shelbynay

Searching for Files

If you keep your files and folders named and organized you should have little trouble finding the things you need.

However, there will come a time when you can’t find something you desperately need. Hopefully you’ve named the item something intuitive so you can search for it. Here’s how.

If you have a general idea where a file is, but you can’t remember which subfolder you put it in:

  • Open the folder you believe your file is in.
  • Click to put your cursor in the search bar at the top of the screen at the top right. Type in a part of the file name for which you are searching.
  • The computer will start searching before you hit ‘enter.’ Depending on the amount of files you have stored on your computer and the number of files that contain the search word, it may take a while to find your file.
Find your folder’s search bar in the top right. It will show ‘Search FolderName’.
  • Your search results will populate like this. You’ll notice that in each file name, the search term ‘shelby’ is highlighted. In files that don’t show the search term in the name, the term is usually in the file. For instance, a word document might have the word ‘shelby’ within it’s contents.

If you have NO idea where your file is:

  • Open the ‘file explorer’ at the bottom of your screen. It’s the icon that looks like a folder. You can also open any folder on your computer.
  • Click to put your cursor in the search bar at the top of the screen at the top right. Once you click there, it should give you a ‘search’ option tab at the top of the window.
  • Click the ‘This PC’ icon on the far left to search the whole computer.
  • Click back into the search bar on the right and type in a part of the file name for which you are searching.
  • The computer will start searching before you hit ‘enter.’ Depending on the amount of files you have stored on your computer and the number of files that contain the search word, it may take a while to find your file.

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