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Search options in windows 7. Advanced search in Windows or how to find a file in Windows? Change search parameters

Starting to use the new system, I think you may have encountered the fact that the search for files in Windows 7 is organized a little differently, unlike other operating systems. Now I will tell you about where in Windows 7 search, and also take an example, find files in Windows 7.

Configuring Search in Windows 7

Windows 7 has a built-in search bar that lets you find not only menu programs by name, but also files and folders. I should note that not all files are searchable, but only indexed, that is, those that have been assigned a special number by the system, which is called an "index". If your files and folders are in standard folders, then you do not need to configure indexing.

To configure, open the Start menu and type "search options" and in the results select "Change search options for files and folders."

In the "Search" tab, the parameters should be as in the picture below.

I do not advise you to choose a search by file name, although at first glance this seems like a good idea, in practice it will lead to the fact that the search will not only be incredibly long, but also give a lot of extraneous results, which means it will not be effective. In this window, all the settings are set optimally, there is no need to change anything.

Now, similar to the previous case, find it in the "Indexing Options" menu. In the window that opens, click "Change" and now we can select all your data folders for indexing. Do not select the Windows system folders, select only the data that you need. You don't have to choose like Plyushkin. What if it comes in handy !?

Another useful customization feature is customization of indexing by extension. Click the "Advanced" button and select the "File Types" tab. Here you can add indexing of the content of the files that you will search by content. For example, you want to search documents by content. Click on "doc" and select "Index file properties and contents" at the bottom.

Now that you have everything configured, you can click "OK" and "OK" again to save the results and start searching in Windows 7 in practice!

Search in the Start Menu

In the previous paragraph, we easily found the necessary programs in the Start menu using the search bar, I will only add that now that your indexing system is configured, you can search not only programs, but also all the files and folders you need, and they will be conveniently grouped by type.

To consolidate, so to speak, the material, let's repeat the steps that have already been voiced in the article. To start the search, you need to click on Start and enter the word or phrase of the item at the very bottom.

Search using Windows Explorer

In the previous chapter of the article, you could have opened the search box from the start menu, the same effect can be achieved by opening "File Explorer" or "Computer". You will see a search bar at the top right of the window. You can enter there the file name, part of the content of the files or their extension, for which you previously configured content search.

But this is not all the possibilities. You can enter various filters there: type, modification date, author, and others. You can see the filters by placing the cursor in the search field in one of the "Libraries" folders, the wider the field, the more filters are visible. Each of the Libraries folder has its own filters, such as the length of the music file or the date the picture was taken.

You can also see that now the search results can be sorted by choosing a method in the upper right corner of the window, and by scrolling down the results to the end, you can repeat the search in other folders of the "Libraries".

And finally, I will add that a similar file search in windows 7 is available everywhere. You can open any folder and start searching in it. And it is very convenient!

For those who are considering switching to Windows 8:

Finding files can be difficult for novice users and take a long time. In this article, we will go over all the ways to find files on your computer.

Important: Search results through the Start menu will display not only files, but also the search results will display the Windows system commands of the same name. For example, entering the search query "cmd" will result in a command (program) that launches the command line.

Main search box

Explorer window

The next way to find files is to use any Explorer window. To search for files through the explorer, you must enter a query in the appropriate section of any open window (for example, "My_computer").

This method is more convenient than the others because, using the explorer, you can search for files directly inside the specified (open) partitions of the hard disk (folders) without the need to enter the corresponding restriction using the search filter. What a significant file search process.

Search filters

In addition to how you search for files, it is also important how you can narrow your search results to find the exact file you want. This is done by using special search filters, you can use them by looking for files in the explorer window. Since the diver uses the most filters that filter out unnecessary search results.

Search settings

Sometimes the search is unable to find the file of interest, this happens if it is inside a non-indexed hard disk partition. This can be fixed by configuring, expanding the search parameters. To do this, follow the instructions below.

Search operators

Operators are characters / words that include additional search results filter options. In other words, these characters are used to quickly filter out results, similar to how it is done in Internet search engines (Yandex, Google, Yahoo).

reference

If after reading the article you have any questions regarding file search, then you can find answers to them in the specially created help section of the operating system. The Help menu will open after pressing the F1 key. For information on finding files, enter a search term - "search".

In this way, you will find all the Windows Help topics concerning file search.

Moving from Windows Vista, searching in only becomes more convenient and does not contain any special surprises. The same cannot be said for many Windows XP users who are just discovering day-to-day work in the system with a handy tool like Instant Search. Searching in Windows 7 is really easy. But, as with any search, the goal is to find what you need, and this can sometimes be difficult. With this article, I begin my story about how search works in Windows 7, how to set it up, how to search, and most importantly, how to find it.

How search works

You have most likely heard of an index - a collection of files that contain a variety of information about files and documents stored on disk. When you use search, it is the index files that allow you to quickly display the results. The index includes various properties of files, and this is not only the path, name or size. For example, MP3 files have all tags indexed - from author to bit rate. Office documents have data indexed, which can be seen in the file properties on the tab In detail, document content, and so on. If this search is new to you, I recommend reading a couple of Help articles for background information and searches. Minimize all windows, click F1 and in the field Search Help enter ... Search.

Indexing happens all the time - if you add, delete or change a file in a folder, it will be immediately reflected in the index.

The screenshot shows the locations that are indexed by default. Therefore, if you store your documents somewhere in F: \\ Documents, they will not be included in the index and will not be found by a quick search - they must be added to the index separately. Setting up a search will be discussed below.

Search and indexing settings

To be honest, the standard search settings are quite good, and most users do not need to change anything in them, especially if documents and files are stored in standard folders. To customize your settings, open the Start menu and type search options into search.

So in a casual way, we used one of the search capabilities - quick access to Control Panel items from the Start menu.

Change search options for files and folders

I will not duplicate the parameters, which are perfectly visible in the screenshot.

Pay attention to the following points:

by default, folder search searches all subfolders

in non-indexed places, only file names are searched, and compressed files are ignored

you can use language search, i.e. write search queries in a more fluent language - for example, last week's video (there will be a lot of unexpected results mixed in here, especially in localized versions)

Indexing Options and Windows Search Services

There are many more options you can tweak here. To add folders to the index, click Edit.

The Windows and Program Files folders are not accidentally excluded from the search - they will greatly increase the size of the index, and there will be little practical use. Programs can already be found by searching in the Start menu - after all, the main menu is indexed by default.

By clicking Additionally, you get access to two groups of settings:

indexing technical parameters

indexing options for file types

In the first, you can add encrypted files to the index, rebuild the index (which you might need in case of problems), and set a new location for it.

For the file type (extension), you can:

include or exclude it from the index

determine if only properties will be indexed or also content

add new extension

For example, if suddenly your instant messaging client saves history in text files with the LOG extension, or you just need to analyze logs, their content will not be indexed by default. But you can easily customize the search - just type log on the keyboard to navigate through the list of extensions and enable content search.

How to search

When starting a search, it is advisable to immediately imagine whether the search object is included in the index. As I said above, the index covers the user's profile - libraries, files, etc. Here you can find the files you need relatively easily.

But if you open the main search window and expect to find something in the Program Files or Windows folder, you might even get the impression that "the search is not finding anything" - after all, only the results from the index are displayed. We'll talk more about searching in non-indexed places, but now let's look at the general search methods in Windows 7. You can search:

from the start menu

in the main search box

in libraries

in other windows of the explorer - folders, dialogs "Open" and "Save As"

Search in the Start Menu

When you search from the Start menu, the search results show not only files and documents, but also programs and Control Panel items. Now you can safely part with the Windows XP habit of carefully sorting applications in the menu Programs... It is enough to enter the first few letters of the program name to find it. This is much more convenient, especially if you have a lot of programs installed.

Advice... If you use portable applications, just add their shortcuts to the% appdata% \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ Start Menu \\ Programs folder (you can create a subfolder for them). In search results they will appear in the group Programs.

In Windows 7, search results in the Start menu are very conveniently grouped, and the number of results in each group is immediately visible - this is an improvement over Windows Vista. As you can see in the screenshot, word search not only finds Microsoft Word and WordPad applications, but also suggests results in other groups.

The Start menu displays several results for each group, and clicking on the group name opens a search window with all the search results in the group.

Search in the Start menu is good when you have an idea of \u200b\u200bthe file name or its contents - the first 5 - 10 results are visible immediately, and you don't have to go far. In addition, the Start menu is indispensable for quickly accessing programs and Control Panel items using search.

Main search box

An empty search box can be opened by pressing the keyboard shortcut WIN + F... It, in my opinion, has somewhat lost its meaning, since it no longer contains advanced file search capabilities. Searching in windows explorer practically displaces it from the system. It seems to me that links to help on using search or a link to this article could brighten up its dull look.

However, the main search box still carries a payload. It opens with search results if you enter a query in the Start menu and click on the name of a search result group, or See other resultsright above the search field.

Libraries

Now I will explain why I split the search in libraries and other explorer windows. Notice how the library search results are displayed. They match the look of the files in it and are very well perceived visually. For example, for music files, album art, large song title, size are displayed, and there are also "music" options for organizing the results. This is a property of all libraries, which confirms the thesis - the capabilities of Windows 7 are best used together. In this case, it is a search in libraries, which has other advantages.

This is what a simple query search in the library will suggest. Music.

While in Explorer, you can organize your search results by the available file properties. The default display order is top scores, but, for example, you can sort your music files by album or genre. This feature is available alongside the traditional sorting and grouping tools of Explorer (although the latter may be new to migrants with Windows XP).

In this case, the results will display several songs from each album. You can watch all the songs on the album, and then "fold" it if the desired one is not there.

If you don't find the file you want in the current folder, you can search again:

Other explorer windows

In folders and libraries, the search field is the same as in the main window. But do not forget that the same option is available in the "Open" and "Save As" windows, which are used even by those who prefer alternative file managers.

Searching in folders is more convenient when you know the approximate location of a file or document - in this case, you will not get lost in the results. In addition, this method is useful when you know for sure that the file is not in the index. Finally, in the Open and Save As windows, you can quickly filter the contents of a folder using a search.

I am sure that you have already tried simple search queries and may be completely satisfied with them. However, sooner or later you will need to find the file, and a simple query won't help you. Next, I'll show you how to use Windows 7's advanced search capabilities to find the files you want.

What's New in Windows 7 Advanced Search

To master search, of course, you need to practice using its capabilities. In the Windows 7 search articles, I will provide a number of examples that you can easily reproduce on your own.

If you are migrating from Windows XP, everything will be new to you in your search for Windows 7. Compared to Windows Vista, Windows 7 looks:

changed search filters

Search filters

When the name of the file or the subject of the document is roughly known, it is usually not difficult to find the required file - you just enter a partial or complete query into the Start menu search. But this information is not always stored in the RAM of the brain, and it is simply often required to set special search conditions - the size, date of modification, or the author of the file. Windows XP had Search Assistant, Windows Vista had Filters.

At first glance, there is nothing that visually stands out in Windows 7. In fact, the filters have not gone anywhere - they just become visible when you position your cursor in the search field.

Advice... To see more filters, expand the search field - position the cursor on the separator between the field and the address bar and drag to the left.

In the screenshot, you can see the standard set of filters in the main search window.

Hints

Your search queries are remembered if they were entered:

to the search box

in explorer folder or library

in the start menu (assuming you navigated to the results and not just open the file)

These prompts annoy some users, and they tend to turn them off immediately. And, in my opinion, they do it in vain. The tips remember not only search queries as such, but also filters searches that you asked - for example, the size or date the file was modified. The hints are very handy if you want to use the full power of Windows 7 search. The old condition can be easily changed to match the current query, and it is faster than re-entering it. And you can always delete an unnecessary hint - just select it (with the mouse or cursor) and press Delete on the keyboard.

As I said above, the new features in Windows 7 are best shared. The link between search and libraries is not only in the display of results, but also in the formation of search terms. In the next part of the article, I'll cover:

using filters to search libraries and mail

search in Internet Explorer 8

search in non-indexed locations

search operators

The Windows operating system provides several ways to find files and folders. You can use the search box in the Start menu to find files, folders, programs, and e-mail messages on your computer. But when trying to find something in the Start menu, the search box is missing.

There are several options to put everything back in place.

First option

The easiest way is to try returning the search field using Windows. Open Control Panel - Programs and Features. Selecting a tab "Turn Windows features on and off". Find the component Windows Search... If the component is not selected, then check the box.

Click OK. Now we check whether the service is enabled or not Windows Search... To do this, open Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Services. Checking the service mode Windows Search... Should stand Automatically.

Second option

Apply. To do this, in the Start menu - Run enter the command gpedit.msc and OK. Now look for User Configuration - Administrative Templates - Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right half of the window, look for the item Remove "Search" link from the "Start" menu. We check the value of this parameter. Should be Not set.

Third option

This option is useful for those users who have a version of Windows other than Pro, Enterprise and Ultimate. Only these versions have support Local Group Policy Editor.

Open the registry editor: Press the Win + R key and enter the command regedit and OK... Find the section

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \\ Software \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ CurrentVersion \\ Policies \\ Explorer

if this section contains the parameter NoFind - it must be removed.

Search is an integral part of the work of any computer, in fact, it is its most important function. If, say, you need to find answers to basic questions, then, of course, there is no point in bothering with the search settings. However, if you set yourself and your computer tasks more difficult, and the final result is important to you, it is better to worry about it. A standard search in windows 7, of course, will bear fruit, it will return many results, but will they be appropriate and necessary? This is a rhetorical question, but if you are still concerned about properly setting up your computer, I suggest variations on how to upgrade / improve the built-in search in windows 7.

How to customize search in windows 7

First of all, let's understand how the search works. You can find only indexed files and folders, that is, those that are assigned an index.It is assigned to all items that are in standard folders. In order to configure indexing, you need to do the following: go to the start menu, look for "search parameters" and select "Change search parameters for folders and files" in the drop-down list. In the window that appears, select the "Search" tab, and put a checkmark wherever you think is necessary, but it is better to do it as in the picture below . By the way, I advise you not to choose search by file name, but to give preference to indexed applications, so you limit yourself from unnecessary garbage.

It also doesn't hurt to set up indexing by extension. To do this, click on the "Advanced" - "File types" tab. This allows you to index exactly the contents of the folder, if you decide to search by this parameter. Then everything is as usual: click "OK", and go ahead, search for files in windows 7. And in order to make the search happen as quickly as possible, use it from time to time.

Sources of search

In order to consolidate the material, let's clearly formulate the places where an extensive search for information will be carried out, namely:

start menu;
main search box;
libraries;
other explorer windows such as folders, "Open", "Save As".

In general, if you calmly sit down and figure it out, setting up your search turns out to be a fairly simple process. To do this, you do not need to have narrow-profile knowledge at all, it is enough to follow the simple advice of this article, and, I am sure, you will succeed!

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