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Best Free Desktop Search Utility

Updated 29. January 2013 - 5:40 by kendall.a

In a Hurry?

Go straight to the Quick Selection Guide

Introduction

A couple of years back there were no contenders for this title. Today we have a wealth of choices.

NOTE: I have made a decision to mainly highlight programs that meet 2 specific needs that I have: 1) the ability to search within files (find words within files) and 2) programs that will work across network shares (index files on my work network where all my documents are stored). There are literally tons of software programs that will search for files and folders, but that do not search within files. There are also several alternatives that might search network shares, but do not search within files.

Again, my focus has been on programs that meet the primary needs I've identified above. It is beyond my scope to review all types of desktop search tools.

NOTE #2: I recently upgraded to Windows 7 (64-bit). To be honest, after upgrading and using Windows 7 built-in search tool, I see no reason to use a third-party desktop search tool. It takes a little tweaking, but the new search tool within Windows 7 is quite good. It even searches within files and will search my home network for files. My recommendation is that if you are using Windows 7, you really don't need a third-party tool.

For an excellent resource on how to maximize your use of the Windows 7 search tool, please check out this article:

http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/getting-the-most-from-windows-search-part-2/

Discussion

In a close race I would have to say Copernic Desktop Search. It's a very competent and balanced product. It used to support network shares, however, from version 3.0 forward, the network searching is only available with the pro or corporate versions. My only beef is the presentation of email search results is not as effective as other search engines such as X1, a product that is unfortunately no longer available in a free version (although it is integrated into free email client Eudora's find function). Copernic was recently updated to version 3.4.

Locate32 is a little known but highly impressive desktop search program. It works like update db and locate commands in Unix based systems. In other words, it uses databases to store information about directory structures and uses these databases in searches. The use of these databases provides very fast searching speed. The software includes a dialog based application as well as console programs which can be used to both update and access databases. Supported operation systems are Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP/Vista/7 (32 & 64-bit versions available). Locate32 does NOT have to be running at all times like both Copernic and Google desktop. In my tests, it wasn't quite as fast as either of the above, but it is still quite fast. Plus, I really like not having to have it run all the time. Just remember to update the databases fairly regularly. Please note that finding words within files is somewhat difficult to find. At first, I didn't believe that it included this feature, but it is included. You just have to look to find the feature. Available in many languages.

Please note that the download page is a little confusing. I recommend that you use the Release Candidate (RC) downloads (not the Daily Version unless you want to be a beta tester). I actually do NOT recommend that you use one of the "official versions". The RC downloads are the newest, non-beta versions. The section you probably want to download from is the one that says "Release candidates (RC) and beta versions".

Another option is Google desktop search. It not only will search your hard drive files but also your web history. It offers an Outlook toolbar, integrated Gmail search and a novel desktop sidebar that allows personalized search, news, weather, photos and more. The Sidebar also includes a quite effective application launcher. Some folks love the Sidebar but others, me included, find it intrusive. My main problem with Google Desktop search is again the presentation of email search results which is even poorer then Copernic. This is not an academic point. For many users searching email is the number one application for desktop search programs so you need a product that performs well in this area. There is both a MAC version and a version for Linux.

Google recently released Google Desktop version 5.9;, which is lighter and faster. Google Desktop now supports 64 bit Windows. In addition to supporting 64 bit Windows systems, Google Desktop now supports the latest browsers as well (Google Chrome, Firefox 3, & Internet Explorer 8). Please be advised that Google Desktop does not appear to index pst files in conjunction with Outlook 2010.

Please be advised, according to http://googledesktop.blogspot.com/, "As of September 14, 2011 Google Desktop will no longer be available for download, and existing installations will not be updated to include new features or fixes." I do not know if you can still find the installation file elsewhere on the internet.

Comments

by Clive Burns on 5. April 2013 - 5:15 (106827)

A little known gem is the free search program Wilma from www.redtree.com. It searches within many file types, shows number of hits, displays all the found words in their context, can include or exclude any path or file types when indexing, will also index networked drives and is very fast. Simple and complex searches (using regular expressions) are supported. Can separately search for content, file name or folder name or combinations of the three. It needs no installation and is just run from a directory. Uninstalling is simply a matter of deleting its directory.

by kendall.a on 5. April 2013 - 5:23 (106829)

It appears to be free and can be used on both Windows and Mac OS, but it is old and no longer being developed.

From the author's site:

NOTE: As I rarely ever use Wilma myself anymore and then only on Mac OS/X, I have not looked at the code in a very long time and am no longer able to effectively support it beyond answering basic questions. I will continue to make it available for anyone who wishes to use it, but please be aware that new versions with additional features or even bug fixes are very unlikely to be forthcoming.

I apologize, but I don't have the time or the inclination to examine an old program that is no longer supported or developed.

by Clive Burns on 5. April 2013 - 10:27 (106835)

You are correct -- it is getting on.
I would like to make a correction. Wilma cannot index networked drives.
It is still worth looking at if you need some of its unique features.

by gopher_everett on 5. March 2013 - 21:36 (105979)

Thanks for the great article Kendall.

In your research, did you happen to find any search utilities which allow you to exclude file & folder names from the results?

After reading your article and many of the comments, I decided to download Locate32. After installation, I posted a question at sourceforge.net (which I believe is the primary support forum for that app). The reply I received included the following:

"Unfortunately, Locate32 is supposed to be used to search files based on file names. There is 'search in files' feature, but it is limited and does not support any file formats and the index includes file names. Maybe you could try some other programs like Google Desktop."

That did not seem very encouraging (although I do remember you mentioning that locating the content-search option is a bit tricky). However, the response reminded me that one barrier to quickly finding a particular file (when searching by content) is having to wade through all the files & folders which match due to the search term being present in the file/folder name even though it (the search term) may not exist in the content.

by borabora1001 on 6. March 2013 - 16:09 (105990)

[commercial program edited out] allows you to exclude any item types in the results with a pattern like this: "[Search Phrase] !email, word, .ppt"

[content related to commercial software edited out]

by Anupam on 6. March 2013 - 18:31 (105995)

This is a freeware site. Please do not post about commercial software, it's not allowed.

by borabora1001 on 15. March 2013 - 14:53 (106262)

Actually, the guys at [edited out] said that they are releasing a completely free version of the app this month. Copernic and a bunch of others that have commercial/paid versions are mentioned here on this site but they have free versions as well. So, I thought it was relevant. Since the trial period currently is 15 days, essentially its currently free since the free version will be out before the trial period expires, and I was told there will be no need to re-download, but that I'd just need to register to get a free activation code and the app would do any necessary auto-updates for me after that.

by Anupam on 15. March 2013 - 15:31 (106263)

If there will be a free version out, then let's wait for that free version. Until that happens, I am sorry we won't be allowing the product to be mentioned on the site/forum. We do not consider a "free trial" to be a free software.

Once they release a free version, feel free to post here, and we will check it out. Again, if the free version is severely crippled, we won't be allowing it.

by borabora1001 on 15. March 2013 - 17:27 (106268)

Btw, what's your definition of severely crippled? All the free versions that have paid versions have limitations. Hopefully, your difinition isn't arbitrary. Otherwise, one would suspect this site is paid to promote specific products over others.

by Anupam on 15. March 2013 - 17:44 (106269)

Severely crippled will be where the features in the free version lack so much, that practically, it's of very little use.

And I don't know why when we state the site rules, or the policies, people start to question the integrity of the site, or the team members here. Just because you don't like the policies, or the rules, it does not mean that we are running some scam here, or favoring specific products, or being paid to favor products, or anything of that sort. This site is big, and if you have cared to look at the several reviews around here, you will know that this site presents its work honestly. There are no favors, nothing, and we do not get paid from anyone. All the team members here are volunteers and work for the site on their free time. So, before you make such statements, please think twice. Don't make ridiculous statements!

by MidnightCowboy on 15. March 2013 - 16:00 (106264)

Same thing posted in other forums. Looks like spam to me.

by Anupam on 15. March 2013 - 16:10 (106265)

Let's see. Will be clear in a few days.

by borabora1001 on 15. March 2013 - 17:25 (106267)

So, it's spam if I think something is good and post about a specific feature it has that I like? By that definition every other post here is spam. I sent an email to them asking what limitations the free version will have. I'll post the reply once I get it.

by borabora1001 on 15. March 2013 - 18:04 (106271)

Here's their response:
[name and email edited out]
11:00 AM (1 minute ago)

John,

Thanks for your inquiry. The free version of [edited out] will generally have all the features of the paid version. However, there will be some limitations. This is a still a bit in flux, but we are targeting making the free version useful for general users, and the paid version most useful for professional power users. At this point the free version will include the following limitations:

· Email indexing

o MS Outlook email indexing will be limited to the default email account/address. So, if you have multiple accounts hosted in Outlook, it will only grab the email, from the first or default account.

· Fuzzy Content Indexing

o The new version will still include unlimited content searches through the windows search API (which generally only searches by exact word matches… non-fuzzy).

o However, this version will now also include our own proprietary fuzzy content search (non-exact word/phrase matches) with proximity detection and relevance scoring. The free version will be limited to scanning the first 150 words of documents, emails, etc. However, this is actually where most general users find the information they need. Only power users usually need to search/scan through the contents of very large documents and emails in a fuzzy way, and for that you’ll need the paid version. However, remember it will still search the entire contents of documents in a non-fuzzy way.

As we get closer to release exact specification will be better known. To keep up to date with the latest information, please visit our News page [edited out]

Kind Regards,

by kendall.a on 6. March 2013 - 2:57 (105984)

Good question. Other than Google Desktop and Copernic, which can get quite bloated, I think your best option might be Agent Ransack.

I still find that Locate 32 offers my best quick choice for searching, but you do get tons of results if you are looking for a word in a file.

But, I haven't looked at Agent Ransack in awhile, but I vaguely recall being able to sort or exclude files.

One other thought: In Locate 32, you can create pretty much any number of "databases". I choose to limit my databases by network folder (c or h or j drives). But, there is no reason that you cannot limit a database to a single folder or group of folders in a specific drive. You can then update all databases at once or choose which database you want to update. You can also choose to search by a specific database. That may help you limit the number of files you are finding.

I wish I could be more helpful.

by borabora1001 on 16. March 2013 - 2:44 (106276)

One more thought/question. What do you mean by bloated? You mean using up lots of unnecessary disk space, cpu, and/or RAM? At what point do you consider it bloated? If we were still living prior to 2001, I might be inclined to agree, but in just the last 12 years standard computing power you get in modern desktops is actually hard to tap out. We are well into the 2000's where RAM is extremely cheap and most modern desktop system come with 6-8 GB of RAM out of the box.

I wouldn't fault either Google or Copernic for using more RAM. In fact I would applaud someone for using the power in my pc I know is there but just sits around unused most the time. For exammple, I found out recently that the Microsoft Office suite of products are all still single thread/cpu.

Using my RAM and CPU that usually goes unused means it will be faster and more cpu should mean it will be more intelligent. So, unless you are running several apps simultaneously that are eating up more than 1-2 GB of RAM each, they should have negligible impact on system performance I would think. RAM processing should be much faster and preferable to lots of disk paging which basically just wears out my hard-drive faster.

I think the same goes for CPU's where in today's common desktop environments we find anywhere from 4-8 cpu's/cores as standard... jeez I can't think of many programs that use all that core power. Most people sit around using one maybe two of those at any one moment (such as with MS Office)... likely less than 20% of normal users computing power is used throughout the day. All that power we've paid for just usually sits around these days.

So, in summary I applaud any apps that more readily use my RAM and CPU's as long as they don't slow down my system and steal resources from other apps that need them. For me, that really only seems to happen on systems older than 5-6 years or so. If you are using as system that old, I'd suggest an upgrade rather than complaining about bloated software. It's called evolution. We need to keep up with it or be left in the dust.

by borabora1001 on 16. March 2013 - 1:04 (106273)

From recent material I've been reading it's been stated that the key to good results when looking for words in files is relevance ranking based on where in the file something was found and what type of information it was found in. Was it found in the title, sub-title, a heading, was it bold, highlighted, a different color, or italic? Was it a very frequent term within that document (possibly making it more or less relevant relative to other docs).

Also, when searching multiple words, if the program understands that the words were closer or farther apart and can score based on that, then it will be much more likely to bring the most relevant documents to the top of the results. In that event, regardless of how many results are presented, generally the most interesting/relevant will always be at the top. Anything beyond those initial top results are just icing on the cake.

I haven't seen anyone do this well yet. I'm waiting to try this proposed feature on another product that is fairly new (mentioned but edited out above by moderators). In addition to the proximity detection they mention above, it supposed to fuzzy search for document content as well (fuzzy meaning you don't have to know the exact way something was written). I don't think I've seen any products do that well, if at all. Have any of you? Please let me know if there are any other products you know of that do this that are free and won't cost me an arm and a leg or every other body part.

When this particular product releases (they are supposed to have a free version this month), I'll write up a review of my experiences with it. In my particular case it could really be helpful because I'm constantly wasting valuable time searching for documents and emails with specific content and the results I get back from Windows and Outlook are basically just what I call a vomit list of everything containing the word or words with no concept of scored relevance ranking.

by kendall.a on 16. March 2013 - 4:27 (106277)

You mention email indexing and/or searching, i.e. Outlook. While Outlook is not a freeware product and thus not something we will focus on, I've had my eye on a relative newcomer to the desktop search genre. It's called Insight Desktop Search (http://www.insightdesktopsearch.com/) and it claims to be able to index and/or search emails and contacts.

I've actually downloaded it, but I've never actually installed it. It appears to be freeware and the main website makes the software at least look appealing. If anyone does decide to install it and try it out, I would be interested in your feedback and input.

by MidnightCowboy on 16. March 2013 - 5:48 (106278)

Last update is from three years ago, so is this still in development?

by Activator on 27. January 2013 - 16:01 (104860)

Hi Kendall,

You wrote you upgraded to Windows 7 64-bit and that it will even search your home network for files. How do you do that? I have a mapped drive letter to my NAS, but can's select UNC paths or that network drive for indexing...

Thanx for your work!!!
Jeroen

by kendall.a on 27. January 2013 - 16:40 (104861)

Have you added the files on your NAS to one of your libraries? Try this article:

http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/make-the-most-of-windows-7s-libraries/

Two other links that I've found to be helpful in tweaking Windows 7 search are:

http://www.windows7news.com/2009/10/21/making-windows-7-search-work-better/

http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/getting-the-most-from-windows-search

by Activator on 30. January 2013 - 20:06 (104980)

Hi Kendall,

Thanks for your answer and your links! But for what I can find, is that I can't add NAS folders to a library, because the NAS is not and cannot be indexed. Maybe I'm missing something though, because I have not had much time to dive into it since your reply.

Kind greetings,
Jeroen

by kendall.a on 31. January 2013 - 4:51 (104983)

I apologize, but I don't know much about NAS. You might try looking for support on the author's website or check and see if they have some forums.

by dlibertine on 20. January 2013 - 17:41 (104676)

I've used Locate32 for years. I'm just a basic user. I can't figure out the setting to "finding words within files." Can you help direct me to that?

Please and thanks.

by kendall.a on 20. January 2013 - 18:24 (104677)

Under the "Advanced" tab, at the bottom, there is a check box for "file containing text" and then a box that you can enter the text that you are looking for.

by George.J on 8. December 2012 - 16:10 (103440)

Kendall, Copernic installed a Firefox extension without my permission. I had all the checkboxes disabled and these extensions are difficult to remove once installed for an average user.

by kendall.a on 8. December 2012 - 21:21 (103445)

Was there any indication or acknowledgement during the installation process that such an add-on or extension was going to be installed?

To be honest, I have not installed Copernic in a year or so.

by George.J on 9. December 2012 - 4:30 (103456)

During installation it first asked me what I wanted to index and deselected every option for "local files", "local contacts and e-mail" and "browser search history and favourites" in the custom configuration and then continued when it asked if I wanted to install Copernic Desktop search deskbar which I also declined.

When the installation was complete, Firefox opened and I had Copernic Desktop Search-Home Connector in the add-on's which was disabled by FF because it was not optimized for FF16. Anyway since I sandboxed the whole process, I'm safe :)

by Barbelala (not verified) on 11. October 2012 - 8:24 (100630)

Copernic Desktop Search is excellent search tool, but it only supports index search. I am looking for a utility that has index and non-index features. Anyone here can recommend me one of that kind??
Thx.

by George.J on 1. September 2012 - 8:08 (98610)

Hi kendall the link to Copernic points to CNET download. You might want to change it. Have a good day :)

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