How to set up search conditions in Windows 7. How to find a file on a Windows computer. Total Commander for easy search of necessary files
Many novice users are interested in how to find a file on a computer. Windows 7 or any other operating system is not that 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 for action. They are all 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 accessible even to those who are not yet familiar with computers at all.
About search
The first thing you should pay attention to is that search in Windows is carried out, as a rule, without additional software. This is a standard feature found in all operating systems. You don't have to download additional programs to help you search for information on your PC.
How to find a file on your 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 you want to find. And do not fall for offers on the Internet that supposedly allow you to quickly search for information on your computer. It has already been said - additional programs no need for this!
Location address
How to search for files in Windows 7? As soon as the data reaches the computer, it is assigned a special address. It is through this that information is searched. All documents in the operating system have a similar component. There is not a single file on the computer without an address.
It usually consists of the section title hard drive, on which the document is located, then the path to the desired object is indicated. It consists 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 partition hard drive C. If you know the exact location of the document, you can quickly find it. This is why some recommend finding out or file. It can be used in the future. But more on that a little later. First, you should figure out how to find a file on your computer (Windows 7).
Manually
The first method is well suited when either the location of the document is known, or there is simply not the slightest idea of what exactly the search subject is correctly called. We are talking about independent detection of a document in the operating system. It’s enough just to study the files and folders on your computer and think about where exactly this or that document might be located. This method is called Extremely Unstable. But if the user has at least an approximate guess about where this or that information may be stored, such a solution can help.
If you know the exact location address, you can simply go to it. On the computer, the user searches for the one he needs. hard section disk and the folder in which the document is located. Next comes the opening of the latter. Inside, a specific file is manually searched.
Exact navigation to address
But this is only the first scenario. In practice, it is not often used if the user is not sure of the location of the document. How to find a file on your computer? Windows 7 offers one clever and interesting trick. It will only work when 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 an exact location address, you can quickly open the source of the document. To do this, it is best to open "Libraries". Next, copy the file address 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 need to find a 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 required document. Nothing difficult or special. But so far we have considered situations in which the address is either known exactly or is known approximately. What to do if there is no such information?
Via "Start"
How to find files on a Windows computer (XP, 7, 8, 10 - it's not that important)? In general, you need to use a standard operating system function. It's called "Search". It is enough to know the name of the document that should be found.
The first way to actually do a quick search is to use the Start panel. How does an 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. On some operating systems, it says “Search programs and files.” You need 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 more is needed. A few seconds of waiting - and the results will appear on the monitor. Perhaps using "Start" is the most common option. But there are other ways. Searching for files on your computer in Windows 7 is carried out using different methods.
Through additional windows
You can implement your idea within a specific folder. This is not as difficult to do as it seems. Typically, the method helps when the user knows the approximate location of the document.
You must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:
- Open root folder, in which the document can be located.
- In the upper right corner, find a field with a magnifying glass.
- Type the address or document name.
- View the search results.
Using example c, the situation will look like this: the user opens partition of drive C, then in Explorer finds the message “Search: Local disk(C:)". In this field you need to write host and wait until all documents containing this word are found. Next, a specific document is manually searched among the entire list.
Filters
But that's not all. How to quickly find a file on your 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. We are talking about specifying 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’s clear how to find a file on your computer. How to find what you need 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.
- Select the required filters and set their parameters. In this case, there is no need to erase the name of the file or folder. For example, you can select the document type. In the case of host, this is .txt.
- Press Enter and look at the results again.
Accordingly, all documents and files that meet all search parameters will appear on the screen. This is how the implementation of the built-in Windows functions quickly discovering the necessary software.
Search service
Now it’s clear how to find a file on your computer (Windows 7). But there is another option for the development of events. You can call a separate search service on your computer. To do this, you need to press a certain key combination. Then the entire operating system will be scanned and searched.
When using 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 (upper right corner, field with a magnifying glass), type the name of the file or folder.
- The user must press Enter and wait for the results. You can work with search filters in advance. This will reduce the results returned.
By content
There is one more, last trick. It's called "search inside files and folders in Windows 7". Many users are familiar with it. To bring it to life, you need:
- Open this or that document/folder.
- Press Ctrl+F.
- In the field that appears on the right side of the screen, enter the name of the document/folder/word.
- Click on "Enter".
This method is often used when working with Word. It not only helps you search for data in text, but also helps you search for documents.
The search mechanism in Windows 7 is organized a little differently than in Windows XP, but it is no less convenient and is performed at a much faster speed.
How to start a search
To start searching for files in Windows 7, you need to open Explorer and select the folder in which you want to search, or, if you don’t know what directory the file is located in, select “My Computer.” Then the search will be performed on all hard drives.
You need to search for files of any format using the search bar, which is located in the upper right corner of Explorer in any of its windows. The keyword or phrase must be entered in this line.
The search is performed very quickly, similar to the request processing mechanism in any search engine. As you enter a query word, the system immediately begins scanning files and producing results with titles containing the characters, words, or phrases you entered.
How to use search filters
At first glance, it may seem that the usual filters available in XP, such as date created or modified, file type, size and author, are not available when searching in Windows 7, but this is not at all the case.
When inserted search query In the drop-down line below, a list of filters corresponding to the required file type appears, the conditions of which can be set right there in the search line. To do this, click on the desired filter and set its value, for example, the change date “Last week”.
How to find files of a specific type
To find a file whose format is known, for example audio, video, photo or document, but its name, creation date or other parameters are unknown, you can use a search by file type, specifying its extension in the search conditions.
Documents. To search for documents in Word format, you need to enter search bar characters “*.doc” (for Word 2003 format) or “*.docx” (for Word 2007-2010 format). An asterisk denotes any sequence of any characters.
For Excel files you need to use the symbols “*.xls” (for Excel format 2003) or “*.xlsx” (for Excel 2007-2010 format).
For text format files created using the Notepad application, you need to enter “*.txt” in the search bar.
Video. To search for video files, enter the video file extension in the search bar. The most popular extensions: “*.avi”, “*.mp4”, “*.mpeg”, “*.wmv”, “*.3gp”, “*.mov”, “*.flv”, “*.swf” " You can find out the file extension by clicking on it right click mouse and selecting context menu“Properties”, where the “File type” line will indicate its extension.
Audio. The most popular audio file format used on computers is MP3, and to search for them you need to enter the characters “*.mp3” in the line.
Images and photographs. To search for pictures, you should enter the most used extensions of such files “*.jpg”, “*.jpeg”, “*.png”, “*.bmp”, “*.tiff”, “*.gif” in the search bar.
How to find a file in a large list of already found files
It often happens that file attributes are unknown, or only one is known, and it is very uninformative. For example, we know that the document was created last year. However, over the past year, a huge number of documents have been created and stored in different places. It is often not possible to view and check a huge number of files found based on one characteristic.
To find required file in the list of already found files, you can use several filters simultaneously, setting and changing each of them during the search process as necessary. Each time you add a new filter, the selection will be made again in the list of found files, reducing processing time and the number of results, which greatly simplifies the search for the very desired file.
How to find a file by content
As a rule, files are searched in Windows 7 based on the content of the query in the file name, and not on the text that the file contains. To find a file with the desired word in its text, and not in its name, you need to make simple settings.
Let’s say the task is to find a document among 500 files with the word “Shovel” in its content. To do this, click “Arrange” on the control panel and select “Search folder options” from the drop-down menu.
It is worth noting that a search specifying this parameter will take more for a long time, and when the need to search by content is no longer necessary, this option should be disabled.
How to save search terms
It often happens that files need to be searched frequently, for this the same search conditions are used, and there are several of these conditions. In order not to waste time entering the same search parameters every time, the list of these conditions can be saved.
To do this, you need to set the search conditions, wait for the results to be displayed, and upon completion, click “Save search conditions” on the control panel, and in the window that opens, enter the file name for the recurring query, for example, “JULY 2013.”
In the future, when the saved set of search conditions is needed again, the desired shortcut can always be selected in Explorer in the “Favorites” folder under the saved name.
How to clear your search terms
By clicking on the cross at the end of the search line, you can clear the previously entered information and filter conditions that were used for the search, and the line will become empty.
Having tried search in Windows 7 several times, you can verify in practice that it is practical, easy and fast. Now you know how to search for files in Windows 7.
Very often we need to find files or folders on our hard drive that are definitely there, but we can’t remember where exactly. We always have a file search at our disposal in Windows 7. In order for us to be able to find any objects on our computer, we just need to enter the name of the required directory or file into the start menu. Your device will then search for the required information. You will see elements that contain the query you entered or parts of it in their name.
But it’s fair to say that this is not always enough to ensure that searching for files in Windows 7 is successful. The above steps cannot guarantee that you will find the necessary information on your computer or laptop. There are cases when you need to find a document or documents that contain certain words in their title in the text. For example, if you are looking for the name of free computer courses, but Seven does not support this function by default.
Let's figure out how to set up file search in Windows 7. In order to do this, you need to open your computer and on the left side click on the organizing tab, where you need to select options for folders and search.
A settings and settings window will open in front of you, in which you need to click on the search section at the top and select the search process for files by name and content. For these parameters to take effect, confirm them with the “Ok” button. If you did everything correctly, the system on your device will search for data not only by its name, but also by its content. Moreover, it will not depend on what types of files in Windows 7 you are looking for.
Now let's check the work done. This must be done in order to make sure that everything will now work correctly for us. For this purpose, you need to re-open your computer, where in the search field you need to enter the required word that will be contained in the searched data. As an example, let's try to find data that contains the keyword “quality”. Searching for files in Windows 7 begins immediately after a word or phrase is entered into the field, meaning there is no need to click or confirm anything to start it.
Once your machine completes the search task for what you entered keyword, below you will see a list of files in which the word “quality” we entered will appear. You should also remember that after finishing your search, you need to change the settings (the ones you set to the default ones). This must be done in order to reduce search time in the future. Indeed, with the settings that we are talking about, it occurs not only by the name of the data, but also by its content.
If you know approximately where the folder or file you need is located, then go to this directory in Explorer and enter the required information there. This way, searching for files in Windows 7 will be much faster. That's all I wanted to tell you. Use it for your health!
It so happened that after the release of Windows 7, many users became disillusioned with the file and folder search system. The fact is that in the standard settings there is not even a search by file content. Windows 7 turned out to be somewhat unusual in this regard.
Search Basics in Windows 7
It goes without saying that some basic search elements have been retained. But the file search itself in Windows 7 has become slower. In addition, if you enter a regular scan of your computer for the presence of files with a certain extension, the system itself assumes the use of a comparison of the entered type only in the name of the file or folder.
Unfortunately, the same content search Windows file 7 in the initial setting of parameters is not assumed at all. It, as well as other parameters, must be configured manually. What this approach was connected with still remains a mystery.
Standard means
Naturally, when calling the standard Explorer, you can use either the search bar in the upper right part of the main application window, or the Ctrl + F key combination. Actually, it works in almost all programs, with rare exceptions.
But now about the system. When it comes to searching for programs and applications, everything is simple here. The system is optimized in this regard very well. Even in the Start menu, in the line below, you can enter at least part of the name. The result will be immediate. If for some reason the user is not satisfied, a link is displayed just below, indicating that he can view other search results. In principle, it is very convenient. In addition, in this case, all possible matches will be shown, even sorted by file type.
Search settings
In order to properly configure the search for files in Windows 7, you simply need to enter the phrase “Search Options” in the main “Start” menu in the bottom line and select changing them in the results.
In the new window, you should not use the search option by file name or content. This is due to the fact that the system will produce a huge number of extraneous results, especially if the service responsible for partial matches is involved.
In this case, when searching for files in Windows 7, it is better to change the indexing parameters. At the same time, you should not select system folders in which the file you are looking for simply cannot be located.
Another important point in indexing parameters is setting up a search by extension. On the "Advanced" tab, you just need to select required types registered extensions in the system, and then set the property and content indexing option as a priority. In this way, you can get rid of the appearance of results that may coincide at least partially with the original.
In the same “Explorer”, when you click on the search bar, you can select the appropriate filters. It’s worth noting right away: the more filters, the slower the search for files in Windows 7 will be. You yourself understand that they need to be used with a certain degree of caution, and even then only as a last resort, when you need to find something specific with full confidence that that such a file or folder is present on the hard drive or logical partition.
Finding duplicate files
Unfortunately, duplicate files are standard using Windows 7 is quite difficult to find. That is why it is recommended to search for duplicate files using third-party utilities.
One of the most simple programs you can call the famous application Duplicate File Finder. It is designed even for an inexperienced user and allows you to perform almost all operations without his participation. But here’s the problem - then you’ll have to rack your brains about which duplicates to delete. The fact is that some programs, when installed, different versions can introduce files with the same names and extensions into the system, which the application itself can identify as identical (even when comparing checksums). So you need to be very careful here.
File search program in Windows 7
As for search tools, we have already figured out a little what they are. Now it’s worth noting that the question of how to enable file search in Windows 7 has one more aspect. Everyone knows that there is no provision for restoring deleted files and folders in the system.
Here it is better to use system utilities like Recuva programs, which is capable of recovering deleted data even after formatting the hard drive or partition. Unfortunately, it, like some other software packages, does not always work correctly in terms of determining the state remote file. In addition, some utilities have a generally narrow focus. For example, they can search and recover only media files (graphics, video or audio) or office documents. So here, too, you need to choose exactly what the user needs at the moment.
As for how the search is carried out hidden files in Windows 7, everything is simple here. When using standard means systems, you must first enable their display in the service menu on the “View” tab, where the corresponding parameter is enabled. Naturally, after this you can use a regular search engine using the same indexing or search by extension or content. As you can see, there are no problems.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it remains to add that although the search for files in Windows 7 is organized somewhat differently, compared to, say, the same XP or Vista system (not to mention more earlier versions), however, with the right approach, you can configure it yourself search engine You can, as they say, make it your own by using some additional features.
This should not cause any particular difficulties. A little patience, and the custom setup will be done within a couple of minutes. Moreover, the use of some specialized settings compared to those installed by default will even reduce the search time in terms of information processing. And we’re not talking about specialized programs and applications designed to use a variety of additional functions, which are simply absent in Windows 7 itself.
If you want to find something in Windows 7, then you probably came across a simple form that is surprising by the lack of familiar settings that were useful and understandable.
It has become unusual to use the search because most likely the developers followed the following logic - for ordinary users they need to make it simpler, and more advanced users will figure out how to make queries more complex.
So, let's find out how to search for files and folders in Windows.
Finding folders in Windows 7
1. To start the search, go to the logical drive or folder where we will search.
If you are looking on your hard drive, then go to “My Computer”; if on logical drive C, then you need to go to logical drive C.
2. Having opened the folder, you will see in the search window - the search area - the place where your computer will search.
If you are looking for the “Windows” folder in the “documents” folder, then your search will not be successful, so pay attention to the “Search Area”.
(Figure 1)
3. Enter the request.
You can enter not the entire word, but part of it.
Are complex queries done using symbols? And *.
? - any character at the beginning of a word
* - any number of characters
Example: ?lot*
The word plotter will match this query and if you have a document or file with that name, it will be displayed in the search window.
(Figure 2)
Example: *ter
The words hard drive and computer would fit this query.
(Figure 3)
Searching for files in Windows 7
The peculiarity of searching for files is that files have extensions.
If you need to find all the videos on your computer, enter the query *.avi and you will receive in the search results window all films and videos with this extension, at the same time you will find films with the mp4, 3gp extension only by changing the query.
Thus, you can find any files in Windows 7.
Search filters in Windows 7
If the number of files and folders found is too large, you can use filters; to do this, click on the form and select “Date modified” or “Size” in the drop-down context menu that appears.
(Figure 4)
Finding programs in Windows 7
There is another way to find something on your computer by clicking on the “Start” button - here you can also enter a search query.
(Figure 5)
Conclusions
So, all the complaints about search in Windows 7 are groundless, since this function is still preserved, it can be used, the only thing is that it has become easier to get to.
Happy searching.