How do I add search filters?

Anonymous
2009-11-12T04:08:15+00:00

When trying to search I click in the search field in my file explorer window. I see "Add a search filter" and a couple options below that "Date Modified" &  "Size" that I can select. How do I add more "clickable" search filters? I can only select those two filters. How do I add more to select?

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

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Anonymous
2009-11-12T22:02:24+00:00

Hello and thank you for your question.

In the explorer search window, you can click on those options you mentioned like “Date Modified” or “Size” to give you a list of even more refined options. For example, if you are in your music folder:

Without clearing the Search box, click Genre in the list of filters, and then click Jazz from the list of dynamic values. Windows Explorer adds Genre to the existing Length filter, allowing you to refine your search further.

*For a downloadable word document on Windows Search Walkthrough, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=188af621-c80a-4b0c-9629-7fa4949803ae&displaylang=en

Please let me know if you need further assistance!

Lisa

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

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

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-12-21T14:22:24+00:00

    You would think that after a thousand people are confused about how a simple search box should work that the person in charge of building this would be fired if they havent fixed it already. Its Dec 2016 and I still have to come here to find out how to search for a simple Name in a folder. Why dont you just let people type in SQL.  Name Like '%Copy%'.  Problem solved! This is so rediculous, I dont even know why I need to waste my time explaining this

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-02-02T12:15:07+00:00

    Thank you. It seems that you're the only one who understood the problem and came with the right solution. Maybe Microsoft could offer you a job.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-01-20T18:50:12+00:00

    I observe that some Microsoft gurus reply in this forum.  Let me just say that it's asinine for it to be so difficult to search using filters other than date modified and size (or whatever 2 are displayed) AND to have to read through umpteen responses.  I will read through all of the responses (all 8 pages) to find a simple way to accomplish adding a simple filter other than the 2 shown under the Search box.  Why can't the 'Add a Search filter' be active so it's intuitive?  Maybe next version - I'm using Windows 7

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-05-16T22:25:45+00:00

    So four and a half years later, here we still are, the original question still unanswered. 

    If the answer is "Windows 7 can't do that" I would at least appreciate that. I'm sure now that Microsoft is pushing Windows 8, they are unlikely to fix Win 7 and make it easier for people to find the documents they need. If it's the same in Widows 8, maybe it should still be on the table. 

    The question is not how to use deprecated advanced search syntax in the unhelpful Search window.  It was how do you add to the two clickable search filters that you get to pick from if you click in the Search window?  How do you customize that teeny little interface to be more usable without having to keep a print out of advanced filters handy along with the syntax needed to make Search usable again?

    In addition to Date modified: and Size: (which I see EVERYWHERE... not just in some directories) how can I add date ranges, as a clickable option? Or how about locations? If I knew where in my system the file was, so iI could browse to the folder to start my search, I wouldn't need to search in the first place!

    I really, REALLY miss Google Desktop Search.

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