How do I search for files in Windows 10?

You can search for files in Windows 10 using the search box on the taskbar, File Explorer, or Command Prompt. Here's how:

1. Searching from the Taskbar

This is the quickest and easiest method.

Type in the search box: Located on the taskbar (usually at the bottom left of the screen). Just start typing the name of the file, a keyword from the file, or even the type of file you're looking for (e.g., ".docx" for Word documents, ".jpg" for images).
View the results: Windows will display results in real-time, categorizing them under headings like "Best match", "Apps", "Documents", and "Web". "Best match" often includes the most likely file you're looking for. Results include files on your PC and OneDrive.

File Explorer offers more advanced search options.

Open File Explorer: Click the File Explorer icon on your taskbar, or press Windows key + E.
Navigate to the desired location: Choose the folder or drive you want to search within from the left-hand pane. You can search your entire PC by selecting "This PC" or a specific drive (like "C:").
Use the Search box: In the top-right corner of the File Explorer window, there's a search box. Type your search term (filename, keyword, file type) here.
Refine your search: File Explorer provides advanced search tools. Once you start typing in the search box, a "Search" tab appears in the ribbon at the top of the window. This tab lets you filter by:
- Date modified: Find files modified within a specific date range (Today, Yesterday, This week, Last week, This month, Last month, This year, Last year, or specify a date range).
- File size: Find files of a specific size (Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gigantic).
- File type: Filter by document, picture, music, video, folder, etc.
- Other properties: You can also search based on other file properties like author, name, or tags.

This method is more technical but can be very powerful for advanced users.

Open Command Prompt: Type "cmd" in the taskbar search box and select "Command Prompt".
Navigate to the directory: Use the cd command to change directories to the location you want to search. For example, cd C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents will navigate to your Documents folder.
Use the dir command: The dir command lists files and directories. To search, use dir /s *yoursearchterm*. The /s switch tells it to search in all subdirectories. Replace yoursearchterm with the filename or keyword you're looking for. For example: dir /s *report.docx* will search for all files named "report.docx" and files containing the word "report" with the extension ".docx" in the current directory and all subdirectories.

Let's say you want to find a Word document named "Project Proposal" that you created last week.

Taskbar Search: Type "Project Proposal" in the taskbar search box. If it doesn't appear, try typing ".docx" along with it.
File Explorer: Open File Explorer, select "Documents", and type "Project Proposal" in the search box. Then, click the "Search" tab and refine the search by setting the "Date modified" to "Last week".
Command Prompt: Open Command Prompt, navigate to your Documents folder (e.g., cd C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents), and type dir /s *Project Proposal.docx*.