File Explorer – Search Hints - - 1

Here is an image of the File Explorer application with the “Search” box on the right hand side

.

We’ve all encountered the “Search” box in Windows File Explorer. To help you make the most of this useful feature, here are a few tips.
.

Logical Operators

Operator	Description	Example	Explanation
`AND`	Combines two or more search terms, all of which must be true.	`invoice AND 2023`	Finds files with “invoice” in the name and created/modified in 2023.
`OR`	Searches for either of the specified terms.	`pdf OR docx`	Finds files that are either PDFs or Word documents (`.docx`).
`NOT`	Excludes files that match the specified condition.	`invoice NOT draft`	Finds files with “invoice” but excludes files containing the word “draft”.
`>` / `<` / `=`	Comparison operators for size, date, and other filters.	`size:>100MB`	Finds files larger than 100 MB.
`..`	Specifies a range between two values.	`datemodified:01/01/2023..01/31/2023`	Finds files modified within January 2023.
`" "`	Exact phrase search.	`"project report"`	Finds files with the exact phrase “project report”.
Wildcards	Uses `*` or `?` as placeholders for unknown characters.	`*.docx`	Finds all Word documents. The `*` represents any number of characters.

Built-in Filters

Filter/Operator	Description	Example	Explanation
`kind:`	Searches based on the type of file.	`kind:music`	Finds all music files. Other kinds include `documents`, `pictures`, `videos`, etc.
`type:`	Filters by file extension or file format.	`type:.pdf`	Finds all PDF files. You can use other extensions like `.docx`, `.jpg`, `.txt`, etc.
`size:`	Searches by file size using predefined or custom values.	`size:>10MB`	Finds all files larger than 10 MB. Use `<`, `=`, `>=`, `<=` for specific size ranges.
`datemodified:`	Finds files modified on or after a specified date.	`datemodified:>01/01/2023`	Finds files modified after January 1, 2023. You can also use ranges like `datemodified:01/01/2023..01/31/2023`.
`datecreated:`	Searches by the date the file was created.	`datecreated:>2023`	Finds files created after 2023. Works similarly to `datemodified:`.
`ext:`	Filters by specific file extensions.	`ext:.txt`	Finds all `.txt` files. Same as `type:` but focuses only on the extension.
`folder:`	Searches within specific folders.	`folder:Documents`	Finds files located in the Documents folder.
`name:`	Searches for files with specific words in their name.	`name:invoice`	Finds files with “invoice” in the name.
`contents:`	Searches within the content of files.	`contents:budget`	Finds files that contain the word “budget” within their text.
`author:`	Searches files by author metadata (e.g., document author).	`author:John`	Finds documents created or edited by “John”.
`tag:`	Filters files based on metadata tags (useful for images).	`tag:vacation`	Finds all files tagged with “vacation”.
`path:`	Searches within a specific file path.	`path:"C:\Users\John\Documents"`	Finds files located specifically in this folder or its subfolders.
`length:`	For media files, searches by length/duration.	`length:>10minutes`	Finds video or audio files longer than 10 minutes.
`rating:`	Filters media files by rating metadata.	`rating:5`	Finds files with a 5-star rating.
`width:` / `height:`	For images and videos, searches by dimensions.	`width:>=1920 height:>=1080`	Finds all images or videos with a resolution of 1920×1080 or higher.

If you’re looking for faster or more advanced search capabilities, you might want to try Agent Ransack, which is also available for free here.

Need more help with this?
© 2021–2025 XSTRA Group Pty Ltd (Australia). All rights reserved.