How to Search in Windows 7 for text within a document?

Anonymous
2010-06-28T02:30:00+00:00

How do you search for a document by using searching specific text in the document? (Word or other searchable doc.) Other forum answers suggest that this will happen with the general search box that appears in the upper right corner of explorer - but this does not seem to be the case.

I have searched for known words, and documents do not come up.

Is there a default? Is there a way turn on the search within document? (formerly, the detailed search option for any folder would prompt you to select 'search within document.')

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2010-07-06T20:15:26+00:00

Try just typing the phrase into the search box. If this doesn’t work, try content: “words in phrase”

Lisa

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-09-24T13:14:14+00:00

    In windows XP advanced search, I can search within hundreds on files (at once) for certain exact phrases, e.g. someones name, etc. and get a list of all the files that contain them. As each "advance" has taken place with windows it has continued to dumb-down.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-04-12T08:58:43+00:00

    I am not Lisa, but I can no longer search for documents in an organized fashion.  The old "little dog sniffer" in Windows XP , and in Windows 2000 is now gone.  That search method use to let me find things efficency, and sort by programm extention, date and word, even in in a pdf file.  The new search command is nearly useless in my humble view.  I thought Windows 7 is an improvement. It seems to me that as far as searching is concerned it is a giant step backwards.  I must be missing something

     

    Earl Hotrum

    Earl, you are quite right, the new search is completely useless!  Maybe MS should have asked users before they changed things - management always think they know better than the people on the ground!

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-04-12T06:45:57+00:00

    I am not Lisa, but I can no longer search for documents in an organized fashion.  The old "little dog sniffer" in Windows XP , and in Windows 2000 is now gone.  That search method use to let me find things efficency, and sort by programm extention, date and word, even in in a pdf file.  The new search command is nearly useless in my humble view.  I thought Windows 7 is an improvement. It seems to me that as far as searching is concerned it is a giant step backwards.  I must be missing something

    Earl Hotrum

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-06-28T03:29:56+00:00

    For any Windows 7 questions:

    http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/windows7

    Above link is to Windows 7 Forums, for questions about Windows 7.

    All Windows 7 questions should be directed to/posted there.

    You are in Vista Forums.

    Cheers.

    Mick Murphy - Microsoft Partner

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