4 ms·

An important thing that it took me a long time to realize is it doesn't search file names by default, only file contents. To search by name you have to use the

An important thing that it took me a long time to realize is it doesn't search file names by default, only file contents. To search by name you have to use the 'name:' prefix. This is nonsense, but it's also easy to overcome once you know about it.

ncann 5y ago
Wow really? I never knew that. Who thought it would be a good idea to have the Explorer search NOT do filename search by default?
- brundolf 5y ago
  It's probably how the first iteration worked before anybody knew what would and wouldn't be intuitive for this kind of utility, and they just haven't updated it since
  - yhoneycomb 5y ago
    Also when files were mostly just text, it would have made a lot of sense
    - wizzwizz4 5y ago
      No, this search was new in Vista (iirc).
      - brundolf 5y ago
        Oh, well then there you go ;)
ChrisArchitect 5y ago
what? ridiculous, of course it searches filenames
ethbr0 5y ago
Honestly interested how this plays with Control Panel, various config screens / apps, etc. It seems the worst offender of "type in exactly what the link / window header is titled, does not show up in results." I haven't figured out if this stuff just isn't indexed, is de-ranked below everything else (my guess), or is using some weird non-user-visible tags that aren't named identically.
freedomben 5y ago
Off topic, but is Google Drive search this way too?
mdorazio 5y ago
I don’t think this is right. I just did a test with a text file and Windows not only found a word only in the title (not in the document text), but also highlighted the title match in the results.
- brundolf 5y ago
  Hmm. Maybe I'm thinking of macOS? This definitely happened on one of the two and I was pretty sure it was Windows
brundolf 5y ago
Edit: I was wrong about this behavior. Could've sworn this had happened. `name:` definitely helps speed up and refine the search, at least
trainsplanes 5y ago
Trying this right now with various commonly opened files and still getting no results. It's incredible how bad it is.

ncann 5y ago

Wow really? I never knew that. Who thought it would be a good idea to have the Explorer search NOT do filename search by default?

brundolf 5y ago
It's probably how the first iteration worked before anybody knew what would and wouldn't be intuitive for this kind of utility, and they just haven't updated it since
- yhoneycomb 5y ago
  Also when files were mostly just text, it would have made a lot of sense
  - wizzwizz4 5y ago
    No, this search was new in Vista (iirc).
    - brundolf 5y ago
      Oh, well then there you go ;)

ChrisArchitect 5y ago

what? ridiculous, of course it searches filenames

ethbr0 5y ago

Honestly interested how this plays with Control Panel, various config screens / apps, etc. It seems the worst offender of "type in exactly what the link / window header is titled, does not show up in results." I haven't figured out if this stuff just isn't indexed, is de-ranked below everything else (my guess), or is using some weird non-user-visible tags that aren't named identically.

freedomben 5y ago

Off topic, but is Google Drive search this way too?

mdorazio 5y ago

I don’t think this is right. I just did a test with a text file and Windows not only found a word only in the title (not in the document text), but also highlighted the title match in the results.

brundolf 5y ago
Hmm. Maybe I'm thinking of macOS? This definitely happened on one of the two and I was pretty sure it was Windows

brundolf 5y ago

Edit: I was wrong about this behavior. Could've sworn this had happened. `name:` definitely helps speed up and refine the search, at least

trainsplanes 5y ago

Trying this right now with various commonly opened files and still getting no results. It's incredible how bad it is.