How To Save Searches In Windows For Quick Access Later

If you regularly search for certain files in Windows, saving searches is a great way to access them more quickly than retyping the search every time. Saving searches is especially useful if you often perform more advanced searches, or search by combinations of date range, file type, or keywords.

RELATED: How to Use Windows’ Advanced Search Features: Everything You Need to Know

Saving a search in Windows is pretty straightforward. After you’ve performed any search in File Explorer, just select the “Search” tab and then click the “Save search” button. (In Windows 7, the Save Search button will just be available under the address bar). It doesn’t matter where you’re searching or how many parameters you’ve added. You can save any search you want.

By default, searches are saved in a folder named “Searches” that you can find inside your user folder–typically at “C:\users<username>\”–though you can save them anywhere you like. (In Windows 7, they’re saved in the “Favorites” folder.)

The Searches folder is a convenient enough place to store them, but it’s even handier if you right-click the folder and choose “Pin to Quick access” from the context menu. Then, it’ll show up in File Explorer’s left sidebar.

Now that you’ve got the Searches folder pinned so you can find it easier, all you have to do is double-click any saved search. File Explorer will run the search and show you the results.

You can also save a search by dragging its icon from the address bar to wherever you want to store it. This works in Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Note that when you save a search this way, Windows creates a shortcut to the search rather than saving it as an actual saved search. We’re not sure why this is, but you can use the shortcut in exactly the same way you use a saved search. Just double-click it to run the search.

And finally, Windows 10 adds the handy feature of letting you pin saved searches to the Start menu for even easier access. Just right-click a search you’ve saved and choose “Pin to Start” from the context menu.

You’ll then see your pinned searches in the tiles section of the Start menu.

And that’s all there is to it. If you find yourself performing the same searches over and over again, saving them for easier access is a nice and simple way to increase your productivity.