File Search Softwares and Apps

Everything is an incredibly fast desktop search utility for Windows that indexes your file system and allows you to locate files and folders by name instantly. Unlike Windows' built-in search, it works in real-time, providing near-instant results as you type, making file management and access significantly more efficient.

Launchy is a discontinued yet highly efficient open-source keystroke application launcher for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It allows users to quickly open programs, documents, and perform searches by typing their names, significantly speeding up workflow.

FreeCommander is a powerful and user-friendly freeware file manager designed as an alternative to standard Windows Explorer. It features a dual-pane interface for efficient side-by-side file operations, built-in tools like an FTP client, archive handling, file comparison, and a batch renamer. Highly customizable and portable, it enhances file management productivity.

Alfred is a powerful productivity application for macOS, designed to streamline common tasks and significantly improve your workflow. It acts as a central hub for launching applications, finding files, performing web searches, and executing complex workflows with keyboard shortcuts and intuitive commands.

File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is the default file manager application for Microsoft Windows, providing a foundational interface for accessing, organizing, and managing files and folders.

One Commander is a modern, feature-rich file manager for Windows, designed to offer a superior alternative to the standard Windows Explorer. It provides advanced tools like dual-pane browsing, tabbed interface, batch renaming, and file preview, enhancing productivity and file management workflows for both novice and power users.

RecentX is a dynamic launcher for Windows that streamlines your workflow by providing quick access to recent files, folders, programs, websites, and clipboard history. It enhances productivity through its intuitive interface and powerful search capabilities.

Lookeen Desktop Search is a powerful desktop search tool designed for Windows and Outlook users to quickly locate emails, documents, and various files within their systems and connected storage.

Agent Ransack is a powerful and free file searching utility designed for Windows. It goes beyond basic search functions, enabling users to find files and information within files quickly and efficiently, including email archives and document content.

Locate32 is a powerful and open-source file searching utility for Windows, offering immediate results by indexing your local drives. Its rapid performance and support for advanced search options like regular expressions make it an ideal choice for quickly finding files.

TagSpaces is a versatile, open-source application for organizing digital files across multiple platforms using a flexible tagging system. It allows users to manage documents, notes, photos, and more directly on their local storage or synced cloud drives, enhancing discoverability without relying on central databases or proprietary formats. Ideal for individuals seeking robust offline file management and knowledge organization.

DocFetcher is a robust, open-source desktop search application designed to find files based on their content across various file types on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Wox is a highly customizable and extensible open-source application launcher for Windows. It allows users to quickly launch applications, search files, perform web searches, and execute commands using a simple keyword-based interface.

Google Desktop was a powerful desktop search application designed to index and rapidly locate information across your computer. It integrated seamlessly with your operating system, offering indexed search for files, emails, web history, and more, along with a customizable sidebar for widgets and gadgets.

Searx is a free and open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from various search services without sharing your information with them. It prioritizes user privacy and provides a customizable search experience.

XWiki is a powerful, open-source wiki software platforms written in Java, designed for creating collaborative knowledge bases, documentation, and collaborative workspaces. With a strong emphasis on extensibility, it supports multiple languages, real-time collaboration, and a wide range of features for content management and team productivity.

CubicExplorer is a feature-rich file manager designed as a replacement for Windows Explorer, offering tabbed browsing, dual-pane support, built-in tools like a text editor and file preview, and extensive customization options for enhanced file management.

grepWin is a powerful yet straightforward file search and replace utility designed for Windows. It leverages the power of regular expressions (regex) to perform highly specific searches and replacements across multiple files and folders. Ideal for developers, system administrators, and users needing advanced file manipulation capabilities.

FileSearchy is a lightning-fast and comprehensive desktop search utility designed to help users quickly locate files and content within their computer's drives. It employs indexing for instant results, offers robust search capabilities including regular expressions, and integrates seamlessly for an efficient file management workflow.

Where Is It? is a powerful Windows application designed for comprehensive cataloging of your digital and physical media collections. Effortlessly organize CD-ROMs, audio CDs, DVDs, MP3s, and more with advanced indexing and search capabilities. Ideal for managing large personal or small business archives.

Copernic Desktop Search is a powerful utility designed to help users quickly find files, emails, and other data stored on their computer or connected network drives. It uses advanced indexing technology for rapid search results.

dnGREP is a powerful, portable file search utility for Windows that allows users to quickly find text within files using plain text, regular expressions, or XPath queries. It provides clear, organized results and supports various file types for efficient content discovery and replacement.

SearchMyFiles is a portable and efficient alternative to Windows' built-in search, allowing users to quickly find files based on various criteria without relying on indexing.

EasyFind is a powerful alternative to macOS's built-in Spotlight search. Unlike Spotlight, EasyFind doesn't rely on an index, allowing it to search files and folders on your disk directly, including hidden files and within packages. It's fast and efficient, providing instant results as you type.

Recoll is a powerful and versatile desktop search tool for Unix-like systems, enabling users to quickly find documents and emails based on their content. It's known for its efficiency, extensive file type support, and a user-friendly graphical interface that minimizes technical overhead.

FileLocator is a powerful and versatile file searching utility designed to help users quickly and efficiently find files and content within files that standard Windows search might miss. It offers advanced features like regular expressions, content searching, and indexing for improved performance and accuracy.

Catfish is a concise and powerful file search utility for Linux, offering fast searching with intelligent features. It acts as a graphical interface for traditional command-line tools like locate and find, enhancing usability with autocompletion and instant results.

AstroGrep is a powerful and user-friendly file search utility for Windows. It leverages regular expressions and provides advanced search options, allowing users to quickly locate specific text patterns within multiple files and directories.

PowerGREP is an advanced Windows utility designed for powerful text searching and replacing across countless files. It excels at handling complex search patterns, leveraging regular expressions, and performing batch operations on large datasets. Ideal for developers, writers, and anyone needing precise text manipulation.

Cortana is a digital assistant developed by Microsoft, integrated into Windows 10 and other Microsoft products. It provides users with voice-activated assistance, information retrieval, task automation, and personalized reminders, aiming to streamline daily computing tasks through natural language interaction.

PowerGREP is an advanced Windows utility designed for powerful text searching and replacing across countless files. It excels at handling complex search patterns, leveraging regular expressions, and performing batch operations on large datasets. Ideal for developers, writers, and anyone needing precise text manipulation.

UltraSearch is a lightning-fast file search utility for Windows NTFS drives, delivering instant results without the need for background indexing. It allows users to quickly locate files and folders by name or pattern.

Conjure is a lightning-fast and highly customizable file search and management utility for Windows. Designed as a lightweight alternative to standard search functionalities, it offers instant results, real-time searching, and advanced features like file renaming, program launching, and content searching within files.

XSearch is a powerful and highly customizable file search utility for Windows, offering speed and flexibility beyond the built-in Windows Search. It specializes in fast, non-indexing searches and supports advanced features like regular expressions and content searching.

Archivarius 3000 is a robust desktop search application designed to quickly locate documents and emails across your local computer, network drives, and removable media. Utilizing powerful indexing and search algorithms, it offers comprehensive full-text search capabilities for a wide range of file types, enhancing productivity and information retrieval.

Index Your Files is a fast and efficient Windows search utility designed to quickly locate files across your local drives and network shares. Featuring an indexed search approach, it delivers near-instant results even on large datasets. Its portability and low resource usage make it a convenient tool for both casual and advanced users, offering advanced features like regex support and content searching.