Windows 8 Bible

Searching Folders and Views

By now you may have noticed File Explorer has a Search box in its upper-right corner. The Search box, by default, includes text that describes the search context, such as Search Libraries, as in Figure 29.4.

FIGURE 29.4 Search box in Explorer (all folders)

Like the Search box on the Charms Bar, the one in File Explorer gives you instant keystroke-by-keystroke search results. With Windows 8, you can search for different kinds of items from the Explorer window. You are not limited to just files and folders. You can, for example, search for music playlists, programs, recorded TV programs, tasks, and other kinds of items. The view consists of all files and subfolders you see in the main content pane, but also can be expanded to search for all subfolders. The Search box in Explorer doesn’t look strictly at file and folder names either. It looks at the contents of files that contain text, tags, and other metadata. So once again, you use it in much the same way you use an Internet search engine: not just to search for a specific filename, but to search for keywords or phrases.

The Search box in Explorer works best when you have some idea where the item you’re looking for is located. For example, let’s say you have thousands of songs in your Music folder and its subfolders. You want to see all songs in the Jazz genre. Step 1 is to open your Music folder. Step ...