How to search for files with the same extension in Windows 11

If you work with dozens of documents, photos and videos, mastering search Windows 11 It is not optional: it is essential. In the following lines you will see How to locate files by their extension, filter by date, size or type and how to combine operators for surgical searches that save you time every day.

We're going to go beyond just typing a name into the search box. You'll learn how to use commands advanced in Explorer, shortcuts on the taskbar, wildcards like * and filters like out:, and also how to resolve indexing issues when nothing appears. We'll even look at third-party alternatives, cloud search, and what Microsoft is bringing with the IA to find everything.

Search by extension in Windows 11 directly

When you need to identify all files of a specific type in a folder (and its subfolders), the fastest way is to use File Explorer itself. Navigate to the target location (for example, This team for a global search) and uses two simple and effective tactics.

The first is to use wildcards. Type something like this in the search box above. * .jpg to list all JPG images in the current directory and its subfolders. Similarly, you can search * .pdf, *.docx or any other extension that interests you.

The second option is the extension-specific filter. If you are familiar with the syntax of Windows Search, you'll love writing ext:jpg (without a period) to get results of that extension. This approach works equally well with ext:png, ext:mp4, ext:xlsx and so on.

Need more than one? You can combine terms: ext:jpg OR ext:png will display images in both formats. If you want the name to also contain text, add the term, for example: ext:pdf budget to cut suddenly the number of matches.

If you're searching by extension in a specific area, first narrow down your workspace in the left pane (a project folder, a disk, or "This PC") and then run the query. This ensures that you don't track unnecessary routes that only add noise.

Advanced Operators and Filters in Explorer

The File Explorer search engine is much more powerful than it looks. It supports Boolean operators and to refine as much as possible, just like you do in Gmail or Google, but with syntax adapted to Windows.

Essential Boolean operators you can mix in your queries:

• NOT or the minus symbol to exclude words. E.g.: dog NOT cat o dog - cat avoid results with "cat".
• OR for "this or that". E.g.: invoice OR receipt returns files containing either of the two terms.
• Comillas to search for an exact phrase. E.g.: «final budget» respect that order.
• Parenthesis to group words regardless of order. E.g.: (cat dog) finds "dog cat" and "cat dog" interchangeably.

General filters by properties, always with the format property:value:

• date: by time of creation or modification. Supports us, yesterday, this week, this month, this year, last year, specific dates or ranges such as fecha:01/01/2024..15/04/2024.
• modified: Filter only by modification date. E.g.: modified: "last week".
• created: limited by creation date. E.g.: created: "this month".
• size: use categories (emptiness, tiny, little, medium, great, huge, gigantic) or comparators. E.g.: size:>10MB to large files.
• class: delimited by functional type: image, Valid identity document, mail, The music, video, etc. E.g.: class:image.
• out: sets a specific extension. E.g.: ext:jpg, ext:pdf.
• binder: restricts the search to a folder name. E.g.: folder:Proposals to hurry within that route.
• archive: Forces to search by file name only. E.g.: file:final_presentation.

Filters specific by file type to split hairs:

• Slideshow: slides:20 returns presentations with that number of slides.
• Comment: comment:to review locate documents of Word with that comment.
• Music: artist:»Name», album:»Name», genre: Rock, track:13.
• Duration: It works on songs and videos. E.g.: duration: medium o duration:>5 minutes.
• Year: useful in music and film. E.g.: year: 1990.
• Images: orientation: horizontal, width:1920, height:1080 for exact measurements.

A key advantage is that you can chain multiple filters no problem. For example: class:document modified:yesterday NOT draft It gives you documents modified yesterday and excludes those marked as draft, all in one query.

After launching the search, in Windows 11 you will see the button Search Options in the toolbar. From there you can decide whether you want to search in content (very useful for locate text within files), in subfolders, or even include compressed files in the scan.

Search from the taskbar and shortcuts that speed up

If you want to get straight to the point, use the search box on the taskbar. Type your query, and if you press Enter, the first result will open under Best match. This search is ideal for quickly opening a frequently used file or app and allows you to filter by Applications, Documents, Configuration o Folders with a click.

The fastest access is to invoke the search engine with Windows + S or press the Windows key and start typing. Even if you hide the box from the taskbar from Settings, these shortcuts allow you to start the search instantly, even with the minimalist interface.

This tool also learns from your use. If you open a file often, appears among the top results with the highest priority. It's a "smart" search that, without operators, usually gives you exactly what you need.

Always show file extensions in Windows 11

If you work with extensions, it's a good idea to have Windows not hide them. Go to File Explorer, enter View > Show and open Options (or directly "Folder Options"). In the tab View, uncheck Hide file extensions for known file types and apply the changes so that all show your .pdf, .jpg, .zip, etc.

If you want this to affect all folders, click on Apply to folders from the same window. From there, you'll see the extension on your desktop, in Quick Access, and in any location you use daily.

Syntax tricks: wildcards, ranges, and names

Wild cards are gold. With soft* you find files whose name begins with "soft", and with *soft* You will find those that contain it in any position. For extensions, remember the classic * .gif or combine it with text: *.pdf contract to filter by name and type at the same time.

You can also search by range with a colon: fecha:01/01/2024..15/04/2024 limited to the interval. In size, the comparators are straightforward: size:>700MB o size:<1MB They purify by actual weight, perfect for cleaning or identifying heavy attachments.

To rush by name, try file:budget_april o name:invoice_2024 if your system recognizes it, and if you want to stick to a specific folder, use folder:Projects. With these shortcuts, complex searches become a matter of seconds.

When nothing appears: indexing, repairing and improving

If no result is obtained after several attempts, it may be that the Windows index is corrupted. Open "Indexing Options" from the system search, enter Advanced and press Rebuild. The process redoes the catalog of locations and names so that the search engine reply again instantly.

To improve reach, Windows 11 goes into Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Search and activate the mode Improved. This way, the indexer crawls more folders and files, and you can exclude sensitive directories (backups, huge repositories) to avoid noise and save resources.

Find large files and clean temporary files safely

If the goal is to free up space, first use the size filter in Explorer: choose the drive or folder, type size:>100MB and sort by Size to identify the "culprits". You can also use the predefined categories (Empty, Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge or Gigantic) from the search options to a quick sieve.

Once the giants are located, consider moving them to storage external or to the cloud. At the same time, it deletes temporary files from the system. Enter Configuración> Sistema> Almacenamiento and uses "Storage sensor» or «Temporary Files» to safely delete caches, update remnants, and other unnecessary data that Windows detects automatically.

Don't forget the cloud search engine

If your work lives on the Internet, searching for Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox It's incredibly efficient. Drive, for example, allows you to locate content within documents with remarkable speed; if you install its desktop app, you can invoke the search engine with Ctrl + Alt + G and find your files on the fly without opening the browser.

The same notions apply here: mix keywords, filter by type (document, spreadsheet, presentation) and use the service's own operators for immediate results. When you work between local and cloud, having both search engines under control is synonymous with real productivity.

AI comes to search in Windows 11

Microsoft is pushing out capabilities for natural language in Explorer search. The idea: you can type a query like "BBQ Party" and the system will understand what you're looking for, reviewing metadata and content to return related documents, images, or videos, even if the file name doesn't match. literally with the phrase.

This path aligns with the company's commitment to a Responsible AI and with strengthening privacy and security in the use of these systems. As these features become available, you'll be able to combine natural language with classic filters to maintain total control of your results.

One last practical tip: if File Explorer opens "Start" (formerly Quick Access) by default, you'll gain speed when accessing recent searches and favorites. However, for bulk searches, you can switch to "This PC" from See more > Options > Open File Explorer in, and choose the landing page that best fits your workflow.

The key to finding files in Windows 11 is a combination of knowing where to look (taskbar, Explorer, cloud), how to formulate the query (operators, filters and wildcards) and having the system well tuned (visible extensions, indexing rebuilt when necessary). With these resources, some external tool when convenient and learning how to organize files by tags, you will find from a simple .jpg to un PDF hidden among thousands of files in a matter of seconds.