It seems that with each new version Windows, the method of searching for programs, settings and files changes again. And Windows 8.1 is no exception. True, the basic search has been significantly improved since Windows 7. In Windows 7, you open the Start menu and enter desired line in the search result; and in Windows 8, text input occurs on the start screen.
Windows 7 always puts your searches in context, so your Start menu searches for programs and settings are always prioritized. Windows 8.1 by default searches for files, settings, apps and searches online at the same time.
However, searching directly in the file explorer still prioritizes the type of content shown in this window.
Now in Windows 8.1, you can start searching directly from the Start screen by simply entering text. No matter what you do on the start screen (even if you just clicked right click by mosaic), you can start entering text, the search results will appear immediately. You can also start searching directly from the start screen or work windows desktopby pressing the key combination "Win + S".
When you start a search in Windows 8.1, the search results show matching results: files, settings, or apps, plus Internet (Bing.com) search results at the bottom.
Search on the Windows 8.1 Start Screen.
If you press the "Enter" key or the magnifying glass icon to the right of the search field, a full screen page appears, containing many more contextual results. These results are shown in columns, with links at the bottom that you click to expand the section to access more advanced results.
Expanded contextual results.
Attention... Sometimes, during a search, the first item in the list of results is highlighted, it is Windows 8.1 that thinks it has exactly what you need. Pressing "Enter" opens the selected item to the full search bar.
If you are not satisfied with the highlighted item, click on the search tab to the right of the field and open the full results pane instead.
The search is intelligent, so it does not literally look for words. Search for "Manage", for example, finds related Windows features, including "Device Manager", " Remote Assistant"and accessibility options.
This means that you do not need to know the exact name of the item you are looking for. Windows functions... When you search for apps and desktop programs (search results appear in app results), the results you find depend more on how the developer programmed it, but usually search facility does an excellent job in Windows 8.1.
Search in the file explorer.
Explorer contains its own context sensitive search field. To some extent, using it turns out to be more effective way search for files and documents in Windows 8.1 than search on the Start screen.
The search box prioritizes content. This can be prioritized documents, images, music, videos, a specific drive (internal or external), a network location, or something else. Thus, this tool is more flexible and dynamic than the start screen search.
Search in the file explorer.
To search in the file explorer, the "Search" tab in the ribbon is used. It contains tools and buttons that make searching even more powerful and useful, especially for people who are not familiar with the search syntax.
The Search tab on the ribbon allows you to filter your searches by:
- Current folder and all subfolders
- Libraries, email, notes or internet
- Last modified (opened) file
- File type
- file size
- File name
- Specific folders
- File tags.
Search tab on the ribbon.
These options cover almost any search you undertake in Windows 8.1. The "Search" tab on the ribbon appears automatically when you enter something in the search field of the file explorer.
Attention... The Search tab on the File Explorer ribbon provides fast access to recent searches, which makes it possible to repeat them.
When you search in an explorer window, you can also use complex query syntax (AQS), which will narrow your search noticeably. Some of the most useful search syntax options include View, Date / Change, Type, and Name.
Search with AQS in explorer.
Kind (search by document type properties):
Kind: \u003d email; Kind: \u003d task; Kind: \u003d note; Kind: \u003d document; Kind: \u003d music; Kind: \u003d song; Kind: \u003d folder; Kind: \u003d program.
Datemodified (search file by date or change):
Datemodified: MM / DD / YYYY; Datemodified: MM / DD / YY; Datemodified: MM / DD / YY..MM / DD / YY; Datemodified: yesterday; Datemodified: lastweek; Datemodified: pastmonth.
Type (search files by type):
Type: image; : image jpeg; : .doc; : .pdf.
Name (search files by name):
Name: vacation; Name: wedding; Name: budget.
Input by type: initially shows a drop-down list of all file types on your computer (eg DOC or PDF). If, for example, you keep entering type: image, you can filter your search by different types images or search for all types of images. You can also use other types of files, for example, type: document, type: audio, type: video, type: presentation, etc.
As you start typing words into the file explorer search, a dropdown list (with all supported filter options) opens. Clicking on the appropriate filter for your search helps you find what you are looking for faster. If you are looking for dates, the calendar will help you.
Search functionality in Windows 8 has taken on a new development. The G8 makes it possible to search for information not only on local computerbut also in Windows Store, and on the Internet using Bing - search service Microsoft. The number of places from which you can search has also increased, and it has become much more convenient and easier to use it. However, everything in order.
Smart search from the home screen
There are three small icons in the top-right node of the Windows 8 Start screen. To search, click on the "Magnifier" icon and start typing your query.
It is enough to enter a few characters in search stringto have the system suggest a number of options. It remains to click the appropriate one.
Next to the search field there is a filter button that allows you to choose what and where to search: a file, parameter, image, video from the Internet, or all together (the “everywhere” option).
By the way, to search for information from the home screen, you don't even need to run the search function. Any text that you start typing on the keyboard will itself be inserted into the search bar.
If you enter a query and do not select anything from the list proposed, pressing Enter or the "Find" button (the "Magnifying glass" icon) will open a window with all the results that match the query.
Right clicking on any of the files will reveal a short context menu: open location or copy this file.
If you were looking for materials on the web, right-clicking on the found one will open a button to go to the site.
The video menu allows you to filter what was found by length and resolution.
Images from the Internet have the richest filter. Here you can set the picture size, type, layout (horizontal or vertical), color scheme (black and white or color), and also open the "People" application.
Search from pop-up panel
Another "Search" button is located in the pop-up sidebar (Charms Bar in Windows 8), which appears on the right side of the screen when you hover over the upper right corner.
In addition, you can open the side panel by pressing windows keys + C, and to call only the search (in a separate panel), you need to press Windows + F.
Search from the Windows button context menu
The Windows button has replaced the Start button in the G8. Clicking on it now opens the initial windows screen 8, and many useful functions have been moved to the context menu of this button. Among them is the search. To use it, open the menu and click the "Find" command.
Search from Windows Explorer
To search for data via windows explorer 8 each folder has a small input field marked with a magnifying glass icon. Enough to print in it key phrase - and in a couple of minutes the system will display a selection of files and directories whose names include this request.
Search parameters and filters are set in the settings of the menu of the same name. By clicking the Search button on the top panel of a folder, you can specify:
- Search location - current folder only or current and all subfolders.
- Time range - when the file was created or modified.
- File type (document, picture, music file, mail message, contact file, playlist, and more).
- File sizes - from empty (0 kb) to gigantic (\u003e 128 mb).
- Other file properties are tags, type, rating, folder path and shooting date.
Alongside, in the "Options" section, there are buttons for viewing the query log, configuring locations, saving the specified conditions, and closing the search window.
How to find and open hidden files and folders in Windows 8
Many system files and the folders are hidden from the user's eyes and do not appear in the explorer. This is done primarily to protect against accidental deletion, but in some cases, such secrecy hurts, not helps. For example, when you want to find and manually remove a virus or find the data that it has hidden.
Make hidden files and folders visible in Windows 8 in several ways.
If you know the name and location hidden folder, just open the directory in which it is located, enter its name in the address bar and press Enter. The folder, even if it is not visible, will be opened and all its contents will be displayed on the screen. Here is one such example - appData folder in the user directory that stores hidden application data:
To view the hidden data of only one folder, click in top menu button "View", open the section "Show or hide" and check the box "Show hidden items".
Greetings to you dear readers of my blog. Today I would like to tell you how to find a file in windows 8. The topic is simple, but it turns out that not everyone knows how to do it. How many times have I heard these words: "Help me find the file, otherwise I put it somewhere and forgot where." After these words, I just jerked, and somewhere deep inside I just screamed and tore my hair.
Now I take this much more calmly, although the topic of this issue is still relevant. Well, since you are reading this article, then most likely you are also interested in how to find files on your computer. You have come to the right place. Maybe thanks to this lesson, you will find long-forgotten or hard-hidden files)).
Of course, searching is a very necessary thing. And then I remember how, as a teenager, I hid important files far away in different folders with abstruse names, so that someone from the family does not exactly stumble upon them. Then he himself forgot where he put these files. Then the search helped me a lot.
Well, let's not get distracted. Let's see how you can find files by standard windows tools... So let's get started.
Searching through the Metro interface
But in fact, I don't really like the search in the Metro interface and I don't use it. I am a supporter of another method, which we will discuss below.
The methods for Win8 and Win8.1 are slightly different, but the overall process is the same. So I guess any user operating system will deal with all this. Well, now let's make some puffs and try the second search method.
We are looking through the conductor
By the way, for both methods, the rule is that if you want to find something not by the file name, but by the extension, then you must enter * .extension in the search bar. For example, if you want to find everything word documents on your computer, you must enter either * .doc or * .docx 
It makes no sense to show other ways of searching for files, since these are enough to find the necessary documents. Did everyone do it? Of course that's all. Well done! Which way do you like more? Personally, I like the second method more, it is somehow more familiar and more effective. And by the way, I advise you to use it.
And if you want to be well versed in how to work in windows and office, then I highly recommend you to look this video course... The material is serving well. I've watched a lot of courses with sibilant mics, incoherent or abstruse speech, but everything here is built perfectly. And the main thing is that everything is told in human language, and not in the language of robots.
Well. That's all for today. Good luck, dear friends, do not get bored, and of course subscribe to my blog updates, there will be a lot of things, and everyone will find something new and interesting for themselves. See you in the next tutorials. Bye Bye.
Best regards, Dmitry Kostin
Search functionality in Windows 8 has taken on a new development. The G8 makes it possible to search for information not only on the local computer, but also in the Windows Store and the Internet using Bing, Microsoft's search service. The number of places from which you can search has also increased, and it has become much more convenient and easier to use it. However, everything in order.
Smart search from the home screen
There are three small icons in the top-right node of the Windows 8 Start screen. To search, click on the “Magnifier” icon and start typing your query.
It is enough to enter a few characters into the search bar for the system to offer a number of options. It remains to click the appropriate one.
There is a filter button next to the search field, which allows you to choose what and where to search: a file, parameter, image, video from the Internet, or all together (the “everywhere” option).
By the way, to search for information from the home screen, you don't even need to run the search function. Any text that you start typing on the keyboard will itself be inserted into the search bar.
If you enter a query and do not select anything from the list suggested, pressing Enter or the "Find" button (the "Magnifier" icon) will open a window with all the results matching the query.
Right-clicking on any of the files will open a short context menu at the bottom of the screen: open location or copy this file.
If you were looking for materials on the web, right-clicking on the found one will open a button to go to the site.
The video menu allows you to filter what was found by length and resolution.
Images from the Internet have the richest filter. Here you can set the picture size, type, layout (horizontal or vertical), color scheme (black and white or color), and also open the People application.
Search from pop-up panel
Another "Search" button is located in the pop-up sidebar (Charms Bar in Windows 8), which appears on the right side of the screen when you hover over the upper right corner.
In addition, you can open the side panel by pressing the Windows + C keys, and to call only the search (in a separate panel), you need to press Windows + F.
Search from the Windows button context menu
The Windows button has replaced the Start button in the G8. Clicking on it now opens the Windows 8 start screen, and many useful functions have moved to the context menu of this button. Among them is the search. To use it, open the menu and click the "Find" command.
Search from Windows Explorer
To search for data through Windows 8 Explorer, each folder has a small input field marked with a magnifying glass icon. It is enough to type a key phrase in it - and in a couple of minutes the system will display a selection of files and directories, the names of which include this request.
Search parameters and filters are set in the settings of the menu of the same name. By clicking the "Search" button on the top panel of the folder, you can specify:
- Search location - current folder only or current and all subfolders.
- Time range - when the file was created or modified.
- File type (document, picture, music file, mail message, contact file, playlist, and more).
- File sizes - from empty (0 kb) to gigantic (\u003e 128 mb).
- Other file properties are tags, type, rating, folder path and shooting date.
Alongside, in the "Options" section, there are buttons to view the query log, configure locations, save specified conditions, and close the search window.
How to find and open hidden files and folders in Windows 8
Many system files and folders are hidden from the user's eyes and do not appear in Explorer. This is done primarily to protect against accidental deletion, but in some cases, such secrecy is harmful, not helpful. For example, when you want to find and manually remove a virus or find the data that it has hidden.
There are several ways to make hidden files and folders visible in Windows 8.
- open the control panel (the easiest way to do this is through the context menu of the Windows button);
Searching on the Start screen works in much the same way as in the Windows 7 Start menu. From the desktop, simply press the (or +) key and start typing. The standard search interface will appear: the search bar on the right, with the ability to search by apps, settings and files, as well as icons for all Metro apps that support search.
If you are already on the home screen, just enter search query... The approach is unintuitive and takes time to get used to, but the functionality is the same.
As you type, search results appear on the left side of the screen. By default, search by apps (including Metro apps and desktop apps) is selected, but you can switch to search for settings (including all control panels) and files if you want.
You can go directly to the search for applications, settings or files. Search for applications is invoked from the home screen or the desktop using the + [Q] keys, although there is no special need for this: anyway, by default, search on the home screen searches for applications.
Settings search can be called from any windows interface 8 (from the Start screen, Desktop, or any Metro app) by pressing + [W].
Search for files can be invoked from any Windows 8 interface (from the Start screen, Desktop, or from any Metro application) by pressing [F].
Search within any Metro application is invoked by the + [Q] keys. It only works in applications that support the contract windows search 8, but most of them, including almost all built-in windows clients 8 for communication, Bing app and Xbox.
Search in the Weather app
Of course, the beauty of searching is that it can be manipulated. You can, for example, start a search in Internet Explorer, which by default uses the Internet search engine configured in the browser, and then select any other Metro application in the search bar and continue searching in it - for example, in e-mails (Mail app), in the music catalog on the Microsoft Marketplace (Xbox Music app), or anywhere else.
Search also offers suggestions (displayed below the search bar) and sorts the list of compatible apps in the search bar so that the apps you search most often come first.
Overall, the search function is one of the most wonderful integrated windows capabilities 8, and each windows user should be able to use it, even if he prefers the desktop to the start screen.
