How to find a file on a computerUpdated: 12/05/2021 by Computer Hope All major operating systems running on computers can find files on the hard drive or other drives connected to the computer. Click one of the links below to help find files and apps on your computer or mobile device. Show Tip If you've opened the file on your computer recently, it may be easier to find the file in the recent documents feature.
Windows 11
Tip You can use the arrow keys to arrow up or down to the app, file, document, or setting you want to view and press Enter to open it. Windows 10Microsoft Windows provides an easy-to-use search feature that helps you find any file on your computer, even if you don't know its full name. Whether you need to find a document, spreadsheet, picture, or video, the Windows search feature helps you find it. Choose your computer's Windows version from the list below and follow the steps to search for a file. Search examples and tips are also available by clicking the search tips link below.
Tip You can use the arrow keys to arrow up or down to the app, file, document, or setting you want to view and press Enter to open it. Windows 8
Windows Vista and Windows 7
Windows XP
How to find a file using Windows Explorer
Tip To find a file on a specific drive, click the drive under Computer or This PC in the left navigation pane. Then enter the file name you want to search for in the Search field. iPad and iPhone
Android tablets and phones
Search tipsBelow are a few tips to help users find files on their computer. Find all GIF picture files on the computerType *.gif In the search text field. The *.gif indicates any file that ends with a file extension of .gif. The .gif can be replaced with any file extension. Below are a few examples of the common extensions you may use.
See the file extension page for a complete listing of extensions. Find any files that contain help in the nameType *help*.* in the search text field. The *help* indicates any file containing the word "help" in the file name, and the ".*" indicates that the file can end with any extension. Additional information, examples, and help with wildcards, as seen in the above examples, are available on our wildcard page. Related information
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