Finding Files with XYplorer


XYplorer's search is a live search that doesn't need an index. If a file exists, XYplorer will find it.

Practical Example #1

You're looking for a file with "Muller" in the name, and you know it's somewhere in the E:\Job\ folder.

Here you go:

Open the Info Panel (press F12), select the Find Files tab, and open Name & Location.
Set the Name field to Muller.
Set the Location field to E:\Job\ (or just open that folder in the tree).
Press the "Find Now" button.

That's it. Within moments, the files you are looking for are listed in a special tab called "Search Results" and ready for further processing.

Finding Muller.

Practical Example #2

Now let's add a little spice to the previous example. You are no longer sure whether it was "Muller" or "Miller". So the Boolean operator OR is needed...

Here you go:

Open the Info Panel (press F12), select the Find Files tab, and open Name & Location.
Set the Name field to Muller OR Miller.
Set the Mode dropdown to Boolean.
Set the Location field to E:\Job\ (or just open that folder in the tree).
Press the "Find Now" button.

That's it. Within moments, the files you are looking for are listed in a special tab called "Search Results" and ready for further processing.

Finding Muller and Miller.


To illustrate the power of XYplorer's Boolean Search, here are a few variations on the theme:

If you want to limit the search to PNG files, set the Name field to (Muller OR Miller) AND *.png.
If you want to limit the search to PNG and PSD files: (Muller OR Miller) AND (*.png OR *.psd).
If you want to exclude files containing "Smith" from the previous example: (Muller OR Miller) AND (*.png OR *.psd) AND NOT Smith.

Practical Example #3

You're looking for a file with the word "Miller" somewhere in its contents, and you know it's somewhere in the E:\Job\ folder.

Here you go:

Browse to E:\Job\.
Press Ctrl+Shift+F (opens and resets Find Files tab).
Open tab "Contents", and set the text field to Muller.
Press the "Find Now" button.

That's it. Within moments, the files you are looking for are listed in a special tab called "Search Results" and ready for further processing.

Finding Muller in the contents. The Hover Box shows the contents of the file: Muller.

Tip: Content-based searches take longer than simple name searches because all files must be opened and fully scanned to perform the match. Therefore, if you know the file type of the files you are looking for, you should specify it in the Name field to speed up the search. For example, you would set the Name field to *.doc; *.csv; *.txt to limit the search to DOC, CSV, and TXT files.

Quick Name Search

The minimalist Quick Search (F3) interface provides an alternative to the mighty and powerful Find Files tab.

Just type the string you are looking for. Then press Enter or click OK.

This page was last updated on 2024-01-09. Screenshots do not necessarily reflect the current look and feel of the application. Some of the functionality may have been changed or enhanced in the current version.