How to Help Windows 7 Search File Contents Too

Use the folder's search bar

Open the folder you want to search. To search for files in a folder by content, you first need to open that folder.

For example, if you want to search for files in the "Documents" folder, open the ''Documents'' folder.

Click the search bar. This is the bar displayed in the upper right corner of the folder window.

Enter a search command by content. Please enter content:in the search bar. Anything you enter after this command will become a search keyword.

Enter the content you want to search for. Immediately after the "content:" command, you will enter the word or sentence you need to search for the content of the file in the directory.

For example, if you want to find a file with the sentence "An elephant never forgets" in the text, enter it content:an elephant never forgetsin the search bar.

See results. Each file in the search results will be listed by content; That means you'll see the file you're looking for near the top of the window if the word or sentence was entered correctly.

You can narrow your search results by entering a longer or more specific sentence in the file you are looking for.

Enable content search for all files

Open Start . Click the Windows icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. The Start menu will appear immediately.

Type change search options for files and folders(change file and folder search options) into Start. The search bar displays below the Start window. This will find the option you need to change so you can search files on your computer by content.

Click Change search options for files and folders . This option is near the top of the Start window.

You may see a Files and folders option here. If so, click this option.

Check the "Always search file names and contents" box. This is an option in the "When searching non-indexed locations" section of the window.

If this box is checked, Windows search for files by content is enabled.

First you need to click the Search tab at the top of the window.

Click Apply , then click OK . Both options are at the bottom of the window. This will save your settings and close the window; From now on, Windows will search for files by name and content.

Enable content search for specific files

Open Start . Click the Windows icon in the bottom left corner of the screen.

Type change how windows searches(change Windows search). This needs to be entered in the search bar below the Start window.

Click Change how Windows searches . This is the option near the top of the Start window. The Indexing Options window will appear on the screen.

Click Advanced . It's below the window. Another window will appear on the screen.

Click the File Types tab . You'll see this option near the top of the window.

Choose the file type you like. Scroll through the list of file types near the top of the window until you find the one you need, then click the file type's name to select it.

Check the "Index Properties and File Contents" box. This is the option below the heading "How should this file be indexed?" (How should this file be listed?) near the bottom of the window.

Click OK below the window. This will save the changes and close the window. You can now search for the selected file type by name and content.

Kareem Winters

Update 23 June 2024