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Home » Windows 10 & 11 Search Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know (Updated 2026)

Windows 10 & 11 Search Tricks You Probably Didn’t Know (Updated 2026)

windows search tricks

With Windows 10, Microsoft dramatically improved the built‑in search experience, and Windows 11 has taken it even further. You can now quickly find files, folders, apps, settings, emails, and web results right from the taskbar or Start menu. If you feel you spend too much time searching for things on your PC and not enough time actually doing work, these Windows search tips will help.

Overview: How Search Works in Windows 10 & 11

Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 offer a unified search experience:

  • Windows 10: Use the Search box or Search icon on the taskbar, or open Start and just start typing.
  • Windows 11: Click the Search icon (magnifying glass), Search box on the taskbar (if enabled), or open Start and start typing.

Windows 11 Search highlights featureSearch can show:

  • Local apps, files, and folders
  • System settings and Control Panel items
  • Web results (via Bing)
  • Emails, cloud files, and more (if you use a Microsoft account and enable cloud search)

Use Filters to Narrow Your Windows Search

When you search from the taskbar or Start, Windows shows results from many sources. You can narrow them quickly using filters.

Windows 10

  1. Click the Search box/icon on the taskbar.
  2. Type your query.
  3. At the top of the search panel, click one of the filter tabs, such as:
    • Apps
    • Documents
    • Email
    • Web
    • Folders
    • Settings
    • Photos
    • Videos
  4. Click the down-arrow (or More) to see additional filters when available.

Windows 11

  1. Click the Search icon on the taskbar, or press Win + S.
  2. Type your search terms.
  3. Use the filter row at the top (for example All, Apps, Documents, Web, More). Under More you may see additional categories.

Filter from the search box itself

You can also type a filter directly into the search box, followed by a colon:

  • apps: Word
  • documents: budget
  • folders: projects
  • settings: display

This immediately tells Windows which type of result you want, so you get less clutter and quicker answers.

Search Directly from File Explorer

The taskbar search isn’t the only way to find files. File Explorer has its own powerful search box.

How to search in File Explorer (Windows 10 & 11)

  1. Open File Explorer (press Win + E or click the folder icon).
  2. Browse to the folder or drive you want to search (for example This PC, Documents, or a specific folder).
  3. Click in the Search box at the top‑right corner of the File Explorer window.
  4. Type your search term. Explorer will search within the current folder and all its subfolders.

Searching very large folders (like an entire drive) can be slower, but searching within a specific folder (for example Documents\Reports) is usually much faster.

On Windows 10 you’ll see a Search tab appear on the ribbon when you click in the search box. On Windows 11, search options appear in the command bar or in the Search options dropdown, depending on your version.

Save Searches for Quick Access

If you run the same search frequently—say, monthly reports or a specific project—you don’t need to rebuild that search every time. You can save your search in File Explorer.

Save a search in File Explorer

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder you want to search.
  2. Type your search in the Search box (for example type:docx report or date: this month).
  3. Adjust your parameters if needed (date, size, type, etc.).
    • In Windows 10, use the Search tab on the ribbon for options like Date modified, Kind, Size, and Other properties.
    • In Windows 11, use the options in the command bar or right‑click inside the results and choose Search options.
  4. When the results look right, click Save search (Windows 10: on the Search tab; Windows 11: via the More or … menu if available).
  5. Give the search a name and choose where to save it.

By default, saved searches are stored in the Searches folder in your user folder, but you can store them anywhere.

Next time, just double‑click the saved search file. Windows will instantly run the same search again with updated results.

Settings App vs. Control Panel Search (Windows 10 & 11)

Windows has gradually moved system options from the old Control Panel into the modern Settings app—but both still exist.

When you use the taskbar or Start search:

  • Results under Settings may point to either the Settings app or classic Control Panel pages.
  • Windows uses different icons to help you understand where a setting lives.

How to tell them apart

  • Modern Settings app: Often uses simpler, flat icons and opens in the Settings window.
  • Control Panel: Uses classic, colorful icons and opens the old Control Panel interface.

The Settings app in both Windows 10 and 11 can also search Control Panel items. Type a keyword (for example “power plan” or “network adapter”) and you’ll often see Control Panel entries in the results. Clicking them jumps straight into the older interface when that setting has not yet been migrated.

If you’re not sure where a setting is, just use the taskbar search and choose whichever result looks closest. Windows will open the right place, even if it’s still in Control Panel.

Do Quick Calculations from the Taskbar or Start

You don’t have to open the Calculator app for simple math.

  1. Click the Search box/icon (Windows 10) or Search icon (Windows 11).
  2. Type your equation directly, for example:
    • 25*4
    • 120/8
    • 45+60
    • 5^3
  3. Windows will show the answer instantly at the top of the results.

Quick Calculations from the Taskbar or Start
In many cases, search also displays an interactive calculator (powered by Bing) right in the results, so you can quickly tweak numbers without launching the separate Calculator app.

This works for:

  • Basic arithmetic
  • Some unit conversions (e.g., 10 cm in inches, 50 usd in eur)
  • Percentage calculations (e.g., 15% of 120)

Use Wildcards for Advanced Search Results

Wildcards let you search when you don’t know the exact name of a file or when you want to match multiple patterns.

You can use them in both File Explorer and taskbar search, but they’re most powerful in File Explorer.

* (asterisk)

Replaces none, one, or many characters.

  • Example: eas*
    • Matches: eas, easy, easier, eastern, etc.

? (question mark)

Replaces exactly one character.

  • Example: ad?pt
    • Matches: adapt, adopt, adept, etc.

# (hash)

Replaces one numeric digit.

  • Example: 2#4
    • Matches: 204, 214, 224, etc.

You can combine wildcards with other filters, such as file types or dates, to narrow down searches even further.

Search by File Properties (Date, Type, Author, Tags, and More)

Windows stores metadata (properties) for many files—such as date created, file type, author, and tags. You can use these properties in your searches.

This again works best in File Explorer.

General syntax

Use property:value in the search box. Some common properties:

name (File name)

Search part or all of the file name.

  • Examples:
    • name:May
    • name:work

kind (File kind)

Search by category, such as document, picture, music, video, etc.

  • Examples:
    • kind:document
    • kind:picture
    • kind:music

type (File type/extension)

Search by file format.

  • Examples:
    • type:docx
    • type:xlsx
    • type:txt
    • type:exe

You can still use the traditional extension syntax like *.docx or *.jpg.

tags (Tags/keywords)

If you use tags (especially on photos and documents), you can find files by those.

  • Examples:
    • tags:project
    • tags:school
    • tags:invoice

author (Creator)

Many Office documents, PDFs, and other files store author information.

  • Examples:
    • author:john
    • author:lina

Date and size filters

These are very useful when combined with other searches.

  • date:
    • Examples: date:today, date:this week, date:>01/01/2025
  • size:
    • Examples: size:<5MB, size:>500MB, size:huge

You can combine properties:

  • kind:document author:john date:this month
  • tags:project type:pdf

9. Use Boolean Filters to Combine Search Terms

Boolean operators let you combine multiple search terms in powerful ways. Use them in capital letters for best results.

AND

Find items that contain all the specified terms.

  • Example: word AND pad
    • Matches items containing both word and pad, like wordpad.exe, word notepad.txt, etc.

OR

Find items that contain any of the specified terms.

  • Example: word OR pad
    • Matches items containing either word or pad, such as word.exe, notepad.txt, etc.

NOT

Exclude items that contain a specific term.

  • Example: NOT pad
    • Returns files that do not include the word pad.

Quotes (" ")

Search for an exact phrase.

  • Example: "new york pics"
    • Returns files that contain the exact phrase new york pics.

Parentheses (( ))

Group terms together.

  • Example: (cricket football hockey)
    • Searches for items containing any of these words. You can also use them with AND/OR, such as (cricket OR football) AND scores.

Greater than (>)

Search for values greater than a specific threshold.

  • Example: date:>01/01/2026
    • Finds items created after January 1, 2026.

Less than (<)

Search for values less than a specific threshold.

  • Example: size:<5MB
    • Finds files smaller than 5 MB.

Combine Boolean operators with properties for very specific searches. Example:

kind:document author:john (budget OR invoice) date:this year

 Newer Search Features in Windows 11 (2025–2026)

If you use Windows 11, there are a few newer behaviors worth knowing in 2026:

Taskbar Search Highlights

Windows 11 often shows Search highlights—small cards with trending searches, holidays, and recommendations. These don’t change how you search files, but they give quick shortcuts and suggestions. You can turn them off in Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions if you find them distracting.

Cloud Content and Microsoft 365 Search

If you sign in with a Microsoft account or work/school account and enable cloud content search, Windows can show:

  • OneDrive and SharePoint files
  • Outlook emails and calendar items

To manage this in Windows 11:

  1. Open Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions.
  2. Scroll to Cloud content search.
  3. Enable or disable search for Microsoft account and Work or school account.

Start Menu Integrated Search

In both Windows 10 and 11, you can open Start and just start typing. This is often the fastest way to:

  • Launch apps
  • Open system settings
  • Find documents you recently used

If you prefer a clean desktop with fewer icons, relying on Start + search can be a big productivity boost.

Final Thoughts

These advanced Windows 10 and Windows 11 search tricks can save you a lot of time:

  • Use filters to narrow results quickly.
  • Search from File Explorer when you know the folder.
  • Save searches you use frequently.
  • Understand Settings vs. Control Panel behavior.
  • Use the search box for quick calculations and conversions.
  • Combine wildcards, properties, and Boolean operators for precise searches.

If you know any other useful Windows search tips or if something in this guide doesn’t match what you see on your PC, share it in the comments—I’m continuously updating this article for the latest Windows releases.

Robeg

I am Robeg founder of this blog. My qualification. completed Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). With a strong background in computer applications love write articles on Microsoft Windows (11, 10, etc.) Cybersecurity, WordPress and more.

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