Tame your computer - whizzy word search

Do you struggle to find the files you’re looking for? Perhaps you know that you can simply press the WIN key (next to your Alt key) and start typing, which will find any file or folder (or program and settings such as Print Screen) that contain the text that you typed.

But what if you cannot remember what you or your colleagues named the file, but you do know some of the names or  text inside the file?

Here’s how:

1.       Press WIN + E.

2.       Press CTRL + E.

3.       Type one or more words or a phrase.

The search begins automatically, which is ideal for those of us who are touch-typists and look at our monitor. So if you are a “hunt-and-peck” typist get in the habit of keeping an eye on what pops up on the screen. Simply double-click the file to open it or right-click and select Open file location if you want to go to the folder where it’s stored. 

If you get way too many results, you can use double quotation marks (" ") in the same way you might do when you search the web or in Outlook.

Oh, and the search is not cAse sENsiTIve so it doesn’t matter whether you type, say, “finding a needle in a haystack”, “Finding A Needle In A Haystack” or “FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK”.

Related tips

• Display the name of the person who saved a file
• Set the name of the person who created a file to be displayed in all folders
• Quickly find and open your files or programs - wherever they are
• Set the Print Screen key to open screen snipping
• Find that needle in a haystack

I meticulously test every tip I write to make sure it is correct, easy to understand and time-saving. Let me know if something isn't clear or doesn't work.

Missed an issue? To view all tips created so far – including corrections, where necessary – go to http://roem.co.uk/hints.php

Unless stated otherwise, the steps are written about Microsoft 365 using Windows 10. If you need help with this feature in previous versions, give me a shout.