Ever lost a file on your PC and merely tin't track it down? With the search tips in this article, y'all'll be able to find specific files in Windows file explorer, fifty-fifty if you can't remember the exact proper noun or location.

The more information you lot know almost the file you lot are looking for the better. You lot'll be able to use search parameters similar file size, created appointment, file type, and more by using the tips listed below.

For reference, before we begin, all of the tips listed in this article volition be making use of the search function found at the top correct of Windows file Explorer.

Hopefully by the fourth dimension you've read all of the tips in this article, you'll have found a solution to rails down your files.

Also, check out my other mail service on searching Windows using third-party tools or via the command line. Also, in guild for all the searches beneath to work faster, you should have search indexing enabled in Windows.

Locating Images using Parameters

First let's accept a look at the options yous have bachelor for tracking downwardly specific images. Below we have a number of tips exclusive for images on your PC.

If you know the dimensions of the image, you tin type in width: 10, height: 10. Simply replace '10' with the exact dimensions.

If you don't know the exact dimensions, but yous know information technology's inside a certain limit, you lot tin instead utilize the following search parameters:

  • Width: >x for files over a specific width
  • Width: <x for files under a specific width
  • Height: >x for files over a specific tiptop
  • Tiptop: <x for files under a specific peak

But supplant the 'x' with the resolution you are looking for. Yous can combine either of the height and width parameters together.

If you lot know the file blazon, you can also filter searches by file extension. For example, you lot can type 'blazon: .png' into the search bar to simply evidence .png images.

So, with this in heed, if you know you created an image with a superlative of more than 1000 and a width of more than 800, and you know it is a .png file, you could perform a search similar the image shown below.

General File Search Tips For Finding Files on Windows x

Next, we'll take a look at a number of full general file search tips you can use for finding files on Windows x. These tips will be useful for all files, including images, then you tin even use them in conjunction with the prototype specific tips listed higher up.

For finding a specific file type, but use the 'type:' control, followed past the file extension. For example, y'all can find .docx files by searching 'type: .docx'.

You can also use the following commands to find specific file types, regardless of their file extension:

  • Use 'type: photos' for all photo files
  • Use 'type: video' for all video files
  • Use 'type: documents' for Discussion docs, excel sheets, etc
  • Utilize 'blazon: music' for audio files
  • Apply 'blazon: text' for text documents
  • Employ 'type: favorites' to notice your favorited files

If you know office of the proper noun of the file, you lot tin utilize the 'name:' command, followed past any phrase, letters, or words. For example, yous can use 'name: resume' to return all files with 'resume' in the file name.

For a video exclusive command, you can use the search command 'length:' followed by 1 of the following words to detect a video with a specific length:

  • Very Brusque – under 1 minute
  • Brusk – ane to 5 minutes
  • Medium – 5 to 30 minutes
  • Long – 30 to threescore minutes
  • Very Long – Over lx minutes

To find files past date, showtime past typing 'date:' into the search bar, followed by the date in 24-hour interval/month/year, or month/twenty-four hours/year, depending on your time and date settings.

When yous start start typing in the appointment, yous'll get an option to use a agenda to search for a specific date, or you can use quick searches for today, yesterday, this week, terminal week, this month, last calendar month, this year, and last year.

Yous can also employ '<' or '>' to look for files fabricated before or after specific dates, respectively. An instance has been provided below.

If you lot know the crude file size, you can utilize the 'size:' command to filter out results. You can utilise the following quick commands for sure sizes:

Using these commands is great for smaller files, only for files that are larger than 128MB, y'all should apply a search range. For example, if yous know that a file is between 200MB and 300MB, yous can use the control: 'size: 500MB – 800MB'. This will only show the files that are betwixt that range.

Thanks for taking a look at our avant-garde Windows Explorer file search tips. Remember that you can combine any combination of these search filters in a single search.

If, for example, you lot are looking for a .png file that is over 1000 pixels broad and you know it was created before the 20th of February 2018, you can use this command: 'type: .png, width: >chiliad, date: ‎<20/‎02/‎2018'

At that place's no limit to how many search parameters yous can use in i search, and so by combining multiple, you'll save lots of fourth dimension trying to locate the file. You tin can as well exclude certain words from your search.

For example, if you are looking for a recipe document that you've saved that you know has the give-and-take recipe in it, merely y'all don't want a chicken recipe, you could use the command 'recipe Non chicken'.

This would return all files with the give-and-take recipe in the name but exclude all files with the word chicken in the name. For your particular search, just replace the words either side of the 'NOT' boolean.

Did the tips in this commodity evidence to be useful? We hope they did. If you need whatever aid using these search tips, let me know and I'll be happy to offering some help. Savour!