Crystal Cox/Business Insider You can search your Windows 10 computer to find files and apps easier.
- You may need to search your Windows 10 computer to locate files, folders, or programs.
- You can search your computer via the Taskbar or Windows File Explorer.
- Windows 10's search feature is the quickest way to explore your machine.
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With hard drive storage space getting bigger and bigger these days - even the most basic models of computers tend to come with at least 250 GB - we're filling up our PCs with endless apps, documents, photos, and other files.
It's great for information pack rats who like to keep everything, but it can also make it really hard to locate a particular file or folder on your computer when you're looking for it.
Thankfully, Windows 10 makes it easy to search your computer, and you can do it in two different ways.
Whether by utilizing the Taskbar's Cortana search feature or using the Windows File Explorer, both methods make locating your stuff simple, straightforward, and most of all, quick.
Here's how to do it.
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How to search on a Windows 10 computer via the taskbar
1. In the search bar located on the left-hand side of your taskbar, next to the Windows button, type the name of the app, document, or file that you're looking for.
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Type in what you're searching for in the search box at the bottom.
2. From the search results listed, click on the one that matches what you're looking for.
Note that you can narrow down your search results using the menu bar across the top of the search box, which allows you to see only Apps, Documents, Settings, or Web Results, among other categories.
How to search on a Windows 10 computer via File Explorer
1. Click on the Windows key and type "File Explorer," clicking the top app result that appears.
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Select "File Explorer" from the results.
2. If you know which drive or folder the file you're looking for exists in, choose that location via the Quick Access menu on the left-hand side of the File Explorer screen.
3. Once you're ready to search, use the search box in the upper right-hand corner of the File Explorer screen to type in any identifying information about the file in question, including the file name or file type. Search results should then begin to auto-populate in the box below.
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Type in the file, program, or folder you're searching for.
4. Once you've located the file you've been searching for, click to open it.
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