Here are 10 Free Desktop Search software that let you search for all types of files and folders on your PC. These desktop search software are normally more advanced than the default search that come with Windows. All these desktop search software are completely free.
Google Desktop
Google Desktop is widely regarded as the best desktop search software. This is a free app that helps you to search your computer, and helps you to stay organized and updates with new gadgets and sidebars. The app is a set of tools that do not come along with simple search engine but also with advanced gadgets that will help you to check your email, weather forecast and many more. It is a desktop search engine that will help you searching your computer in a better way.
The app works for your computer in the same manner as you use Google search engine; the application is designed to provide you most relevant details along with file name and a brief snippet with your search names highlighted. When your computer is idle for more than 30 seconds, it starts indexing your emails, files and web history stored in your PC. It also saves the snap shot of the deleted files from your computer; hence you can also search for deleted files by using this freeware, rather than recreating them.
Read more about Google Desktop Search, or download free here.
Windows Search
Windows Search is another free desktop search engine that not only helps you to find and arrange contents of your system, but also helps you to look for the info and attachments that resides in your email account and web. The app is developed to help the users to search for the right info from the system within less time and helps them to manage their work in better manner.
The application can index encrypted files which will help you to search them within no time, plus you can search for the files and docs across your network. Make computer to computer search with this easy to use application. The easy to operate and user friendly software interface gives you one click access to move, cut, copy, paste, burn, attach and like operations.
Read more about Windows Search, or download free here.
Hulbee Desktop
Hulbee Desktop is a free application that searches for the files and docs in your computer. The application is user friendly and fast. As and when you type in the keyword in the search bar, you will get the search result listed. The application easily works on your Windows 7, Vista and XP platform. The app is built on data cloud building algorithm and you can search for web data from this freeware along with searching for your computer content.
You can check and see your data instantly with this application, with simple mouse click. On the start screen of the freeware, you can see the info like what kind of data and files has been sorted with the help of this app. The freeware works on multi dimensional result mechanism, which avoids long list of the search results that are generated by other search engines. The app will provide you with the listing of numerous terms associated with your search key, thus you can successfully narrow down your search result with this freeware.
Read more about Hulbee Desktop, or download free here.
Copernic Desktop Search
Copernic Desktop Search is a freeware that is designed to help you to find your computer files instantly. This free software can search for almost any kind of docs and files in your PC. You can optimise your search results and streamline them as per your specifications. Use the advanced search settings in the freeware, so that you can easily search for the files and logs that reside in your computer. Trace your keywords within your PC and all the computers in the network. Pinpoint your targeted information using auto-scroll to first occurrence and highlighted keywords.
You can also customize your search results and group them for proper sorting and listing. Make choice of the emails and folders for indexing purpose, thus you can save your computer resources timely and save your computer battery life. The application is designed for automatic and seamless real time indexing or new or updated files and emails.
Read more about Copernic Desktop Search, or download free here.
Exalead Desktop
Exalead Desktop is a freeware which makes available to you all the info and files that your computer contains. Search your system with this easy to use application, it can search for almost any kind of files and docs whether its your office doc, email, email attachment, a contact, etc. This free editions helps the users to search for any doc in your PC, perirhinal and other shared sources.
The application will help you to refine your search list, as you can refine them particularly as per the date modified, last created, size and author name. This will help you to narrow down your search result and you can avoid long list of search result. This freeware is user friendly and simple to operate, the search results are also descriptive, you can instant check the docs in the search result list instantly and at a glance. The free desktop search engine indexes automatically and stays up to date with new and modified content in the files and documents.
Read more about Exalead Desktop, or download free here.
Docfetcher
DocFetcher is a free application that gives you instant access to the files and folders in your computer. The application is basically an indexing system, which saves your computer resources and makes searching easy and fast for you. Use this freeware as a tool to search for your most important document in your system instantly without losing any moment. The application has advanced indexing method that is used to provide you search result for your keyword.
With this free software you can also create temporary indexes, just right click on the folder you desire to index and select the option ‘Search with Docfetcher’, the application will dispose off the info after the termination of the app, you can also ask the app to keep the folder in the index list. Indexing process takes about less than a minute and depends upon the size of data and files you are indexing. Once indexes are created, you can enter your keyword in the search box and hit Enter. Then DocFetcher will list all documents inside the selected folders that contain these words – most of the time in less than a second.
Read more about Docfetcher, or download free here.
VoidTools
VoidTools is a free software that helps you to locate files and folders in your computer instantly just by entering name. The software is easy to use and very intuitive, as you can operate this freeware with simple mouse clicks. However, this freeware is not designed to search for your file contents. The application will just locate your files and folders in your disk by matching the file names entered by you.
The application is free to use and small in size. The installation file is small and light weight. The clean and simple user interface of the application gives you the freedom of using this freeware and understanding the features that it offers. It can also update the index list in real time without consuming any additional resources. If you are using this freeware and mistakenly shuts down the app, than also you can retrieve the changes that you have made recently without losing them. It should be noted that you can use this freeware for searching within your PC and removable disk, other computers in the network can only be searched by this application when the application is launched in all the computers to be searched.
Read more about VoidTools, or download free here.
Insight Desktop Search
Insight Desktop Search is a free application that helps you to access the files and folders in the PC fast and instantly. The application is developed with new features like meta-data and Outlook search, so that you can search your emails and attachment files along with searching your system alone. This feature rich application is free to use and easy to download.
You can search for your file contents with this freeware in your computer, network places, shared disks and Oulook. Thus the application is set of tools and features that provides you comprised range of functions that you might need for making your search faster and easy. The application supports almost all the file formats for searching purpose. InSight attempts to make the whole idea about searching content on PC extremely easy and quick. You can filter the formats and keywords for refining the search results.
Read more about Insight Desktop Search, or download free here.
FileSeek
FileSeek is another free software that helps you find buried files and folders in your system, when you need them instantly. The application is fast and simple tool for all users who wants to easy to use desktop search program for their PC. The application is designed to search for strings right inside the file, thus you need not remember name of the file, just mention the strings that your file contains and the application will do the rest. You can also use the wildcard expressions for advanced search.
You can use this freeware to search for the files, docs and folders in your system. You can also search folders and sub folders with this single handy tool. You can conduct specific search with this freeware like using wildcard expressions or using extension in which your file is saved. The app is completely free to use and easy to operate.
Read more about FileSeek, or download free here.
Ultra Search
Ultra Search is a free software that searches files and folders on local NTFS drives and provides the results within just a few seconds. The software is popular among users due to its simplicity and fast searching capacity. The results are faster and you will get the search result list as and when you type file name and keywords. You can enter a file name or a pattern like *.exe and will see the results already while typing.
The freeware lets you exclude folders, files or file types by providing an exclude filter this will save your time and you can avoid long list of search result. The search results can also be printed or exported as text, RTF, HTML, CSV and Excel file for documentation purpose. The user interface is equally simple and easy to operate that even a novice can search his file with the help of this free program. The application supports expressions and use exclude filters for excluding particular types of files.
Read more about Ultra Search, or download free here.
All these desktop search software make it extremely easy to search for any file or folder on your computer. Let us know if there is some other free desktop search software that we missed from our list.