Often, we tend to neglect file management, especially if we have a lot of free space. But when it comes to finding something we need, we use a nice quiet word. 24 Channels Prepared several recommendations that will help you find the file you need on a computer running Windows 10 and 11.

What to look for: Windows indexes files as follows:

By default, Windows indexes files in only four directories on your computer:

• documents,
• picture,
• Music,
• Desktop.

You can change this setting if you want the search to be performed in other locations as well.

1. Open Settings from the Start menu, then go to Privacy & Security > Windows Search.
2. Under Find My Files, you’ll probably see that the search type is automatically set to Classic.
3. After selecting Classic, you can click Customize Search Locations > Change to add folders to the list of indexed locations by checking the appropriate boxes.
4. Alternatively, you can choose “Advanced” instead of “Classic” to include your entire computer in queries.

Once you decide which folders you want Windows to index, you can start searching.

Basics of finding files in Windows

On the taskbar, to the right of the Start menu button, there is a search box or icon that you can use to start searching for files. Just type the part of the filename you remember; Results will begin to appear immediately.

You can also start a similar search process in the search window that opens when you open the “Start” menu.

As you start typing, Windows will open a dialog box showing what the system thinks is the best match, and then a few more matches below that. Above the top match, you’ll find a series of tabs with different categories: Documents, Photos, Folders. If you don’t find a match right away, all of these can be used to narrow down your search.

If you just want to find a newly installed program or a recently opened file, you may not need to search at all. Click the Start menu button on the taskbar and under the Recommended heading you will see programs and files you have accessed recently.

Search for files in File Explorer

For a more advanced search, open “Explorer” and use the search box in the upper right corner. Here are some tips:

• Note that your location in Explorer matters: the search will be performed in the folder you are currently browsing and any subfolders. If you want to search your entire computer, first click “This PC” in the navigation bar on the left. Type the name of the file you’re looking for in the search box and press Enter. Matches will appear on the screen as they are found.
• If you are unsure of the exact filename, you can use the asterisk as a wildcard to represent any combination of characters.
• You can also use the question mark as a single-letter wildcard character.
• Another trick is to add the file extension if you know it. When you do a search for *.jpg, you will get all JPEG files in the current folder along with their subfolders. You can apply the same wildcards to the extension after the dot if necessary.
• Logical operators are also supported. For example, use “samsung or google” to get a match for both words, “samsung and google” to find files containing both words, or “samsung not google” to get files with Samsung in the name but not Google.
• If you want to filter your search even further, check out “Search Options” at the top of the Explorer window. (You may need to click on the three dots on the right to find it.)
• Click on it to get a list of the different search variables you can use.
• For example, you can limit your search by file size or last modified time (which can be very useful if you’re overwhelmed by the results).
• There’s also a File Content option you can use if you want Windows to look for matches in your files; This is a much more comprehensive search but obviously takes more time.

Although Windows search seems logical and intuitive, it is not. It has also changed slightly compared to older versions of Windows. These useful tips will definitely help you find forgotten files deep inside your computer. You are now armed with relevant hints and tips to help you find any forgotten document or photo.