The Windows 7 operating system has many different features and utilities that make life easier for the user. Sometimes, a user's computer accumulates a huge amount of information, folders and files that are still located non-systemically on the computer and make it difficult to find them. Then it becomes difficult, and sometimes impossible, to find the desired file or folder without special Windows 7 operating systems. Then the file and folder search system in Windows 7 comes to the rescue.
Let's take a closer look at all the possible ways to find a file or folder in Windows 7.
How to find a folder or file in Windows 7
There are three easy ways to find the right folder with files or the files themselves among a lot of other information in the Windows 7 operating system:
- Using the search field in the Start menu;
- Using the search field in a folder or library;
- Or using advanced search outside of folders and libraries.
Let's consider each of the methods in more detail.
Search box in the start menu
The easiest way to find folders or files on your computer is to use the search box on the Start menu. To do this, just open the "Start" and write in the search field, which is located at the bottom next to the computer shutdown button, any name. After that, the Start menu is transformed into a list of possible options for files and folders with the same name.
Moreover, with such a search, a list will be displayed not only of files and folders with the same name, but also files where this word can be mentioned in one form or another inside the file or its properties. In addition, it should be noted that only those files that have been indexed are displayed in the list. However, most files are indexed automatically.
Search box in a folder or library
You can also search for files locally if they are stored in a specific folder or library. For this:
This search returns results even for part of the word. The search is carried out by the name, the internal text of the file and the properties of the file. The library searches through all folders within a particular library. It is not necessary to enter the full name. It is enough to enter a part and find the desired file. Also, when displaying the search result, the words will be highlighted in color for the convenience of the user.
Among other things, you can enter a few keywords that will narrow the search area very significantly.
Advanced Search
If a folder or file cannot be found by searching specific folders and libraries, you can expand the scope of the search. For this.
» How to search for files in Windows 7?
How to search for files in Windows 7?
Many users who decide to switch to Windows 7, on the one hand, will find many useful innovations, but on the other, some disappointment - there are enough changes here. At the first stage of development, they can make it difficult to work with wasps, especially if you don’t know what and how. So, the search for files in the seven has been improved.
For those who have migrated from Windows Vista, the search function will not have much surprises, they will find it more convenient. However, for Windows XP users who first started using the search tool in Windows 7, using it will not be very familiar. In Windows XP, searches are conveniently organized by date modified, file type, and so on. In Windows 7, this feature is not observed, but it is actually present. It is implemented a little differently.
Indeed, searching in Windows 7 is quite simple, you just need to know how, because the goal of any search is to find what you need.
How does search work in Windows 7?
When you start searching inside the system, it is the index files that make it possible to quickly display the results. An index is a set of files containing information about documents and files that are stored on the hard drive. The index contains various file properties, including size, name, path, and so on. For example, MP3 files can have all tags indexed, from bitrate to author. Office documents have data in the form of document content, file properties, and so on. For those who want to learn more about the search functions, you can read the help. To do this, minimize all windows, then press F1. In the Help Search window that appears, type Search.
Indexing is ongoing. For example, you want to change the name of files, delete or add a file to a folder, then this will be instantly reflected in the index.
The figure shows the locations that are indexed by default. If, for example, you store documents in F:Documents, then they will not be indexed and you will not find them with a quick search - to find them, you need to add them to the index separately.
Indexing and search settings
The standard settings in Windows 7 are well done, they are suitable for most users, especially if files are stored inside standard folders. For those who want to personally customize the search, you need to go to the start menu and enter search options in the search. This is one of the file search options - quick access from the Start menu to control panel items.
Change search options
Following is noteworthy:
- search in default folder searches in any subfolders
- non-indexed locations are searched directly for filenames, but compressed files are ignored.
- you can apply a language search, that is, perform a search query more freely, for example, last week's music. However, you can get unexpected results that will be mixed up.
Windows Search and Indexing Options
Here you can set many options. You must click Edit to add folders to the index.
It is no coincidence that the Program Files and Windows folders are excluded from the search, since they greatly increase the size of the index, and there is practically no benefit from this. Programs can also be found by searching in the Start menu - indexing of the main menu is performed by default.
By clicking on Advanced, you can access groups of settings:
- file type indexing options;
- indexing technical parameters.
In the indexing options, you can rebuild the index, add encrypted files, set a new location for them.
The settings for File Types can be changed:
- exclude or include it in the index;
- determine what will be indexed: properties or content;
- add another extension.
How to search?
When performing a search, you need to be aware of whether the search object is indexed. If yes, then the necessary files will be easily found. However, if you want to find something in the Windows or Program Files folder, then the search will not find anything.
In Windows 7 you can search for:
1. in the main search window;
2. from the Start menu;
3. in libraries;
Start menu search
Main search box
To open the search window, you must press the WIN + F combination. However, it does not have advanced features for searching files.
Libraries
In the library, the search results correspond to the type of files, which is well perceived visually. For example, music files show album art, size, large song title, you can also sort the results.
If the file could not be found in the current folder, then the search can be repeated:
- in libraries;
- throughout the computer. Will be included in the search and non-indexed places.
- in other locations. If you know the approximate location, you can specify multiple folders. In addition, you can include network resources in the search.
- over the Internet - the search is performed by default using a browser.
Finding files can be difficult for novice users and take a long time. In this article, we will look at all the ways to search for files on a computer.
Important: Search results through the Start menu display not only files, but search results will also display 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 using Explorer, you must make a request to the appropriate section of any open window (for example, “My_computer”). 
This method is more convenient than the others because, using Explorer, you can search for files directly inside the specified (open) hard disk partitions (folders) without the need to enter the appropriate restrictions through the search filter. What is significantly the file search process.
Search filters
In addition to how you find files, it's also important how you can narrow your search results to find exactly the file you're looking for. This is done through the use of special search filters, you can use them when looking for files in the explorer window. Since the submariner 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 located inside an unindexed hard disk partition. This can be fixed if you configure, expand the search parameters. To do this, follow the instructions below.
Search Operators
Operators are symbols/words that include additional options for filtering search results. In other words, these symbols are used to quickly filter out results, similar to how it is done in Internet search engines (Yandex, Google, Yahoo).
The most popular operators:
- Quotes "" - finds files containing the exact phrases of the search query in the name (for example, "rules of the game");
- Asterisk * - finds files of the extension specified after the asterisk (for example - *.doc);
- Logical "AND" "AND or +" - finds files containing all the listed words, between which "AND or +" is written. (for example - "rules + game + football", "rules AND football + game");
- Matching relative to the specified file parameters >, 1GB, color depth:
- Exact value = - searches for files equal to the specified parameters (for example - dimensions:>="800 x 600");
Reference
If after reading the article you have any questions regarding the search for files, 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 searching for files, enter the search term - "search". 
This way you will find all Windows help topics related to file search.
Starting to use the new system, I think you might have come across the fact that file search in Windows 7 is organized a little differently from other operating systems. Now I will tell you about where to search in Windows 7, and also look at an example, search for files in Windows 7.
Setting up search in Windows 7
The Windows 7 menu has a built-in search bar that allows you to find not only menu programs by their name, but also files and folders. I should note that not all files are searchable, but only indexed ones, that is, those that the system has assigned a special number called "index". If your files and folders are in standard folders, then you don't need to set up 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 don't advise you to choose to 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 will also give a lot of extraneous results, and therefore will not be effective. In this window, all settings are set optimally, there is no need to change anything.
Now, similarly to the previous case, we find in the "Indexing Options" menu. In the window that opens, click "Edit" and now we can select all your data folders for indexing. You should not select the Windows system folders, select only the data that you need. No need to choose like Plushkin. Will it come in handy!?
Another useful setting feature is setting indexing by extension. Click the "Advanced" button and select the "File Types" tab. Here you can add content indexing for 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 content" at the bottom.
Now that you have everything set up, you can click "OK" and again "OK" 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 for programs, but also for all the necessary files and folders, 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 at the very bottom enter the word or phrase of the element.
Searching with Windows Explorer
In the previous chapter of the article, you could open the search window 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 name of a file, part of the content of files or their extension, for which you have previously configured search by content.
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 folders has its own filters, such as the length of a music file or the date an image was taken.
You can also see that now the search results can be ordered by selecting a method in the upper right corner of the window, and by scrolling down the results to the end, repeat the search in other folders of the "Libraries".
And finally, I’ll add that a similar file search in windows 7 is available everywhere. You can open any folder and start searching in it. And it's very convenient!
For those who are considering switching to Windows 8:
When 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 their day-to-day work on the system with such a convenient tool as instant search. Searching in Windows 7 is really very easy. But, as with any search, the goal is to find what you need, and sometimes there are difficulties with this. With this article, I begin a story about how search works in Windows 7, how to set it up, how to search, and most importantly, how to find.
How search works
You have most likely heard of an index - a set of files that contain a variety of information about the files and documents stored on the disk. When you use the search, it is the index files that allow you to quickly display the results. Various properties of files get into the index, and this is not only the path, name or size. For example, MP3 files have all tags indexed - from author to bitrate. For office documents, data is indexed, which can be seen in the file properties on the tab in detail, document content, and so on. If this kind of search is new to you, I recommend reading a couple of help articles to get an introduction to searching. Minimize all windows, press F1 and in the field Help Search 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 indexed and will not be found by a quick search - they must be added to the index separately. Search settings will be discussed below.
Search and indexing settings
To be honest, the default 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 configure settings, open the Start menu and type search options into the search box.
This is how we casually used one of the search features - quick access to control panel items from the Start menu.
Change search options for files and folders
I will not duplicate the parameters that are perfectly visible in the screenshot.
Pay attention to the following points:
by default search in folder searches in all subfolders
in non-indexed places, only filenames are searched, and compressed files are ignored
you can use language search, i.e. write search queries in a looser language - for example, last week's video (a lot of unexpected results will be mixed in here, especially in localized versions)
Indexing Options and Windows Search Services
Here you can configure many more options. To add folders to the index, click Change.
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.
Clicking Additionally, you have access to two groups of settings:
indexing technical parameters
indexing options for file types
In the first one, you can add encrypted files to the index, rebuild the index (which may be necessary in case of problems), and set a new location for it.
For file type (extension) you can:
include or exclude it from the index
determine whether only properties or also content will be indexed
add new extension
For example, if suddenly your instant messaging client saves its history in text files with a LOG extension, or you just need to parse the logs, their content will not be indexed by default. But you can easily customize the search - just type log on the keyboard to move through the list of extensions and enable search by content.
How to search
When starting a search, it is desirable 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 may even get the impression that "the search does not find anything" - after all, only the results from the index are displayed. We'll talk about searching in non-indexed places later, but now we'll look at general ways to search in Windows 7. You can search:
from the start menu
in the main search box
in libraries
in other explorer windows - folders, "Open" and "Save As" dialogs
Start menu search
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 habit of the times of Windows XP - careful sorting of 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 many programs installed.
Advice. If you are using portable applications, simply add their shortcuts to the %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder (you can create a subfolder for them). In the search results, they will appear in a 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, searching for the word word finds not only Microsoft Word and WordPad applications, but also offers results in other groups.
The Start menu displays multiple results for each group, and clicking on the group's name opens a search box with all search results in the group.
Start menu search is good when you have an idea about the name of the file or its contents - the first 5 - 10 results are immediately visible, and you don't have to go far. In addition, the Start menu is indispensable for quick access to programs and control panel items using search.
Main search box
An empty search box can be opened by pressing a keyboard shortcut WIN+F. It, in my opinion, has somewhat lost its meaning, since it no longer contains advanced file search capabilities. Searching in the windows of the explorer practically forces it out of the system. It seems to me that links to help on using the search or a link to this article could brighten up its dull look.
However, the main search window still carries a payload. It opens with search results by typing a query in the Start menu and clicking on the name of a group of search results, or by See other results right above the search field.
Libraries
Now I will explain why I separated the search in libraries and other explorer windows. Pay attention to how search results are displayed in the library. They correspond to the type of files in it and are very well perceived visually. For example, music files display album art, large song title, size, and "music" options for ordering results. This is a property of all libraries, which confirms the thesis - the possibilities of Windows 7 are best used together. In this case, it is a search in libraries, which has other advantages.
Here's what a search for a simple query in the library will offer Music.
While in File Explorer, you can sort your search results by available file properties. The default display order is top scores, but, for example, you can organize music files by album or genre. This feature is available alongside Explorer's traditional sorting and grouping features (although the latter may be new to Windows XP migrants).
In this case, the results will display several songs from each album. You can see all the songs in the album, and then "fold" it if the one you need is not there.
If you did not find the desired file 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 we must not forget that the same opportunity is 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 the file or document - in this case, you will not get lost in the results. In addition, this method is useful when it is known for sure that the file is not included in the index. Finally, in the Open and Save As windows, you can quickly filter the contents of a folder using search.
I'm sure you've already tried simple search queries and maybe they've worked out for you. However, sooner or later you will need to find the file, and a simple query won't help. Next, I'll show you how to use the advanced search features of Windows 7 to find the files you need.
What's New in Windows 7 Advanced Search
To master the search, of course, you need to practice using its capabilities. In the Windows 7 Search articles, I'll give you some examples that you can easily replicate on your own.
If you're migrating from Windows XP, everything about Windows 7 will be new to you. Compared to Windows Vista in Windows 7 externally:
have changed search filters
Search filters
When the name of the file or the subject of the document is approximately known, it is usually not difficult to find the desired file - just enter a partial or full query into the Start menu search. But this information is not always stored in the RAM of the brain, and it is simply often necessary to set special search conditions - the size, date of modification or the author of the file. Windows XP had a search assistant, Windows Vista had filters.
At first glance, there is nothing visually striking in Windows 7. In fact, the filters have not gone away - they just become visible when you place the cursor in the search field.
Advice. To see more filters, expand the search field - place the cursor on the separator between the field and the address bar and drag to the left.
In the screenshot you 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 opened the file)
These prompts annoy some users and they tend to turn them off immediately. And, in my opinion, they do it in vain. Tips remember not only search queries as such, but also filters searches you specified, such as the size or modification date of the file. Suggestions are very handy if you want to use the full power of Windows 7 search. It's easy to change an old term to fit the current query, and it's faster than typing it all over again. 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 of Windows 7 are best shared. The connection of search with libraries is not only in the display of results, but also in the formation of search conditions. In the next part of the article, I will look at:
using filters to search in libraries and mail
search in Internet Explorer 8
search in non-indexed places
search operators
