It can be frustrating when you need to find a file fast but can’t. Windows 10 does have a search tool you can use to help you find your files, but since it doesn’t index specific locations, the search takes longer.
That’s why Windows Search Enhanced Mode is a must. It more than the classic search feature and gives you more possibilities on finding the file you’re looking for faster. If you don’t have it yet, you should see it soon.
What Is Windows Search Enhanced Mode?
Wouldn’t it be great if the search feature looked beyond your images, documents, videos, and desktop? The feature that does just that is called Enhanced Windows Search Mode.
It’s made to find the files you’re looking for quickly by searching in areas that the classic search didn’t have indexed. This enhanced mode will search in your computer’s internal database (all folders and drives) and will show you the results immediately. One thing to keep in mind is that if you enable this feature, you will notice a boost in battery and CPU consumption.
How to Enable Windows Search Enhanced Mode
Turning on the Windows Search Enhanced Mode will only take a few clicks here and there. Open the Settings app and go to Cortana, followed by Searching Windows. On the right of your display, you should see the “Find My Files” option.
You’ll only see two options: the Classic and the Enhanced option. Once you choose the Enhanced option, the indexing will start, but it will be a one-time thing.
When you start searching for something immediately, you won’t see the supplementary files come up since it will take about fifteen minutes to see them. If you have a considerable amount of files, don’t be surprised if the process takes longer. If you’re on your laptop’s battery, make sure it isn’t low since you don’t want your battery to run out while your computer is indexing.
It’s also possible to have the Enhanced Mode skip a folder when searching. Right below the Enhanced option you should see the “Excluded Folders” section. Click on the plus symbol that’s to the left of the text that says “Add an excluded folder.” Choose the files you want to eliminate. The next time you search for something, the enhanced search feature will skip this particular folder.
How to Turn Off Windows Search Enhanced Mode
If you try and and come to the conclusion that it’s just not for you, you can always turn it off. Repeat the steps you followed earlier. When you get to the Find My Files section, select the Classic option. Once you choose this option, things will go back to the way they were.
Conclusion
All this time you may have spent longer than you needed to waiting for your search results. Thanks to the Windows Search Enhanced Mode, you should get your results faster than before. It will take a toll on your laptop’s battery, but it will save you time. What are your thoughts on the Search Enhanced Mode feature?