Search for files
You can search for files based on their name or file type directly within the file manager.
Search
Open the Files application from the Activities overview.
If you know the files you want are under a particular folder, go to that folder.
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Type a word or words that you know appear in the file name, and they will be shown in the search bar. For example, if you name all your invoices with the word “Invoice”, type invoice. Words are matched regardless of case.
Instead of typing words directly to bring up the search bar, you can click the in the toolbar, or press Ctrl+F.
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You can narrow your results by date, by file type, and by whether to search a file’s full text, or to only search for file names.
To apply filters, select the drop-down menu button to the left of the file manager’s icon, and choose from the available filters:
When: How far back do you want to search?
What: What is the type of item?
Search: Should your search include a full-text search, or search only the file names?
To remove a filter, select the X beside the filter tag that you want to remove.
You can open, copy, delete, or otherwise work with your files from the search results, just as you would from any folder in the file manager.
Click the in the toolbar again to exit the search and return to the folder.
Customize files search
You may want certain directories to be included or excluded from searches in the Files application. To customize which directories are searched:
Open the Activities overview and start typing Search.
Select Settings ▸ Search from the results. This will open the Search Settings panel.
Select Search Locations.
This will open a dialog which allows you toggle directory searches on or off. You can toggle searches in each of the three sections:
Places: Lists common home directory locations
Bookmarks: Lists directory locations that you have bookmarked in the Files application
Other: Lists directory locations that you include via the + button.