In the search result section, you can not only see a list of files that match your search query you can see the line number and line content where the match is made.
Note that only the Pro version can search inside compressed archives like ZIP.
However, you’ll need FileLocator if you’re looking for something inside an unusual document format, a string from a program, software source-code, your browser cache, or anything else really. Other search programs will only go through files it assumes the user is looking for. The true power of FileLocator is that it can search inside any kind of file to find what you’re looking for. The main program window opens up with three main input fields: search by file name or file contents, and where to look for the file. The Pro version adds more controllers, but they can all be safely ignored unless you need something specific. The user interface and experience is as good as it gets in an advanced program aimed at experienced users.
Windows and tabs management, and keyboard shortcutsįileLocator Lite is free for personal and commercial use, although commercial use requires a per-user registration after a month.Finding even more and do it faster with Pro.Third-party developers are partly to blame, as Windows does offer them ways to have their file formats indexed yet this is rarely used.Įnter FileLocator: the desktop search program that tries hard to find what you’re looking for wherever it might be hiding. It’s limited to only searching for file formats it knows about and will even skip plain-text file formats and is useless for pretty much anything but Microsoft Office Documents.
For anyone used to Mac OS X or Linux and having access to advanced search functionality on their computers, Windows Search (formerly Windows Desktop Search) is a huge disappointment. The main user interface of FileLocator Lite has remained mostly unchanged since then, but the premium version FileLocator Pro has gained quite a number of features.įirst things first, Windows Search can’t find a thing. We recommend this program to all users.FileLocator is a search utility for Windows that first saw the light of day under the name Agent Ransack back in 2000. It installs politely but leaves a folder behind upon removal. Overall, we think FileLocator Pro is a great choice for anyone who needs a powerful search tool.įileLocator Pro has a 30-day trial period. The program's Help file is well-written and thorough. In fact, the program can be set to regular or expert mode, allowing easily confused new users to hide the more complex features. The program is easy enough for novices to use, but with the more-advanced features that experienced users will expect. You can specify date ranges during which the file was created, modified, and last accessed, search within compressed and archived files, and use Boolean search options and file hashing. There are the usual features-search by location, document type, text within the document, etc.-but FileLocator Pro has plenty of other search options. The major search parameters are arranged in tabs. This powerful search utility has weapons in its arsenal that the standard Windows search can only dream of.įileLocator Pro's interface isn't fancy, and that's a good thing it's plain, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Before you declare your missing file a victim of mysterious deletion, try FileLocator Pro. That one file.And we're pretty sure it had that one word in it.And we could have sworn it was in My Documents.But it seems to have vanished into thin air. And usually this isn't a problem, until we're trying to find something. Despite our best intentions, most of us don't do a great job of keeping the contents of our computers well-organized.