As you probably know, searching for files and folders on your computer can be a tedious task, especially if you are using the Windows File Explorer tool to do so. File Explorer only has limited search capabilities and can also be very slow when searching multiple folders with a lot of files. Fortunately, you do not need to use File Explorer for your searches and can use a third party tool to do so. In this article, we will be discussing UltraSearch, the advanced file and folder search tool.
UltraSearch comes in two different versions, a free version with limited yet powerful features and a professional version will all the search features you will ever need. You can see a version comparison and download the free version of the software on the UltraSearch website. The free version also comes with a 30 trial of the professional version so you can try out all the features.
The UltraSearch Interface
The UltraSearch interface consists of several tabs along the top which should be familiar for most computer users.
Here is what you can do from each of these tabs.
- File – Add directories to be searched, export search results and print lists.
- Home – Choose between searching for files and\or folders and then filter the search results.
- Operations – This tab is used to take action on your search results such as opening, copying or deleting files. You can also copy file names and folder paths. Here is where you will also find the Bulk Rename tool.
- View – Here you can do things such as change the unit of measurement used (TB, GB, MB etc.) as well as change the date, font and column formats. You can also sort your search results from here.
- Options – Set program and filtering options.
- Help – Here you can get application support, check for updates and enter your license key.
On the Home tab, you will also have boxes to search for file\folder names or search within files themselves. There is also a preview pane on the right that will show you file previews from your search results after you click on them.
Searching for Files and Folders
To perform a search for files or folders, you can go to the File tab and then click on Add directory and choose your drives, folders, SharePoint server or WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) location.
For example, if I were to search for Hawaii and select the files and folders button, I would see all files and folders that contain the word Hawaii. And if I were to select one of them, I would then see a preview of that file in the preview pane.
You can then right click on one or more of the results to take specific actions on them. You can perform the same types of tasks from the Operations tab.
Filtering Search Results
Once you have your search results, you can use the various filters to show only the types of results you are looking for. If you click on the File group filter button on the Home tab, you can choose what types of files you want to be shown such as only documents or only photos for example. You can also add your own custom file or extension filters by clicking on the Configure file groups option.
You can also filter your results by date accessed, created and modified from the Date filters group or filter by file size from the Size filters group. You can choose a minimum or maximum file size to be filtered on. The units of measure you can use include Bytes, KB, MB and GB.
Searching for File Content
UltraSearch can also be used to perform searches on the contents of files rather than just their names. So, if you have something that you are looking for within a file, you can use the Search for file content box to perform this type of search.
For example, If you were to type Phishing email examples in the search box, UltraSearch would then search within the files in folders you have selected and then it will show you results that have that phrase within the file itself.
Then you can take actions on the results or filter them just like you can with the file name search results.
The Bulk Rename Feature
One great feature that UltraSearch has is the ability to rename files in bulk, so you do not need to do so manually. Once you have your search results, simply select the files or folders you want to rename and then click on Bulk Rename from the Operations tab.
You can then choose one of the built in rule types such as replace, insert, serialize, delete and uppercase\lowercase. You can then apply the changes to file\folder names only, extensions only or the full name.
If you click on the Add files or Add folders button, you can add additional items to your list. Once you have selected your renaming options, simply click on the Execute button and you will be shown the results. If you change your mind, you can click on the Undo button before closing the window to undo any changes to the file names.
You can also add additional rules by clicking on the + icon at the top where it says Available rules.
File Operations
UltraSearch allows you to take specific actions on the selected files and folders in your search results when you click the File operations button on the Operations tab.
The file operation window is broken down into three sections.
- File Operation – Here you can choose to delete, move, copy and zip files as well as pass them to an executable as a parameter. The Destination box is where the results will be placed, and you can change this folder if desired.
- Options – You can have specific actions taken on existing files such as skipping, renaming or replacing them. If you want to preserve the permissions, directory structure or timestamps of the original files or folders, you can simply check the appropriate box for the option you wish to use.
- Logging – UltraSearch can log the file operations if you need to keep track of them as well as create an undo script if you need to reverse the process.
As you can see, UltraSearch is a powerful search tool that does much more than perform file and folder searches. It is also a great too that you can use to find duplicate files. So, if you are always searching for files on your computer, you may want to give it a try.
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