When you think you know part of a file name, how do you search only for files on "this PC" that have that word or words in the file name. I may be missing something but when I search, I get everything that has the search word anywhere in it and I am left with hundreds of files to scroll through ... documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, you name it. How do you refine the search criteria?
Thanks in advance
In File Explorer, at the top right where the search field is, click on the little magnifying glass icon and you get a new ribbon menu with search options.
You can also use the logical operators (AND OR NOT) in the search field.
Then there are search filters which prefix a search word, such as, content: name: size:
You can narrow the search to certain file types entering either the file extension or file type.
Searching files with a certain extension, use EXT:XXX:
- EXT:DOCfinds all document files with extensions .doc, .docx and so on (any files with extension starting with letters doc)
- EXT:PNG finds all image files with extension .png
The same with file type, use KIND:XXXXXX:
- KIND:DOCUMENTfinds all documents
- KIND:IMAGEfinds all images and photos
- KIND:PRESENTATIONfinds all presentations
For example if you want to find a PDF file with partial file name Test you can search for Test ext:PDF, or to find an Excel workbook or spreadsheet Budget you could search Budget ext:xls. Searching a PowerPoint presentation with a partial name Novemberyou can search November kind:presentation.
You can also combine these and even use so called logical operators AND, OR & NOT. Notice that an operator in search must be written in all caps (upper case):
- November kind:presentation OR kind:spreadsheetwould find all PowerPoint presentations and Excel workbooks with a partial filename November
- ext:PDF datecreated:last month NOT Budgetwould find all PDF files created last month exceptthose with partial name Budget
- Budget AND Novemberwould find all files where both strings Budget and November appear in the file name
Read more in this tutorial on our sister site the Seven blog, most of it applies to Windows 10, too: Search - Find More with Filters and Operators - Windows 7 Help blog
Kari
A BIG THANKS to Kanata and Kari. I came over from 7 and did not expect or look for the search filters on the explorer menu (in my mind they should have been associated with "search" and not staring at me almost constantly).
It appears that until you have used a specific filter, it does not show up as a suggestion dropping down from the search box when you click on the magnifying glass so all I got were the words I had previously searched for.
But on the bright side, I think 10 lets you use even more finesse than 7 did in searches when you know where to look.
Thanks again.
You are welcome
