[Computer Help Video] 6 Tips: Using Windows Search to Find Files & Folders

Windows Search – What You Need to Know

Learn how to find files and folders on your computer using Windows Search, as well as the other useful things you can search for with this Windows feature.  

Watch Colorado Springs computer specialist Curtis Hyde share his tips to using Windows Search effectively.

With the size of today’s computer storage options, you have the ability to keep a seemingly limitless number of files on your computer. While it’s great to be able to keep so many things on your computer, finding those things can be a real drag – that is unless you know how to take advantage of the Windows Search function. Windows Search is easier to use and more effective than it has ever been, giving you a rapid way to find just about anything you need on your computer.

Windows Search – What You Need to Know

How to Access Windows Search

You have several different ways you can search using Windows:

Type into the search bar

If your Windows 10 is still configured as it comes out of the box – or with a new computer – then you should be able to find your search bar on the bottom left of your computer screen, to the immediate right of the Windows icon. You can click on the bar where it says, “Type here to search” and type in your query.

Press the Windows button on your keyboard

Most modern keyboards feature a Windows button on the lower left side of the keyboard, usually in between the CTRL button and the ALT button. You can press this button and it will activate the search bar, so you simply need to start typing to enter your query.

Select the Windows icon (Start) with your mouse

If you have been using Windows for very long, you remember the Start button that was always at the bottom left of your computer screen. In Windows 10, the text ‘Start’ on the button has been replaced by the Windows icon. If you hover your mouse cursor over the icon, you will see it is labeled as Start. Clicking the icon does the same thing as pressing the Windows icon on your keyboard – selects the Start menu and puts the keyboard cursor in the search bar so you can start typing immediately.

Things You Can Search For

The Search bar allows you to search for a variety of things, including:

• Files
• Documents
• Emails
• Internet search results
• Photos
• Videos
• And just about everything else on your computer and on the internet

When you start searching using the Search bar, you will also see recently accessed files as an option – which means if you closed something recently, such as a Word document, you can quickly find it in the search results and open it again as needed.

One thing to remember – the Windows Search bar will search for results on the internet using the Bing search engine. Windows is a Microsoft product and they prefer to direct your search queries to their own search engine.

Find Computer Settings

You can also find settings options on your computer using the Search bar. For example, you can type ‘Bluetooth’ and access Bluetooth settings.