Save Tons of Time by Searching in Windows 10 the RIGHT Way
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Employees spend 1.8 hours every day just searching for information they need, which equates to approximately 36 hours per month, nearly one whole work week!
Looking for things is increasingly more complex the more data we have to sift through. On any given day, employees are searching for files on their hard drives, looking for information on websites, or trying to find a specific setting on their computer.
Each of these activities can not only take attention away from the task at hand, it can also result in several minutes spent looking for something. Occasionally, this can lead to over an hour if the document or other data isn’t easily located.
If you use Windows 10, knowing how to use its powerful search capabilities can completely streamline your search experience. Part of any modern office is learning how to take advantage of OS and software updates, and the “super search” was one Microsoft added in 2019.
Searching for Anything in Windows - As Easy as Clicking START and Typing What You Need
What Microsoft did when it upgraded the search function in Windows 10 last year was to incorporate all types of searches a user could possibly do into one main area.
All you have to do is type your keyword or question into the search box and you’ll be able to find all types of information, whether it’s on your hard drive or online.
This can significantly reduce the time it takes to search for all types of information.
Here are the things you can find from searching one simple place – the Windows search box on your task bar.
Find Documents Faster
When you type your keyword into the search box, you’ll be taken to a page that has results from a variety of places, web, File Explorer, etc.
You can quickly find a specific document on your hard drive, by clicking the “Documents” tab at the top.
What this will do is show you the documents on your hard drive that include that keywork either in the title or in the text of the document.
This is a much faster way to find something than searching in File Explorer and going through different folders on your hard drive.
Note: You’ll also see documents you have saved in OneDrive.
Easily Find a System Setting
Trying to figure out where to adjust your microphone settings or turn on ransomware protection in Windows 10 can take time. Instead of having to search the web for the answer or stumble around your system settings until you land on it, just use the Windows 10 search box.
If you type something like “microphone settings’ you’ll get a list of different system settings that you can jump to instantly in your PC settings area.
Have a Question Answered
You can also use the search bar to ask questions in natural language and get an answer powered by Bing search.
For example, you can ask: “How much is $100 in Euros?” and instead of having to scroll through search results online, you’ll get the answer right in the search window, along with a money converter to type in another amount.
This works with all types of questions, such as “Status of New York City to Orlando flights?”, which will bring up flight times.
Search Bing Without Opening a Web Browser
If you want to a fast web search for information without opening your browser, you can do this using the search bar as well for a less distracting interface.
Just type your keyword, and you’ll get multiple web results pertinent to your topic.
Open Apps Faster
Instead of going to the Start menu and looking for an application, you can locate it much faster by typing the app’s name in the search bar.
If you’re looking for a specific Adobe app, but don’t know the app’s name, just type “Adobe” and click the Apps tab on the search result page and you’ll see all Adobe apps installed on your computer and can click to open.
Search for a Specific Type of File
There are times when you can’t remember what you’ve named something, but you know that it has a certain keyword in it and that it’s a certain type of file, like a video.
Windows 10 search makes it easy for you to narrow down your search results by clicking the “More” option and choosing the specific file type. Options include:
· Folders
· Music
· People
· Photos
· Settings
· Videos
When you choose one of those options, Windows will only look for that specific file type and give you a list of matching results.
Get Help Optimizing Your Office Workflows
Just knowing how to use some of the productivity tricks in Microsoft or other applications can add hours of productivity time to your staff per week. BrainStomp consultants can help you find and deploy these to boost your capabilities.
Contact us any time at 260-918-3548 or reach out online.
