Find what you’re looking for with Windows Desktop Search
Published: August 15, 2005
Looking for a document, photo, e-mail message, or other file on your computer? Now you can search for files as easily as you search the Web, using Windows Desktop Search in the MSN Search Toolbar.
Get started
Location of the Outlook toolbar and Deskbar
Windows Desktop Search comes with the MSN Search Toolbar, a free tool that helps you quickly find content on the Web and on your computer. To get started:
1. | Install MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search 1. | Go to the MSN Search Toolbar download page and click Download Toolbar Now. | 2. | Click Save, and then click Save again when your Desktop folder opens. | 3. | When the download is complete, click Run. |
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2. | Let Windows build an index |
After you complete the installation, Windows Desktop Search will automatically build an index of your hard disk. An index is a list containing information about all of the files on your computer. Building this index takes a few minutes, depending on the size of your disk, but will make every search much faster. Indexing doesn’t require any work on your part—Windows will automatically update your index whenever you add or change files.
Search your desktop
Windows Desktop Search is included in all three MSN Search Toolbars:
| • | MSN Search Deskbar lets you search the Web and your computer without interrupting your current task. The Deskbar sits on your Windows taskbar, near the clock. |
| • | MSN Search Toolbar for Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer lets you search the Web and your computer without having to open a search page. |
| • | MSN Search Toolbar for Outlook lets your search within an e-mail message, an appointment, an e-mail attachment, a contact, or a document on your computer or on the Web. The Toolbar for Outlook appears near the top of the Outlook window. |
To begin searching your desktop, follow the instructions below for the toolbar you want to use.
MSN Search Deskbar  | 1. | Type your search terms in the search box.
The best match for your search appears as you type. | 2. | Click  to see your results in a separate window. |
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MSN Search Toolbar for Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer  | 1. | Type your search terms in the search box. | 2. | Click the arrow next to Search Web, and then click Search Desktop. |
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MSN Search Toolbar for Outlook  | 1. | Type your search terms in the search box. | 2. | Click the Search arrow, and then click Outlook or Desktop. By default, Desktop Search will search all of your Outlook messages. |
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Tip and tricks for finding your files with Windows Desktop Search
Get the best performance from Windows Desktop Search by applying these techniques to your searches.
Use AND, OR, and NOT
Join search terms with the operators AND, OR, and NOT to zero in on files quickly. Be sure use capital letters, as shown below:
AND | guitars AND electric | Your search results will contain all the files that include both terms. |
OR | guitars OR amplifiers | Your search results will contain files that mention either guitars or amplifiers. |
NOT | guitars NOT banjos | Your search results will contain files that mention guitars, but not banjos. |
Example of searches with AND
Example of searches with OR
Example of searches with NOT
Vary your search terms
If what you typed didn’t yield any useful results, try typing it another way. For example, if you are looking for a guitar, you might type:
guitar
If you get too many results, your search might be too general. Make it more specific by adding some details:
yellow electric guitars
If you get too few results, be a little less specific:
electric guitars
Example of searches that are too specific
Example of searches that are just specific enough
Example of searches that are not specific enough
Wrap your search in quotation marks
If you’re looking for a file that contains an exact phrase, surround your search with quotation marks.
If you type a search term without quotation marks, such as:
wooden guitars
You might yield results that include the word "wooden," the word "guitar," or both.
But if you type the same search term with quotation marks:
"wooden guitars"
You will only yield results that contain those exact words in that exact order.
Tell Desktop Search more
The more information you provide about your file, the quicker Desktop Search can find it. You can narrow your search by including the date you created your file, its type (such as .xls, .gif, or .doc), or a phrase in the document.
