Apply Google-like Search Tricks to Windows to Find Your Documents Faster

If you've been around the block a few times, you probably know a few shortcuts to find files on the Internet faster. For example, you might use Boolean searches (even if you don't know what the word "Boolean" actually means) to find Web sites. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, many of the same tricks work in any document search. Here are the best search tricks to try in Windows.

These tips come courtesy of MakeUseOf, which recently cataloged 7 handy Windows search tricks. Here are my favorites:

Use Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT. Open any folder and type a search in the box at the top right. A search like cat and dog will return documents which include both words. Cat or dog will show you files with contain either word. And cat not dog will show you files that contain the first word, but will exclude any docs which featured the second.

Use a wildcard. Wildcards aren't just handy in card games. Search for *.pptx for any PowerPoint document which uses the new 2007 file format.

Search for a kind of file. Enter kind: in the search box, and Windows will let you choose from all sorts of files, like video, music, and e-mail. Likewise, try type, and you can choose files by file extension.

Use quotes for exact matches. If it's important to find files that include the word "cat," but not "cats," put it in quotes.