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File Explorer in Win11 searches is not finding contents of .doc and .docx files (unless searchword is in the filename)

Anonymous
2024-01-14T15:08:10+00:00

Hi, I discovered after the last Windows update on Jan 9, 2024, that I could no longer find all the file contents of a specific word. I use this all the time to find previous files for information I want. I search for online solutions and finally, I found a solution that worked. It is from Lifewire.com. I don't know why an update would make searching for files less functional, but I believe that is what happened. I just wanted to let others know who may have the same problem.

https://www.lifewire.com/fix-search-not-working-in-windows-11-5191397

  1. Change the search settings to scour more folders. If you think the Windows 11 search tool is broken because it's not finding files you know you have, double-check search set up to actually search those folders.

To do this, open Settings with WIN+i, and then go to Privacy & security > Searching Windows. Enable Enhanced if you want to search through all of your PC's folders. Also confirm the folders you want to search through aren't listed in the Exclude folders from enhanced search area.

These were the updates:

January 9, 2024—KB5034123 (OS Builds 22621.3007 and 22631.3007)

January 9, 2024-KB5033920 Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows 11, version 22H2 and Windows 11, version 23H2

Here is the same question in 2022, but it didn't have the answer for me.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-06-28T00:41:17+00:00

    Need searches to get back to what they were. Now unable to access any project files which blocks my work and making income..

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Les Ferch 10,326 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2024-01-14T17:25:28+00:00

    It's important to not confuse Windows search (via the taskbar) with Explorer search (via the search field in Explorer). Yes, there is overlap, but if you are having issues with Explorer search, it's best to keep it simple and focus on that part only. Don't start messing with uninstalling or reinstalling Windows updates. They are unlikely to be the root cause of a search issue in Explorer.

    Instead, check your Indexing options (you can type that in the taskbar to get to the control panel item) and ensure that the folders you want to search are included in the Index and then click Advanced and then Rebuild to rebuild the index. Note that, by default, most everything within Users is included in the index, so, typically, you might be adding a folder you created on the root of Drive C: or a folder on a different drive altogether. The exclusions in Users (e.g. AppData) are there for a good reason. Do not override those exclusions. You don't want to end up indexing your web browser cache.

    And do NOT check the option "always search file names and contents". Note that option is under the heading "When searching non-indexed locations". Yes, it's a bit confusing, but it's clear if you read carefully. Unchecked, search will still match on file names in non-indexed locations, but it will not search contents in those locations. If you really want contents searched, be sure that the target location is included in the index, but do not check that box.

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    And finally consider how OneDrive might be affecting the results. I am not a OneDrive user, so you may need to seek advice from OneDrive users if your searches are not working as expected where OneDrive is involved.

    8 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2025-02-07T16:53:12+00:00

    You can also search for a multi-doc type by searching for *.doc*

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2024-11-07T03:34:50+00:00

    The only thing that seems to make a difference is when I change a Microsoft word file from an old version (i.e., Microsoft Word 97-2003 Document .doc) to an updated version (.docx) then it will find the document. I could see the document in my folder by the exact name, but it was a .doc and when I searched it would not find it, but as soon as I saved it as a .docx and searched, it found it. Now I have to figure out how to convert all of my thousands of documents to .docx

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  5. Anonymous
    2024-03-02T13:53:40+00:00

    Hi,

    I am responding to to this because I have a similar issue, but most of my files are on the Google Drive, I just the use the app to access it via files explorer, and this happening on all devices, including my windows 10 computer. How do I index Google Drive via Files Explorer?

    Thank you for your time,

    Jacob Paige

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