Windows Search

Windows Search (also known as Instant Search) is a content index desktop search platform by Microsoft introduced in Windows Vista as a replacement for both the previous Indexing Service of Windows 2000 and the optional MSN Desktop Search for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, designed to facilitate local and remote queries for files and non-file items in compatible applications including Windows Explorer. It was developed after the postponement of WinFS and introduced to Windows constituents originally touted as benefits of that platform.

Windows Search creates a locally managed Index of files — documents, emails, folders, programs, photos, tracks, and videos — and file contents, as well as of non-file items including those of Microsoft Outlook for which users can perform incremental searches based on details such as authors, contents, dates, file names, file types, people, and sizes; the Index stores actual prose from inside documents and metadata properties from other content. Control Panel and Settings can also be searched.

Windows Search was introduced in Windows Vista as a replacement for the previous Indexing Service to facilitate data discovery and management, promote greater rapidity of search results, and to unify desktop search platforms across Microsoft Windows; it was also available as an optional download for Windows XP. There have been several updates to its functionality since its introduction, and it is also included in Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11.