How do I search a folder WITH ITS SUBFOLDERS in Windows7 please?

Anonymous
2010-02-01T02:40:52+00:00

when I run a search in Windows 7, only one folder at a time is searched.  How do I broaden a search to a folder and all of its subfolders?  Vista did that automatically; Windows 7 does not seem to do so.

Thanks!

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

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Anonymous
2010-10-31T05:05:32+00:00

I had the same prob & none of the answers on this page helped. I mucked around a bit & ticked a box in the search options folder Called "Don't use the index when searching in file folders for system files" Problem fixed... although the title of the tick box has nothing to do with searching sub folders, whenever it's not ticked I can't search any subfolders.

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Anonymous
2011-04-02T09:12:35+00:00

Ok here is the scoop. If you are searching in a folder selected from underneath the "Libraries" folder (Documents, Videos, Music, Pictures, Etc.) it does not search subfolders. I do not know why, but if you go to your "C:\Users'username'" and open the needed folder (or even just in your UN folder), it will search subfolders. I think it is either a glitch, or because Libraries is just a phantom name for a grouping, the search doesnt work. You have to be directly in the folder, or the folder directly above it, not in a windows "cloud" version of it like the ones in Libraries.

Sorry if this is hard to follow, i'm a better techy than a teacher. Hope this helps

Rick Flach

Live Out Loud Media & Design

Hi Rick

Open Windows Explorer.

Select Organize / Folder and Search options.

Select the Search Tab.

In the How to search section, select the Include subfolders in search results when searching in file folders option.

Regards

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Anonymous
2010-02-25T19:32:17+00:00

Hello,

Entering an asterisk (*) in the search box immediately returns all files in the current folder and all its subfolders.


Lisa

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

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Anonymous
2012-12-10T18:07:03+00:00

Ok here is the scoop. If you are searching in a folder selected from underneath the "Libraries" folder (Documents, Videos, Music, Pictures, Etc.) it does not search subfolders. I do not know why, but if you go to your "C:\Users'username'" and open the needed folder (or even just in your UN folder), it will search subfolders. I think it is either a glitch, or because Libraries is just a phantom name for a grouping, the search doesnt work. You have to be directly in the folder, or the folder directly above it, not in a windows "cloud" version of it like the ones in Libraries.

Sorry if this is hard to follow, i'm a better techy than a teacher. Hope this helps

Rick Flach

Live Out Loud Media & Design

This is the only thing that has worked for me (including every other "fix" on the 4 pages before my post).  Clearly the search functionality is borked if you start your journey by clicking on one the the "Library" folders.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-01-13T16:16:46+00:00

    Shawn Keene, wrt your Dec. 15, 2011 post on using Indexing Options, I found out that in our corporate environment a non-admin user does not have control panel access to Indexing Options (and it doesn't show up in Start's search results either). This may be due to group policy (Win 7 Pro). (I have the admin login so that's how I found out.)

    So for the rest of you, if you don't have admin you may not be able to access Indexing Options.

    Bear in mind for all posters (all topics/threads), with all the policies, privs, rights out there, maybe what you're trying to do requires a right or privilege you don't have.

    When I did log in as admin and set up "Index properties and file contents" the machine went bonkers doing the indexing (it wasn't checked before). I just hope the results can be used when I log back in as non-admin.

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