Easily Search Through Your Files

In the last years, the computer has become an indispensable item in our homes, at work and even when we travel. Very easily, it started getting full of information and data from documents to pictures, music and movies. Along with its growth and popularity, the need for a bigger space has become necessary to store a larger number of files.

Here is where MariusSoft's File Searcher comes into action. This little tool can make the difference between a manual and irritating search and a relaxing and straight-to-the-point one. The application comes as a Freeware, which means you can use it as long as you want without any functionality or time restrictions.

The first thing you will notice when you run File Searcher will be its smooth, simple but good-looking interface. With no tricky buttons or overwhelming menus, the application keeps it simple and meets the purpose it was created for – to search for your files in the easiest way possible.

The main window is divided in two parts: one, to enter all your search criteria, while the other will display the found results. The upper window is structured in four tabs, each with its separate functionality, but let's take them one by one to see what they can really do.

The Location tab is the first one and the tab that will help you select the locations where you want to search for your files. By pressing the Add button, a new window will appear that will allow you to browse or enter manually the folder you want to include in your search. To add multiple folders, you have to repeat this operation for each of them.

You can remove a folder from the queue using the Remove button or clear your whole selection by pressing the Clear button. To enable the subfolder search, you must tick the Search Subfolders checkbox at the bottom of this window.

After the desired locations are selected, you can go to the Contents tab that allows you to input your search criteria and look up the desired file contents, thus finding not only the desired file but also the required content. This window is similar to the previous one, thus making the configuration process easier and user friendly.

After clicking the add button, a new window will appear that will allow you to enter the expression you want to search for. It also allows you to search for the exact expression by enabling the Case Sensitive and Regular Expression checkboxes.

If you want to narrow your search to a specific file type, you can easily do that from the File Types tab. After disabling the Search All Files option, you will be able to enter the extension you want to search for. This will not only shorten the search time, but it will allow you to search for the specific files needed without browsing through a vast results list.

Last but not least, File Searcher gives you the possibility to search for your files based on their date and size. First, you have to select the desired date criteria (Created, Modified or Last Accessed) you want to use in your search. After this, you can choose a time period from a calendar-like window or tell the application to search for the desired files in the previous days.

If you know the approximate file size, you can enter it easily from the Larger than and Smaller than boxes and add it in your search criteria, thus significantly improving your search results.

After all this is done, the Start button is the only one that separates you and your search results. Press it and you will surely find what you're looking for in a jiffy. As compared with the default Windows search tool, this application does not index your files and this can slow down the search process, especially when you need to perform searches in the same folders over and over again.

As a plus, the application also comes with multiple themes that one can use to change its appearance whenever they feel it's necessary. All can be accessed from the Options menu, via the Theme drop down list, with a single click.

There are many products of this kind on the market, but File Searcher's simplicity will easily attract the people that don't want very complicated tools to do such a simple job.

The Good

File Searcher gives you the possibility to quickly search through your files with the utmost ease and provides you with many search criteria that will help you find the desired files in no time. Its stylish looks, simplicity and, most of all, the Freeware license will surely attract you and will not let you down when you need File Searcher the most.

The Bad

Besides the great things it can do, File Searcher is a resource freak (it eats up to 400 MB of RAM) when it comes to searches with few criteria and multiple locations. If the application indexed the searched files, it would take it a shorter time should you perform a second search in the same location, also, a useful tweak can be the possibility to add multiple locations at the same time.

The Truth

MariusSoft's File Searcher is a simple tool that will surely find a good place in your software collection. It can help you find your files easily by providing you with various search criteria and options. Besides the fact that it uses a great amount of your computer's resources, it's definitely worth a try.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action: