Windows File Search

You can find files on your computer by using File Explorer. Type down the file's name or a part of it and the OS should provide it. However, if File Explorer is not up to the task, you may try a third-party app dedicated to file search. Windows File Search is not the best nor more advanced, but it can be considered a step further than the default method.

As the layout is the first element to meet the eye, helping form the first impression. In this case, you might be slightly confused about the Win XP-looking interface this tool sports.

If this art style doesn't bother you, there is nothing to criticize as far as aesthetics go.

Windows File Search was built with simplicity in mind. To customize the searches, one has to go through four individual tabs. The first one titled General, allows you to use file masks and wildcards in order to narrow down your searches.

Date & Time might look like a useless feature, but if you are aware of the moments when a video was created or accessed, you can use this panel to pinpoint your items. The same rule applies to Content & Size — the tab from where you can add min/max size rules to the search.

The last tab, Attributes, allows one to look for read-only, hidden, system, archive files and folders.

After a scan is done, the bottom half of the UI will get populated. These results, however, cannot be copied to the clipboard, moved, or have their location opened. This is a big letdown for Windows File Search, as it reduces the app's potential.

Windows File Search is not a top-notch application for what matters, but it has a rather interesting story. Apparently, the app was created as an homage to a cat called Petit Prince, that's why the icon resembles a feline.