Using Windows Search Filters can help you quickly find the files you need in File Explorer instead of doing general searches. You only need to master some search commands and syntax of File Explorer to conduct more accurate searches based on dates, file types, etc.

Table of contents

• 1. Find files using wildcards
• 2. Search by file type
• 3. Search for File Explorer based on file size
• 4. Search for files by date
• 5. Search by file type
• 6. Find files with specific tags
• 7. Use boolean operators and further filtering

1. Find files using wildcards

File Explorer can find files based on one or two words, but using wildcards can further filter the results. For example, if you don't know the full file name, you can enter a part of the file name and use an asterisk ( * ) instead of the rest.

For example, if I want to search for the "How to Do" article I wrote for Make Tech Easier about Windows' past, I might search for "how to *windows".

2. Search by file type

If you are looking for a specific type of file, such as a Word document or image file, you can use the file extension to search filters. This limits your search to files with only specific extensions.

In File Explorer, enter a part of the file name (if you know), plus " .fileextension." (Replace fileextension with the file extension you want.) For example, if I'm looking for a Word document, I'd search for " .doc" or " .docx." If you know part of the file name, put it before the asterisk like "name .doc".

Tip: Asterisks are used as wildcards when searching. You can use it whenever you are unsure of part or all of the file name.

3. Search for File Explorer based on file size

Whether you are trying to clean up your hard drive for space, or knowing the approximate size of the file, there is a Windows search filter to use. Use the "size: FileSize" file explorer to search for filters.

In the File Explorer search bar, replace the FileSize section with the size you want. It can be precise or use the greater than ( > ) and less than ( ) operators to find files that exceed or below the set size. You can also use equal signs with these operators, such as = , >= or .

For example, if I want to find only large files larger than 2GB, I would type "size: >2GB".

While you can manually enter file sizes as needed, File Explorer has some built-in predefined properties that can make things easier. Enter one of the following as the file size, instead of the exact size:

• Empty: Empty file or 0KB
• Tiny: Files between 0 and 16KB
• Small: Files between 16KB and 1MB
• Medium: Files between 1MB and 128MB
• Large: Files between 128MB and 1GB
• Huge: Files between 1GB and 4GB
• Gigantic: Files larger than 4GB

4. Search for files by date

The above file explorer filters may still give you too many results to find what you need. If you know the exact or approximate date of file creation or modification, you can filter the results based on the date.

In the File Explorer search box, enter date: and then enter a date. The date format is MM/DD/YYYY. If your region usually uses the DD/MM/YYYY syntax, use this format. Similarly, you can use greater than, less than, and equal to operators.

You can also search Windows by date using predefined properties, including:

• Today
• Yesterday
• This week
• Last week
• Past month

Enter these directly after date:, such as date:past month .

If you just want to find files that are modified (not created) on a specific date, use "modified:" plus your date, for example "modified: 01/24/2024".

5. Search by file type

File type and extension are not the same. You're not searching for specific extensions, but searching for more general ones. For example, if you are searching for an image but want to include all image file extensions, use the "kind:" or "type:" filter. The latter works best in Windows 10 and earlier.

This is a harder filter to use because there are many different types of files to look for, such as images, videos, documents, etc. And, depending on your version of Windows, the filters may vary. For example, in Windows 10, I can search for " type:image " and get all the images. But when using " type:picture " I have no results. In Windows 11, I can use " kind:image " or " kind:picture " and get all the image files.

There are many properties to search for, some of the most common ones listed below:

• Image, picture, or photo
• Music
• Video
• Calendar
• Program
• Document
• Email
• Text
• Folder (limits search to actual folders instead of files)

Note: You can find more of these properties, as well as more search filters from Microsoft's Advanced Query Syntax guide.

6. Find files with specific tags

If you have tagged the file, you can search with "tag:" and tag name. For example, if I want to see only files marked "work", I search for "tag:work".

If you are not sure how to tag the file, right-click on the required file. Select Properties and click the Details tab. Enter the tag you want in the Tag field and press Apply .

7. Use boolean operators and further filtering

All of these Windows search filters are great, but if you really want to create advanced searches in File Explorer, you need to mix commands together using boolean operators. These include:

• AND: Combining two or more search filters
• OR: Search for any filter
• NOT: Exclude words from filters
• ” “: Search for exact matches
• ( ): Search for phrases containing any order

Several important rules to remember:

• AND, OR and NOT must be capitalized. If not, they are considered part of the search phrase, not part of the filter.
• OR and NOT cannot be used together.

For example, if I want to find a Word document created after January 1, 2024, I would use the following filter: "*.doc AND date: >01/01/2024".

One more thing you can do is navigate to a specific folder that contains the files you are looking for. This will tell File Explorer to search only for that folder. Or, if you want to find everything, start searching with Home, My PC or your main hard drive letters. Remember that the larger the search area, the longer the result will appear.

Find what you really need

Forget the general file explorer search and use more advanced Windows search filters to find what you really need. If you don't like searching with File Explorer, try these Windows search alternatives. Also, learn how to search in Word and PDF documents.

Image source: Unsplash. All screenshots were taken by Crystal Crowder.

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