What are the best desktop search tools for Windows?

Question

10

Options
Considered

105

User
Recs.

Nov 19, 2020

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

The Best 1 of 9 OptionsWhy?

Best desktop search tools for Windows	Price	Last Updated
93 Everything	-	Nov 19, 2020
-- Agent ransack	-	Oct 2, 2020
-- DocFetcher	-	Oct 16, 2020
-- MythicSoft FileLocator Pro	-	Nov 11, 2020
-- Dir Function	-	Jul 20, 2020

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8 Other Options Considered

Agent ransack

Top Pro

Search inside SAS file

The app search inside every type of file created by SAS, even the catalog and the tables. See More

Top Con

No FTP

It's non integrated an ftp client to connect to remote server See More

Top Pro

Will search across attached drives

Top Con

Potentially lower search speed due to not indexing files

Top Pro

Saves disk space by not indexing files

No silly indexing of your file system required. See More

Top Pro

Fast search for text or regex in files

The app is multi threaded to search through your files. See More

Top Pro

Best free app for non indexed searches of text and MS Office files

Top free tool for non-indexed searches for files and contents. Boolean and regex options. Searches MS Office files using Ifilters. The paid for version, Filelocator Pro, offers many enhancements eg combined boolean and regex searches, multiple search tabs, ability to toggle back to previous search results, and has inbuilt index searching as an option. See More

See All

MythicSoft FileLocator Pro

Top Pro

Reliable

WittyAdephagia's Experience

Most reliable full text indexer for Windows. Indexes more deeply than MS Search, more reliably than Copernic or X1, with far fewer software issues or glitches. I use multiple indexes, i.e., one for lappy 2TB drive, another for a 4TB external SSD with tons of archived docs. Steadily updated by vendor. Very reasonable price given the power. Option to do indexed searches or non-indexed searches. Option to use the old Outside In viewer DLLs to view file contents, worth the few minutes to set up. Use this for all full text searches, and Everything for searches by file or folder name, combo of these two tools is powerful indeed. Do wish for faceted search and a Boolean query builder for the index searches. See More

Top Pro

Most powerful full text indexer for the price

Top Pro

Powerful

Good range of search capabilities. See More

Top Pro

Fast

See All

AnyTXT Searcher

Top Pro

Fast search

LogicalEpione's Experience

Dear All, It can handle AND query also so you can do multi critera search. just amazing Regards, Chirag Raval See More

Top Pro

Microsoft Office (doc, xls, ppt) support

FlexibleOxomoco's Experience

Fast See More

Top Pro

Real-Time search

ImaginativePaidia's Experience

good See More

Top Pro

SSD optimization

DaringAlernus's Experience

I really like Everything, I use it every day. Recently, I found a new tool, AnyTXT Searcher, which is a simple and practical text search tool as Everything. If you like Everything, you will like it. I found the password file I lost for many years. So, I like it very much. See More

Top Pro

PDF Support

Top Pro

Non-English languages support

See All

DVDFab 4k converter

Add Video or Image

Advance Driver Updater

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score 49 · Accepted Answer

Everything

Top Pro

Quick searching

Top Con

Only NTFS and ReFS-File System

top vidéos's Experience

i like it See More

Top Pro

Quick file indexing

zjlovedskc's Experience

quickest searching See More

Top Pro

Clean and simple user interface

FerventXihe's Experience

freez in win 10 See More

Top Pro

Real-time updating

Top Pro

Minimal resource usage

Top Pro

Small installation file

Top Pro

Instant results

Instant results for boolean searches. Can switch to regex if required. Also allows other network users to interrogate the index via a web interface or an ftp-like logon. See More

Top Pro

Supports Regular Expressions

Top Pro

Share files with others easily

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The Best 1 of 9 OptionsWhy?

My Recommendation for Everything

My Recommendation for Everything

Quick searching

Only NTFS and ReFS-File System

Quick file indexing

Clean and simple user interface

Real-time updating

Minimal resource usage

Small installation file

Instant results

Supports Regular Expressions

Share files with others easily

8 Other Options Considered

My Recommendation for Agent ransack

My Recommendation for Agent ransack

Search inside SAS file

No FTP

Will search across attached drives

Potentially lower search speed due to not indexing files

Saves disk space by not indexing files

Fast search for text or regex in files

Best free app for non indexed searches of text and MS Office files

My Recommendation for DocFetcher

My Recommendation for DocFetcher

Search content of files

No picture preview

Previewing occurence

Indexes only documents

Cross-platform

My Recommendation for MythicSoft FileLocator Pro

My Recommendation for MythicSoft FileLocator Pro

Reliable

Most powerful full text indexer for the price

Powerful

Fast

My Recommendation for Dir Function

My Recommendation for Dir Function

Works on any network mounted drive too

Requires other tools to search contents of files

Built into windows/free

As fast as your hdd/sdd

Allows for wildcards

My Recommendation for AnyTXT Searcher

My Recommendation for AnyTXT Searcher

Fast search

Microsoft Office (doc, xls, ppt) support

Real-Time search

SSD optimization

PDF Support

Non-English languages support

My Recommendation for Puggle Desktop Search

My Recommendation for Puggle Desktop Search

Image Preview

Indexing is necessary

Search file content

My Recommendation for DVDFab 4k converter

My Recommendation for DVDFab 4k converter

My Recommendation for CSearcher

My Recommendation for CSearcher

Fast

Hex viewer

Export

Reliable

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My Recommendation for Advance Driver Updater

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