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How to do advanced search. How to quickly find files, folders and search programs in Windows! How to find hidden files

After understanding the extension of the lost file, for example, ".zip", all that remains is to enter it in the "Search" field and press Enter. A search on the computer will immediately display a list of files with this extension. Of these, we already choose the right one.

Rules for searching files on a computer by size

Many users may object - video files can have many extensions, what should be done to search in this case? One of our clients once lost a missing film and asked for advice on this issue.

We noticed that on the user's computer all the movies were in the ".avi" format. It would seem that you just need to enter the extension in the search, and everything will work out right away. But not everything turned out to be so simple, it was not so easy to find the file on the computer. Therefore, it was decided to search for the desired file by volume.

All client video files were approximately 1.45 GB. Therefore, it was quite reasonable to assume that the lost file had a similar volume. Therefore, it was enough to execute a simple System.Size:>1000MB procedure to search the computer's memory for files larger than 1 GB.

Based on the search results, a list of 20 video files appeared, including a file without an extension at all. But already by the title itself one could guess - this is exactly the missing film. All that remained was to add the extension “.avi” to the file - and again you could enjoy watching the video. Later we managed to understand that our client was just joking with friends, who removed the extension.

How to find hidden files in Windows OS

Sometimes Windows assigns the "Hidden" attribute to some files - as a result virus attacks or system failure. Because of this, the files cannot be seen and found even through the "Search", if opposite the item "Show hidden files and folders" is unchecked. Although nothing will happen to the files themselves.

To make hidden files visible, open the "Control Panel", then go to the items "Folder Options" - "View". Check the box next to "Show hidden files and folders" and click OK. After that, sometimes the lost file is immediately located on the desktop. Or you can find it by searching by extension or name, as we have already considered.

Search files by their content

For example, when losing text documents from Microsoft Office Word, notepad, OpenOffice or other programs. When working with text, part of the content is still stored in the user's memory. Therefore, in the search, we enter part of the text, press Enter and find the desired document.

However, keep in mind that on an old and slow computer, the search process may take a long time. Upgrading your PC is something to think about while waiting for the result.

Total Commander for easy search of necessary files

Popular and convenient file manager, with which you can quickly search for files on your computer by several parameters at the same time - extension, name, content. To do this, you need to specify the search location in the program (for example, C :), after which we go to "Commands" and "Search for files" (or press the Alt + F7 hotkey combination).

Properly organized search in the operating system allows you to better navigate the files on your hard drive and easily find necessary information in short time. To do this, Windows 7 has a sufficient number of settings, which we will discuss below.

In this article we will talk about how to properly and competently configure search capabilities systems. If you encounter a problem in which the search through the menu "Start" refuses to work, check out our other article at the link below.

Indexing settings

Indexing is an operating system feature that greatly speeds up searching within the operating system by compiling a "database" of files based on their contents and/or properties. Thanks to this, when typing a search query in the menu "Start" or in the field "Explorer" the system accesses the index and provides you with the information you are looking for faster. Indexing keeps track of all the files on your computer, adding and removing positions from its database as you manage them. By default, this process is already enabled in the system, but it works selectively (that is, it is distributed only to some folders of the Windows directory), for example, fast search is not available on other logical partitions ( D, E etc.) and in system folders with large quantity content type system Windows(C:\Windows). In view of the foregoing, it makes sense to configure indexing only in two cases:

You store files in non-standard system folders such as "My documents" and so on, but manually create directories and logical partitions on the hard drive;
An HDD is installed in the computer - it makes no sense to enable indexing on an SSD, since it itself works quickly and owners solid state drives It's generally better to disable it.

For all other users, we suggest using the following instructions:

Open "Start" and start typing "indexing"- from the presented results, select the item "Indexing Options".

In the window that opens, it immediately says how many items are indexed in total, and below are all those folders that are on this moment indexed.

Only the most basic is located here, and to enable custom indexing, you need to click on the button "Change".

At the top are all available directories in a tree view. Expand « local disk» , and then the subfolders of interest to find the required directories.

Check the boxes for what you want to include in the indexing, and it will be transferred to the block below for a clear list of everything that will be included in the quick search.

Be sure to set up exceptions: those subfolders that you do not want to be indexed. To do this, expand the folder that you added to indexing and uncheck the unnecessary subfolders. They will fall into the column "Exclude" future list of indexed elements.

Pressing "OK", you will surely notice that the number of indexed elements increases.

In addition to performing the main action, you can also go to advanced settings by clicking on "Additionally".

Here on the tab "Indexing Options" it is possible to configure technical parameters, change the location for saving indexing data (relevant if the disk C there is little free space) and resort to indexing troubleshooting.

More interesting tab "File Types"- here it is proposed to choose which file extensions will and will not be taken into account, as well as specify the type of their indexing.

Quick search for a program in Start

Often, a user's computer has many programs installed scattered throughout the hard drive. Because of this, it is far from always possible to find them through "Start", and the addition a large number not everyone likes desktop shortcuts. To fix this, it is enough to place the shortcuts of all installed and portable (portable) programs, games in a certain place in Windows.

Unfortunately, on this possibility of setting the most "Start" end - in the "seven" there are practically no settings for this menu that could be optimized to facilitate the search. However, it is possible to search inside folders through the standard system "Conductor".

Folder search settings

Often users turn to the search box inside "Explorer", which can also be customized, as well as use some of the search functions.

Now let's move on to considering the possibilities of the search field.

Using search filters

In this section we want to talk about the use of search filters that operate within the search field.

By placing the input cursor in the field, you will see filters that simplify the process itself. By default, there are two main filters here:
You can see more filters by expanding the field. To do this, move the mouse over the left side of the field so that the cursor appears as in the screenshot below, hold down the left mouse button and drag to the left.

This will bring up additional options that match the theme of the folder.

For example, the screenshot below shows filters for a shared folder.

If you go to standard folder "Music", the filter set will change.

To see thematic filters, you can always assign a specific type to any custom folder by right-clicking on it and selecting "Properties".

On the tab "Setting" select the appropriate folder type.

Place a checkmark next to "Apply the same template to all subfolders" if there are subfolders inside the folder being modified.

You can also set the filter yourself by writing its name and putting a colon. Then this word will turn blue, indicating that the entered text is not part of the search query, but a filter.

A reasonable question arises - how to find out and where to get the rest of the names of the filters that you can prescribe yourself? Most of the names can be taken from the names of the columns into which the folder is divided, if it looks like a table (see screenshot below).

We will talk about this a little later (in the subsection "Ordering"), and now we want to provide a list of simplified symbolic and literal operators:

" " is the exact phrase.
Example: query "photo" will find all files containing the word photo.
* - any characters.
Example: query *.png will find all files with extension PNG, and query picture*.png will find all PNG files whose names contain the word picture.
AND (or +) - logical operator "AND".
Example: query picture and photo +image will find all files whose names contain these 3 words.
OR - logical operator "OR".
Example: the query picture or photo will find all files whose names contain one or the other word.
NOT (or -) - logical operator "NO".
Example: query picture not photo - image will find all files that contain the word picture but no words photo and image.
> is more than.
Example: a query >120mb will find all files larger than 120 megabytes, a query framewidth:>1024 will find all videos where the frame width is more than 1024 pixels.
Example: similar to the > filter.
> Example: request >2mb
= - exact value.
Example: query =200mb will find all files of only 200mb, query >=200mb will find all files of 200mb or more.
>= (or..) - strict value.
Example: query year:>=2000

Despite the fact that the name of any filter must always be written ( flow rate:, frame width:), filter the size: there is no need to enter, so instead of a search query size:=200mb you can just write =200mb.

Often, users prefer to use the same search terms; for this, the system provides for their saving. When you have involved some complex search query you can click on the button "Save search terms", so that in the future not to type it again, but to use the template.

A save window will appear, prompting you to select a location and a name for the file.

By default, searches are saved in the Navigation Pane in "The Chosen One". From here it will be easy to call desired search and remove it from the list (RMB on save > "Delete"). Save can be called from any folder "Explorer", but it works only for the folder for which this request was created, be careful and choose better shared folder, which contains several subfolders, inside which you also need to search.

Arranging and grouping files

One way to make it easier to find files within folders is to use the organize and group functions within a folder.

ordering

First, the user should understand the possibilities of ordering, which often speeds up the search for the necessary documents and files among a large list.

The columns highlighted in the screenshot below are responsible for this.

For example, in our folder, you can sort by the parameter "Genre". By clicking on this word, we will see the files sorted by direction. Let's say first all the files of the genre "Electronic", then Classical" and finally "Jazz". But since we only have 3 songs, they just changed the order.

Right-clicking on a row with column names calls context menu, which contains various column values that you can add.

If you don't find what you need, click on the line "More...".
A list of available features will open. There are a lot of them, so you will definitely succeed in choosing the parameter that suits you. Check desired values checkboxes and click "OK".

Almost all the names of these columns can be used as filters for the search field! We discussed this earlier in the section "Using Search Filters". If there are several words in the title, you need to write them without a space, and a colon is always put at the end, for example, to search by creation date, you must enter date of creation: and specify the date from the options that appear automatically.

We chose "The authors". This option was immediately applied and available for use, now, by clicking on it, you can also arrange files.

A small button with a triangle appears to the right of each column name when hovering over with the mouse. Click on it to see the values available for filtering. Each column is sorted differently, keep that in mind!

grouping

For convenient orientation, the folder also has a grouping function - combining files into a block according to a user-specified property. Right click on empty space, select "Group" and specify the appropriate option for this. If you don't find what you need, click on "More..." and choose it there.

Again, we chose to group by genre. All audio recordings of certain genres have become part of the lists, which can be collapsed by clicking on the black triangle to the left of the name - this will allow you to hide unnecessary positions and quickly navigate among the current folder items.

Now you know more information about how to customize the search through the menu "Start", and inside "Explorer". All these recommendations will greatly simplify Windows usage while working with a lot of information divided into files.

Almost all users who switched from Windows XP to the Seven were disappointed by the poorer set of search functions, since, at first glance, the search for programs and files in Windows 7 is not equipped with the usual filters. However, if you know the basic methods of using the system, in order to find the necessary data in a computer, it will not take a significant investment of time and effort even for novice users. Below are all the main methods on how to quickly find any file or program on a Windows 7 computer.

Using the start button

You need to do the following:

Note: as you can see from the example above, this same method allows you to find the program, not just the files.

As an example of quickly finding and launching some utility, consider launching the "Console". You can simply type “cmd” in the same column, and a link to open the “Command Prompt” will be displayed in the top line.

Using a special search interface "Windows 7"

Of course, the relevance of this method has almost completely disappeared after the introduction by Microsoft specialists of the search field directly in the start menu, but it will be useful for any owner of a computer running on the Seven to know about its capabilities.

The following sequential steps are required:

Through Explorer

The algorithm of actions consists of the following steps:

How to configure search parameters

Several steps need to be taken:

Quick search by file type

In the case when the user knows the type of file he is looking for, you can specify its extension, and only specific types of files will be displayed: images, video, text, audio, etc.

To perform an operation only among Word files, you need to type the extension "*.doc" or "*.docx" in the column. Instead of *, characters from the document name are entered. The procedure for "Excel" is performed similarly, only "*.xls" or "*.xlsx" is used.

Examples for searching images, videos, text and audio files:

*.jpg, *.avi, *.txt, "*.mp3".

Content search

In "Seven" there is a convenient opportunity to find desired file and the text it contains. For example, the user knows that inside the document there are precisely consecutive and next to each other printed characters - "Shovel".

To identify the location of the file with such a word, you will need to perform the following stages of sequential actions:

Note: the search procedure will now take the user several times longer, so it is recommended to use this filter only when the rest did not allow you to get a successful result.

Fixing search parameters

Users generally need to apply the same search parameters. In Windows 7, there is a convenient opportunity to save them in order to eliminate the time spent on re-entering them in the future.

For this purpose, it is enough to specify the necessary parameters once and, having received the result, click "Save conditions". Next, a menu will be displayed in which you should type the name of the query and click "Save".

During the next search with similar parameters, the user will only need to enter the "Favorites" section and click on the previously specified query name.

Every day we search for something on Google. I probably google something 200 times a day. I check any information, learn something new, instantly find the answer to my question. There was a question - I drove it into the search line - I got the result. What could be easier? But sometimes there are difficulties in finding specific information. A few tricks will help you always find what you are looking for.

We have already written about the secrets of Google search more than once. I decided to check out what tricks are still working and refresh your memory a bit.

Search for a specific phrase

Sometimes it is necessary to find a phrase exactly in the form in which we enter it. For example, when we are looking for the lyrics of a song, but we know only one phrase from it. In this case, you need to enclose this phrase in quotation marks.

Search by specific site

Google is a great search engine. And often it is better than the built-in search on sites. That is why it is more rational to use Google to search for information on a website. To do this, enter site:lenta.ru Putin made.

Finding words in text

If you need all the words of the query to be in the text of the results found, type in front of it allintext:.

If one query word should be in the body and the rest anywhere on the page, including the title or URL, prepend the word intext:, and write the rest before that.

Search for words in the title

If you want all query words to be in the title, use the phrase allintitle:.

If only part of the request should be in the header, and the rest - elsewhere in the document or page, put title:.

Searching for words in a URL

To find pages that have your query in their URL, type allinurl:.

Search news for a specific location

If you need news on a specific topic from a specific location, use location: to search Google News.

Search with some number of missing words

You need to find a sentence in a document or article, but you only remember the words at the beginning and at the end. Enter your query and indicate the approximate number of words between the words you remember. It looks like this: "Near the seaside AROUND (5) is an oak tree."

Search if you forgot a word or number

Forgot a word from a saying, song, quote? No problem. Google will still help you find it. Put an asterisk (*) in place of the forgotten word.

Search for sites that link to the site you are interested in

This item is useful for blog or website owners. If you are wondering who is linking to your site or even to a particular page, then just enter link:website.

Exclude results with unwanted word

Let's imagine a situation. You have decided to go on vacation to the islands. And you don't want to go to the Maldives at all. To prevent Google from showing them in search results, you just need to enter "Island holidays - Maldives". That is, put a minus before the word Maldives.

You want to find all your competitors. Or you really like the site, but there is not enough material on it, and you want more and more. Enter related:lenta.ru and enjoy the result.

Search "either-or"

There are situations when you need to find information about two people at once. For example, you want to laugh at Vova, but have not decided which one - Zelensky or something else. It is enough to enter "Vladimir Zelensky | Zhirinovsky", and you will get the result you need. Instead of the symbol "|" you can enter English OR.

Finding different words in the same sentence

To find relationships between objects, or just to look for mentions of two individuals together, you can use the "&" symbol. Example: Freud & Jung.

Search by synonyms

If you're as lazy as I am, then you don't have the patience to google multiple times for different synonyms for the same word. For example, cheap firewood. The "~" character can make your life a lot easier. We write “~cheap firewood” and get results for the words “cheap”, “inexpensive”, “affordable” and so on.

Search in a specific range of numbers

A very useful Google search secret if you need to find, for example, events that happened in certain years, or prices in a certain range. Just put two dots between the numbers. Google will search in this range.

Search for files of a specific format

If you need to find some document or just a file of a certain format, Google can help you here too. Just add at the end of your request filetype:doc and instead doc substitute the format you need.

10 more useful features

1. Google can work as a good calculator. To do this, simply enter desired operation to the search bar.

2. If you want to know the meaning of a word, and not just look at pages on the topic, add to the word define or "meaning".

3. You can use the search engine as a unit and currency converter. To call the converter, type a query with a translation, for example, "centimeters to meters."

4. FROM Google you can check the weather and time without having to go to websites. Type in the queries “weather “city of interest””, “time “city of interest””.

5. To view the results and schedule of matches of a sports team, simply type its name in the search engine.

6. To translate a word into any language, write in the search bar "translate „ right word“into English (any other) language”.

7. For the query "sunrise" city of interest "" Google shows the time of sunrise and sunset (for the latter - the corresponding query).

8. cache:site.com- sometimes a very helpful function of searching for a site in the Google cache. For example, when newsmen delete news. They can be read thanks to Google.

9. If you enter a flight number in the search box, Google gives you full information about it.

10. To see a table with quotes for a specific company, simply enter the query “stocks of the company of interest”, for example, “Apple stocks”.

If you have your own ways to use Google more effectively and find the information you need faster, share your tips in the comments to this article.

Many novice users are interested in how to find a file on a computer. Windows 7 or any other operating system is not so important. The principle of searching for documents on a computer is approximately the same. Especially when it comes to the Windows platform. In general, there are quite a few options. All of them are very simple. But you will have to not only study them, but also understand some of the features of the search. So how to find file and folders in Windows 7? What does the user need to know about this process? Perhaps, this procedure is subject even to those who are not familiar with the computer at all.

About search

The first thing you should pay attention to is that the search in "Windows" is carried out, as a rule, without additional software. This is a standard feature found in all operating systems. You do not have to download additional programs that help you search for information on your PC.

How to find a file on a computer? Windows 7 or any other version of the operating system is not so important. You need to understand that the process is extremely simple. It is enough to know the name of the file or folder that you want to find. And do not succumb to offers on the Web that supposedly allow you to quickly search for information on your computer. It's already been said - additional programs this is not necessary!

Location address

How to search for files in Windows 7? As soon as the data gets to the computer, they are assigned a special address. It is on it that information is searched for. All documents in the operating system have a similar component. There is not a single file without an address on the computer.

It usually consists of the title of the section hard drive, on which the document is located, then the path to the desired object is indicated. It is made up of folders. For example: C:/Windows/system32/drivers/etc/host/.

Accordingly, the "host" document is located in the etc folder, which is placed in drivers. That, in turn, is located in a folder called "system32", located in Windows on the hard disk partition C. If you know the exact location of the document, you can quickly find it. That is why some recommend to learn or file. It can be used in the future. But more on that later. First, you should figure out how to find the file on your computer (Windows 7).

Manually

The first method is well suited when either the location of the document is known, or simply there is not the slightest idea about how exactly the subject of the search is called. We are talking about self-detection of the document in the operating system. It is enough just to study the files and folders on the computer, to think about exactly where this or that document can be located. This method is called Extremely Unstable. But if the user at least roughly guesses where this or that information can be stored, such a solution can help.

If you know the exact address of the location, you can simply navigate to it. On the computer, the user searches for the hard disk section he needs and the folder in which the document is located. Next comes the opening of the latter. Inside, a specific file is manually searched.

Exact jump to address

But this is only the first scenario. In practice, it is not often used if the user is not sure about the location of the document. How to find a file on a computer? Windows 7 offers one tricky and interesting trick. It will only work if the exact location of the document is known.

It is not at all necessary to manually open all the folders in which the file is attached. If you have the exact address of the location, you can carry out quick opening document source. The best way to do this is to open Libraries. Next, copy the address of the file into the address bar and press Enter. A folder will open in which this or that document or another folder is attached.

That is, when you want to find host, you need to copy the inscription "C:/..../etc" into the address bar. Then the etc folder will open, in which you will need to manually find the desired document. Nothing difficult or special. But so far, situations have been considered in which the address is either exactly known, or it is known approximately. What if there is no such information?

Through "Start"

How to find files on a Windows computer (XP, 7, 8, 10 - it's not that important)? In general, you need to use the standard function of the operating system. It's called "Search". It is sufficient to know the name of the document to be found.

The first way to do a real quick search is to use the Start bar. How does the idea come to life with this opportunity? The user must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

Click on the "Start" button in the left corner of the screen. A small menu will open.
At the bottom of the service there is an empty field with a magnifying glass. In some operating systems there is an inscription "Search programs and files". It is required to click there once with the left mouse button.
A slider cursor will appear. In the field you need to type the name of the file, program or folder.
Press Enter and wait for the results.

Nothing else is needed. A few seconds of waiting - and the results will appear on the monitor. Perhaps the use of "Start" is the most common option. But there are other ways as well. Searching for files on a computer in Windows 7 is carried out by different methods.

Through additional windows

You can implement the idea within a specific folder. This is not as difficult to do as it seems. Usually the method helps when the user knows the approximate location of the document.

It is required to adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

Open the root folder where the document can be located.
In the upper right corner, find the field with the image of a magnifying glass.
Type the address or document name.
View search results.

For example, the situation will look like this: the user opens the C drive partition, then finds the inscription "Search: Local disk (C:)" in Explorer. In this field, you need to write host and wait until all documents containing this word are found. Further, among the entire list, a specific document is manually searched.

Filters

But that's not all. How to quickly find a file on a computer? Windows 7 or any other version of Windows is not so important. At least when it comes to newer types of Windows. You can use one trick. It will help you quickly find what you need among the results. The method is based on the previous method. It's about specifying the search parameters.

The fact is that if you do not use filters, then often when searching, you will have to look through a lot of documents and folders. It is clear how to find the file on the computer. How to find the right one among the search results?

In this situation, it is suggested:

Perform a search in a particular folder.
Click on the search bar in the upper right corner of the window.
Mark the necessary filters and set their parameters. In this case, the name of the file or folder does not need to be erased. For example, you can select a document type. In the case of host, this is .txt.
Press Enter and look at the output again.

Accordingly, all documents and files that match all search parameters will appear on the screen. This is how the implementation of the built-in Windows features quick discovery of the necessary software.

Search Service

Now it's clear how to find the file on the computer (Windows 7). But there is another scenario. You can invoke a separate search service on your computer. To do this, you need to press a certain key combination. Then it will scan and search the entire operating system.

When using the standard function, you can follow the algorithm:

Press Win+F. A window with a bluish background will open. This is the standard Windows search engine.
In the search bar (right upper corner, field with a magnifying glass) the file or folder name is typed.
The user must press Enter and wait for the results. You can work with search filters in advance. This will reduce the returned results.

By content

There is one last trick. It's called "search inside files and folders in Windows 7". Many users are familiar with it. To make it a reality, you need:

Open a particular document/folder.
Press Ctrl+F.
In the field that appears on the right side of the screen, type the name of the document/folder/word.
Press "Enter".