Using Word's Search Feature to Search for Files

Word includes search tools to help you find documents quickly. Because these tools are built into Word, you don’t have to leave the program. Also, there are advanced options that are not available in Windows.

To access Word’s search feature, select File Search… from the File menu. The Basic File Search task pane will open.

Under Search text: you can specify a portion of text in the document you’re trying to find.

By default, Word will search your entire computer. Limiting the areas Word will search for your document will speed up the search time. To do this, click the arrow beneath Search in:. You can use the check boxes to select or deselect folders and drives. Use the + signs to expand the folder tree.

You can also specify what types of files you would like Word to search. Click the arrow beside Selected file types. Then use the check boxes to select or deselect file types. By default, Word will search all Office file types (except Outlook files) and HTML files. If you want to include Outlook files or every file type, select those options.

Once you have made your selections, click Go to start the search. To restore the search settings to their defaults, click Restore.