer

Let’s see how to use the built-in search features of today’s most popular operating systems to locate a certain file on a computer. Check out these detailed instructions on how you can go about the process.

Search desktop files on computers

You can use the Windows search feature to look for a certain file, but before you do so, you should make sure the indexing choices (those that allow the computer’s files to be included in a particular search index) are configured as desired.

You can accomplish this by selecting Windows System > Control Panel > Indexing Options after pressing the Windows Start button (the one that looks like a flag) (if this last icon is not present, press the wording View by mail at the top of the window in the Control Panel, and select the Large Icons option ).

The indexed objects (under the title Paths included) and the locations Windows will search as you type are displayed in the window’s main area. If you want to modify your search parameters, a new window will appear when you click the Edit button. Put a checkmark in the boxes next to the paths you wish to add, click OK, then click Close.

In order to do a search, select the Write here field to search (located at the bottom left of the application bar) and then type the name (or a portion of the name) of the item you wish to locate. If the search terms on the screen match what you typed, you can select one.

The drop-down menus above (Apps, Documents, Web, etc.) can also be used to narrow your search results, and if you right-click on a file’s name and select Open file path, you’ll be taken directly to the directory containing that file.

Search Desktop Box For Window

But, if you want to look for a specific file inside a folder, you can do so by typing the file’s full or partial name into the Search box at the top right of the File Explorer window for that folder.

When still in the folder, your search results will be displayed. Which is to say what? Want to find out how to conduct a date-based search for a specific file? To conduct a search, enter the desired terms in the aforementioned area (inside a folder) and select the Search option from the main menu.

Choose the most suited option by clicking the link titled “Last updated:” (e.g., Yesterday, This week, and so on). Is finding an Excel document something you’re interested in as well? Simply type the file extension names (.xlsx,.xls,.xml,.xlt,.xltx, etc.) in the Windows search field in the taskbar or in the one present in a folder to locate documents saved in these popular formats ( you can find the complete list on this page ).

If you were wondering how to search a file by extension, the same search technique works for any file extension.

Search Desktop On Windows For A Specific Folder Containing Files

To clarify, do you want to know how to find a document that contains a specific word? Simply type the term into the proper search forms, and Windows will handle the rest, as demonstrated above.

If you want to double-check that the files have been indexed, you may do so by selecting the Start button, then clicking All programs > Windows Tools > Control Panel > Indexing Options, and doing the same things you did before.

After you’ve done this, searching is as simple as pressing the magnifying glass icon in the application bar’s lower right corner and entering your query in the resulting box, just like on a desktop.

You may also search inside a folder like an external one, though this time, the Search Options menu item will be displayed once you have typed in your search phrase in the space on the top right of the folder.

• The Mac search procedure for locating a certain file
• Tasks are similarly easy on macOS.
• The magnifying glass icon (Spotlight) in the upper right corner of the macOS menu bar allows you to search for documents, directories, and applications on your computer.
• Enter the full or partial file name into the open box to start the search.

After that, a list of results matching your criteria will appear on the screen (starting first from the items on your computer).

Then, double-click the file you want to view. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut cmd+f to search your Computer. When you initiate a search within macOS, the Finder window will appear.

To begin, click the magnifying glass in the window’s upper-right corner, type the desired item’s name into the corresponding area, and then use the names of the available paths displayed in the window’s upper-left corner to navigate.

To narrow your results more, click the [+] button in the upper right corner, and then use the drop-down menus labeled Type and Any to specify your search criteria further.

Do you need to find a file by its date of creation?

Use the [+] button to expand the Finder’s view, then select Type > Creation date and refine your search using the filters at the top of the window.

Instead of searching for “images,” “movies,” “documents,” etc., you can specify the type of files you’re looking for by going to Type > Any.