Finding a file, app or setting on your PC, or a message in Teams: with the right search features it takes seconds. Yet many people still scroll through folders or endless chats. Here are the handiest ways to search in Windows 11 and Microsoft Teams, how to get more results and what to do when something can't be found.
Search in Windows 11
- Press Windows + S, or press Windows and start typing.
- Use the filters at the top: Apps, Documents, Settings, Photos or Web.
- With a work account you also see files from OneDrive and SharePoint and colleagues in your organization.
You don't have to type the full name. "bluet" is enough to open the Bluetooth settings, and "exc" starts Excel. Press Enter to open the top result, or use the arrow keys to pick another one. To the right of a result you often see extra actions, such as Run as administrator or Open file location.
On recent Copilot+ PCs you can also search in plain language, for example "photos of the sea" or "setting to make text bigger". On other PCs, search mainly works on names and content.
Find more files
Windows can't find your file? Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows and choose Enhanced, so your whole PC gets indexed. In File Explorer you can also search at the top right of a folder.
On the same page you can exclude folders from the index, for example a folder with backups or development projects that clutter your results. Under Advanced indexing options you can also rebuild the index if search gives strange results. Expect that to take a while. Looking for files that eat up disk space instead? See find large files in Windows 11.
Search smarter in File Explorer
- Search in the right folder: File Explorer searches the folder you're in and its subfolders. So don't always start from This PC.
- Type *.pdf to see only PDF files, or put words between quotes for an exact phrase.
- Use the search options in the toolbar to filter by date modified, kind or size. The names can differ slightly between versions.
- Open the results in a separate tab so your folder stays open. Read use tabs in File Explorer.
Search in Teams
- Press Ctrl + E and type a word. Filter by Messages, People or Files.
- In a chat, press Ctrl + F to search just that conversation.
On the results page you refine further with filters such as the sender, the team or channel, a time period or messages where you were mentioned. The old slash commands no longer exist in the new Teams. Read how it works now in search Microsoft Teams quickly, without the old commands.
Searching within one conversation is often the fastest route to an old message, especially in busy group chats. More on that in searching within a chat in Microsoft Teams. If your organization has a Copilot license, you can also ask Copilot in Teams to summarize messages or files about a topic.
Common problems
Windows doesn't find a file that's definitely there.
Check that the folder isn't excluded and that indexing has finished. Files that are only online in OneDrive are sometimes searched less thoroughly than files stored on your PC.
Windows search shows lots of web results.
Pick the Documents or Apps filter first and then type your search term. On work PCs, your admin can turn off web results.
Teams can't find an old message.
Try a different, more specific word or search within the chat itself. Messages removed by a retention policy can no longer be found.
Tips for admins
You configure Windows search behavior centrally with Group Policy or Intune, for example to turn off web results or cloud content search. In Teams and Microsoft 365, users only see results they have permissions for. So someone complaining that a file is missing from the results often simply has no access to the site where it's stored. For more everyday shortcuts, share Windows 11 productivity tips with your users.
Nederlandstalige versie: Snel zoeken in Windows 11 en Microsoft Teams