Windows Search

Instantly locate and open any file on your PC, from documents to e-mail messages to songs, right from the Start menu just by typing a word or two.

With Windows Vista, we introduced Instant Search, which helps you easily locate files, e-mail messages, and other items on your PC. If you remember the type of file, when it was created, or even what it contains, Instant Search helps you find it quickly from the Start menu and other folders. In Windows 7, Windows Search improves upon this feature by making search results more relevant and easier to review. Now, you can find more things in more places—and do it faster.

Start typing into the Start menu search box—and you'll instantly see a list of relevant documents, pictures, music, and e-mail on your PC. Results are now grouped by category and contain highlighted keywords and text snippets to make them easier to scan.

Few people store all their files in one place these days. So Windows 7 is also designed to search external hard drives, networked PCs, and Libraries.Overwhelmed by your search results? You can instantly narrow them by date, file type, and other useful categories.