Types of file search in Windows 10
Basically, there are two types of searching files in Windows 10 – searching by file name and searching in the text of documents. Let’s look at the two options in detail.
Search by file name
Searching by file name in Windows 10 does not require an additional tool, as we have File Explorer, which makes searching by file name very convenient. When you open the program, a text box labeled “Search” appears below the main toolbar on the right.
You can limit the search by date and size. For example:
- date: <11/05/20 finds files created before 11 May, 2020.
- size:> 100KB finds files larger than 100 KB.
An additional convenience is the use of wildcards. For example, with the wildcard * you can replace any part of the file name or extension.
Search for text in documents
If you are not interested in the file name, but want to find certain text that is contained in one or more files, searching with File Explorer in Windows 10 is not convenient. In this kind of search, the text itself cannot be seen in the results – you have to open files one by one and search each. This takes a long time, and if there are thousands of files, the task is nearly impossible.
Easy and convenient search in the text of documents in Windows 10 is possible only with an external program. In turn, text search engines are divided into two types: those that use indexing and those that do not.
Indexing creates a database of information in the files, which speeds up the search. But the use of an indexing program also has some significant drawbacks – the computer is constantly overloaded and the created index takes up disk space.
Programs that do not use indexing are generally the better option.
SeekFast – a tool for searching text in files in Windows 10
The SeekFast program performs a quick search of documents without using indexing and thus does not slow down the computer. After the search, the results are organized in a manner allowing you to easily find the information you are looking for.
The program is available in both a free and full version. With the free version you can search up to 50 files, and with the full version up to 20,000 files. All you have to do is select a directory and enter keywords as search terms.
SeekFast supports all commonly used document types – doc, docx, pdf, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, odt, rtf, txt, and more. Its ability to open a file directly from the results, to display the context, as well as not using indexing, make it a convenient and fast solution for finding the information you need.
More information about the benefits of the program you can see at SeekFast features. You can download it from the download page.
Everything
The free program Everything got its name from the fact that it initially shows all the files and folders on your computer. When searching, you must apply some filters for file and folder types. Wildcards can be used, and you can specify the types to be searched in the search window.
The main disadvantage is that the search is extremely slow. In addition, the program does not add many useful features, compared to File Explorer.
Copernic
One of the popular search tools that use indexing is Copernic. The program can be downloaded and used for a trial period of 30 days. Then there are four options from which you can choose the most suitable for you to buy.
With this program, you can search for files created with MS Office programs, Outlook emails, text documents, and media files. When searching, Copernic creates an index. To see the context menu of a file, you need to click on the file in the preview window.
The main disadvantage of the program is the indexing, which takes up computer resources. Another disadvantage is the lack of a permanent license, which requires subscription and payment every month.