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This is insane or am i dumb? I just can't find a way of searching a folder in Windows XP.
With Search i can only search "Files", not "Folders". So how?

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5 Answers 5

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You should be able to find folders that match your search criteria (eg filename, date) by searching just as you would for a file; the results list will include both matching files and folders.

If you only want to search for folders, you can expand the Advanced Options and select Folder in File Type.

Double-check your search criteria, perhaps you have excluded folders, for example by specifying a size (by definition, folders have a size of zero bytes).

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  • expand the Advanced Options and select Folder in File Type. Thanks for this tip, Synetech inc. This is wierd that i can't find a "Specific Folder" easily as default.. :(
    – 4lvin
    Jul 26, 2011 at 16:25
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The right way to search

In Windows XP, go to start menu and then select search (other ways: F3 on desktop or in Windows Explorer).

Then choose select files and folders.

In the first editbox, you can use for search for files or folders by their name, part of their name or wildcards that match file or folder names.

What is the current problem?

Perhaps you are using the second editbox, that is used for search a text inside a file; as folders itself does not have text in it, but in the files inside it, you are only seeing files.

Another possibility is that you are using other options than search for files and folders.

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  • Yeah, by default, XP will return folders also...
    – surfasb
    Jul 27, 2011 at 0:05
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You can also do this on the cmd commandline using the built-in command dir. Just say dir /A:D and it will only show directories, no files. If you want to search recursively throughout an entire folder structure, dir /A:D /S will do the trick etc. dir /? will show you all possible options.

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If all you are trying to do is search for folder names, they will come up regularly. If you are trying to search in a specific folder, you have to click the browse button.

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I think you are looking for "Windows Search Advanced Query Syntax". If you have installed Windows Search (and not using the original search function), do your search and add kind:folders

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/desktopsearch/technicalresources/advquery.mspx

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  • I don’t think that’s the case, otherwise he would have mentioned that there is no such panel or option in reference to what I said because Windows Search takes over the function and replaces the old search panel (which is why I refuse to use it; I want the old functionality to be available and W.S. to be an extra tool).
    – Synetech
    Jul 27, 2011 at 0:24

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