Elegant File Explorer
Buy now

Stop searching. Find.

You remember what it said, not what the file is called. Ctrl+Space opens instant search across your whole PC, and with Deep Search on it reads what's actually written inside: PDFs, even scanned ones, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ODT, ODS, RTF, plain text and code. Drag a result straight into an email or a WhatsApp chat. Everything indexed on your PC, nothing ever leaves it.

Get it on the Microsoft Store How it works
Reads scanned PDFs via OCR No “indexing…” to wait for 100% local, nothing leaves your PC
Search by contents — a word that's inside the document… Entire PC ▾
march-statement.pdf
Downloads · today · 340 KB · contents: “balance as of 03/31”
Enter ↵
scan0004.pdf
Documents · scanned PDF · contents (OCR): “limited warranty, 24 months”
lease-agreement-2026.docx
Documents · yesterday · contents: “warranty clause”
kitchen-remodel-budget.xlsx
Downloads · contents: “extended warranty”
Index: 53,929 files · ready · Deep Search on · OCR is PDF-onlyTab accepts the filter · ↑↓ to move · Enter opens
Found by what it says insidePDF OCR · Deep Search
12
document formats read from the inside
OCR
reads scanned PDFs, first 2 pages
6
profile folders already in the index
0
files or searches that leave your PC

It reads the words, not the filename.

A filename is a label someone typed once. The words inside are the truth. With Deep Search on, type a phrase you remember and the document turns up, whatever it happens to be called — even a paper scan inside a PDF.

  • Twelve formats, read from the inside. PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ODT, ODP, ODS, RTF, and plain-text and code files (TXT, MD, LOG, CSV), matched on the text they actually contain.
  • Scanned PDFs, read by OCR. Windows' own OCR lifts text off the first two pages of a scanned PDF, on your PC, so a paper scan stops being a dead end.
  • Name, folder and contents together. The same search covers the file name, the folder name and the text inside the document.
  • A result you can drag out. Drop it into an email, WhatsApp or another folder — it's the real file, not a link trapped in a search box.
Search: warranty Downloads
This PC›“warranty” across your PC warranty
Smart Views
Matched by contents
Documents
Downloaded from the internet
Scope
Entire PC
Deep Search: on
NameMatchTypeModifiedSize
scan0004.pdf
OCRPDFyesterday240 KB
lease-agreement-2026.docx
contentsDocumentMon88 KB
kitchen-remodel-budget.xlsx
contentsSpreadsheetJun 102.1 MB
appliance-receipt.pdf
OCRPDFMay1.1 MB
Warranties
—FolderJun 8—

Reading inside is yours to switch on.

By default, search covers names, folders and origins — instant and light. When you want to search inside your documents, you turn Deep Search on once, in the footer of the search palette.

  • Opt in once. A background reader opens documents a little at a time, one by one, newest first, without loading the machine down.
  • Scope, precisely. Without it, the index covers your 6 profile folders. With it, your fixed drives join — never the Windows system folder, and never removable or network drives.
  • OCR is PDF-only. The first two pages of each scanned PDF become text. Standalone photos in JPG or PNG are never OCR'd — only PDFs are.
Deep Search · reading in the backgroundnewest first · gentle pace
nowscan0004.pdf→OCR · now searchable
nowlease-agreement-2026.docx→text extracted
nowkitchen-remodel-budget.xlsx→cells read
Each file is read once and nothing leaves your PC. JPG/PNG photos aren't OCR'd — only PDFs are.

A search that does more than search.

Under the shortcut is a palette built to find without syntax: your words become filters and every result is a real file you can use.

Your words become filters

Type part of a month, type or origin and Tab turns it into a filter. It completes known values, not typos — no spell-correction.

Results are real files

Drag a result straight into an Outlook draft, a Gmail tab or a WhatsApp chat.

Origin is text too

The domain a file came from joins the same search: type “chase” and the statement surfaces.

A timeline as a heat strip

The last 12 months by result density; page back through the whole history of the index.

It opens on recents

With nothing typed, your most recent files and your last searches appear first.

The index opens ready

It loads yesterday's index and answers instantly, live as your files change.

Windows Search versus actually finding it.

CapabilityWindows SearchElegant File Explorer
Reads scanned PDFs (OCR)NoYes
Reads text inside PDFs — no plugin to installNeeds a pluginBuilt in
Reads Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ODT/ODS, RTFPartialYes
Searches content in any folder, no setupIndexed folders onlyAny folder
Finds a file by where it was downloaded fromNoYes
Slices results by month, on a timelineNoYes
Runs 100% offline, nothing indexed to the cloudDependsYes

One license. Every feature.

No subscription. Try free for 7 days, then buy once — and keep every update to the current version.

  • One-time purchase. Everything included, no auto-renewal.
  • 7-day free trial. Every feature, no card required.
  • Available on the Microsoft Store. One-time purchase, all updates to the current version included.
  • 100% local. No account, no cloud, no telemetry.
Get it on the Microsoft StoreHow it works

Frequently asked questions.

Does it search inside scanned PDFs?

Yes, with Windows' own native OCR. Turn on Deep Search once, in the search footer, and the background reader works through your fixed drives on its own, newest files first, at a gentle pace. Every scanned PDF it reads becomes searchable for good.

What file types can it search inside?

PDFs (including scanned ones via OCR), Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ODT, ODS, RTF, plain text and code files. If a word is written in there, the search finds it. Standalone images (JPG, PNG) aren't OCR'd — only PDFs are.

Do I have to wait for indexing?

No. Search by name works immediately, files and folders alike, in a light index that respects modest machines. With Deep Search on, your fixed drives and document contents join in over time.

Can I drag a result straight into an email?

Yes. Every result is a real file. Drag it into an Outlook draft, a Gmail tab or a WhatsApp chat, exactly like dragging it from a folder.

Does it search folder names too?

Yes. Instant search covers file names, folder names and document contents in the same pass.

Do my files ever leave my PC?

Never. The index lives on your PC, OCR runs on your PC, and every answer comes from your PC. No account, no server, no telemetry.

The file you're looking for already knows where it is.

Ctrl+Space, type what you remember, Enter. Instant search, every format, everything on your PC.

Get it on the Microsoft StoreMeet the app