
If the file extension is not in the list, go ahead and add it at the bottom. You can do this by clicking on the Advanced button on the main Indexing Options screen. If you have noticed that certain files are not being indexed by search indexer even though they are included in the search locations, you may have to add the file type. You can check off any drive or folder that you would like to include in the index.ĭepending on how many files and folders are in a location, it could take some time for search indexer to index everything. Any network drive or external hard drive will show up in the list of possible locations. To add a new location to the index, click on the Modify button. Below that, you will see a list of all the locations that have been included for indexing. At the top, you’ll see the total number of items that have currently been indexed on your computer.
#WINDOWS 7 FIND WORD IN FILE SEARCH WINDOWS#
In Windows 10, you’ll click on Change how Windows searches.
#WINDOWS 7 FIND WORD IN FILE SEARCH WINDOWS 7#
Windows 7 and Windows Search 4 make it easier than ever to find the information you need.This will bring up the Indexing Options dialog. I’ve long believed that being able to locate information instantly is a crucial tool for small businesses and law firms to be competitive. Then click the Search tab and check Use Natural Language Search. To turn it on, click Start / Control Panel / Appearance And Personalization / Folder Options. Natural language search is turned off by default. You can search for files by typing modified yesterday, modified last week or files created last month. It’s possible to do natural language searches in Windows 7! Natural language search lets you search using expressions like email from maddie yesterday or music by bowie or stones or email sent directly to me. There is an Advanced Query Syntax for search junkies, to generate precise searches for numbers, dates, file properties, and much more. You can use quotes for exact phrases, and parentheses for all words in any order. You can use Boolean filters as long as they are typed in capital letters – AND, NOT, OR. Windows 7 uses the same rich syntax for searches that Windows Search 4 uses in Windows XP and Vista. In addition to narrowing searches by kind, you can also narrow searches by date, file type, size and more, from the same place in the upper right corner. You can change from one to the other freely in the same list of search results. You will be able to narrow the results to a particular type of data – email messages, calendar entries, documents, folders, pictures, and more. The search results will be reported instantly from all file locations, both your files and the firm documents, and from your Outlook mailbox!Īfter you’ve typed in a search term and gotten results, click again on the search term in the upper right and click on Kind. An empty search window will open with your cursor blinking in the upper right corner. Instead of clicking on the Start menu, hit the Windows key + F. This tip is the reason I wrote this series.

If you locate a file and there might be other useful files in the same subfolder, right-click the file and click on Open Folder Location.

It is faster and more efficient to do a search than to drill into subfolders looking for files manually. The search results will be reported instantly from all file locations, both your files and the firm documents. When you click on Documents on the Start menu, you will open your Documents library, which includes both your individual files and all of the shared company documents.ĭo a search from the upper right corner of the window. SEARCH ALL DOCUMENTS FROM WINDOWS EXPLORER The network server is running Windows Search 4 and you’ve added the network locations with shared files to your Documents library. You’ve got a Windows 7 workstation in a small business or law firm.
