Windows 10: Program files (.exe) not found by Windows Search

Program files (.exe) which are not installed (and so don't have a shortcut) are not being found by Windows search. Shortcuts, help files, folders etc with the same name all show up.





Indexing is complete and .exe is defined (as default) in indexing options to Index Properties Only using the File Properties Filter. If I open up the old Windows 8 fly-out style search then .exe are found so they must be in the index.





I found this thread which is the same http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-files/windows-7-search-doesnt-work but the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes registry key doesn't exist in 10.

Any ideas how to make this work in the normal Windows search? (I'm not interested in any third party search tool).

:)

 

Windows 10 search won't find files, folders and exe's

The search function was fine in windows 7. After I upgraded I have been unable to search for exe's, files and folders. Some files are found, most aren't. I'm not sure why. I thought this was because the search was case sensitive, but after today - having
been unable to find mixcraft7.exe when it was typed exactly as spelled in the file name. I'm not sure what is going on. When I type mixcraft, it finds mixcraft 4 but not 7 (4 is 32bit, 7 is 64bit).

I've tried indexing, and rebuild indexing etc. I haven't found a solution yet - it's weird, I can't find out what's going wrong. I've had a look in the 'all apps' menu. Mixcraft 4 is there, along with it's exe shortcut - great!. Mixcraft 7 is also there,
but with no exe shortcut - It has files, though. So when I search mixcraft 7 it comes up with Mixcraft 4 exe and an empty mixcraft 7 folder for projects.

It's quite frustrating as some programs I have forgotten where they are located and haven't been able to successfully search for them. I've instead, had to manually search and find these programs.

With windows 7 I was able to successfully search for programs even when I only knew part of the name. Every program and file with a similar name would be found. Any practical help would be appreciated.

 

windows 10 search option doesn't find apps

this may be even more serious! A search for * .dll returned only 100 files (all Microsoft), all other .dll files were ignored

windows 10 search is filtering much more than exe's.

 

Hi, same thing. No exe's found.

My index includes the Sysinternals folder. An appropriate search in explorer finds procmon.exe.

Here's an odd thing: in 'Cortana' search/My Stuff, searching for 'procmon' gave, as you found, 'procmon.chm'. Searching for procmon.exe found nothing. I also tried 'procmon.*'. This time I got a message saying 'Windows is still indexing some files'. Yet I had waited for indexing to be complete- and it said so. I noted some other searches also led to 'Windows is still indexing some files'.

 

I've put shortcuts in ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs for now (then it works) but it isn't a good solution.

 

- yep, that's what I've got- so I have them in Classic Shell as normal start menu shortcuts, and of course, it can find them.

Hmm. So another minor Win 10 bug? But hey, I've no plan to use that search - or Cortana... even tho' 'Who created you?' etc is mildly amusing- once.

It did seem that a non-indexed search via Explorer was much faster than one using that search box (for the same thing)- which I gave up on.

 

The Win 10 image you posted shows Procmon.exe. Isn't that what you were looking for?

 

The Search on the Taskbar includes Cortana, didn't care for that and also didn't want to search the Web but only the PC so went into Settings on that panel and turned those two features off then did a Search for *.exe and got a whole bunch of results.

 

Both images are from Win10. The top one is from pressing the *Start key and typing proc and doesn't show it, the second is from opening the old style search ("C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Search.lnk") and it does.

 

It would be wasteful to index every single (orphan) file under Program Files. Gigabytes of game files etc.
Actually, this was the old behavior that people complained about because of performance concerns, in previous versions of Windows.
So, if it's a portable program, please add it yourself to the programs list.
Or use a proper file manager with a proper search, like Total Commander or it's alternatives.

 

I don't think you understand. They are not in program files and they are indexed - just not shown in search results.

In indexing options you can chose what to index but as they are in user folders they are indexed by default.

 

And I'm telling you that's not how it works.
Programs must be registered as programs, else won't show.
This is a (security?!) "feature".

 

AVeYo: so what do you think of this result:
I have Easeus PCTrans Pro installed.

Its folder, like Sysinternals' folder, is indexed.
It contains a file PCTrans.exe.

I search ('My Stuff') for PCTrans.exe.
The result is (interestingly enough) PCTrans.exe.manifest (which does exist in the same folder)

PCTrans.exe is not listed.

 

Working as intended?

So if you want those to show, make sure you have shortcuts to them added to the Start Menu,
or
their folders are added to the PATH environment variable - that's why search finds ping and other cmd tools

[This PC->Properties->Advanced system settings->Environment Variables...->System variables: Path->Edit: add ;yourpath]

 

Ok, I'll be more specific. Easeus PC TransPro is installed. When I installed it, I allowed it to create a subfolder in my start menu. I moved that folder under 'Utilities' in the start menu. It is still there. Thus an installed program .exe file with a corresponding start menu shortcut entry created when the program was installed is not found by using the Cortana search bar.