By default, Windows Search indexes the contents of files in the Documents, Pictures, and Music folders, as well as the Desktop—or the entire PC if you select the option to index the entire PC in Windows Search settings. By default, it does not index network drives or NAS devices. The alternatives fall into three categories: instant file-name search (Everything), content search without an index (Agent Ransack), and content search with an index (DocFetcher). For a server shared by a team, a common index is required that enforces each user’s access rights—this is the final section.
Prices and features obtained from the publishers' websites on September 27, 2026.
In summary
- Windows Search: File contents are indexed on the PC, but network drives and NAS devices are not indexed by default.
- Everything: free; file name index built in a few seconds; content search is possible but slow because it isn't indexed.
- Agent Ransack: Free in Lite mode, including for business use; searches content and network drives; OCR and archiving features are available in the paid version, FileLocator Pro ($79 per user, perpetual license).
- DocFetcher: open source and free; indexes the content of PDFs, Office documents, PST files, and archives on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Shared file server: a central index that enforces each user's access rights, such as Outmind or, for very large organizations, Sinequa.
What Windows Search Does and What It Doesn't Cover
Windows Search is the search engine built into Windows, used by the search bar and File Explorer. According to Microsoft's documentation on indexing:
- By default, the index covers the Documents, Pictures, and Music folders, as well as the Desktop; with the option to index the entire PC, it covers all user folders and files;
- The name, full path, and properties of each file are indexed; for files that contain text, the content is also indexed, and each file type can be limited to its properties alone;
- The results are filtered based on access rights: according to Microsoft documentation, each user sees only their own files and those in the shared locations to which they have access;
- Network drives and NAS devices are not indexed by default. The workaround suggested by a moderator on Microsoft Q&A is to make the network folder “always available offline,” which creates a local copy that Windows can index.
For files stored on a PC, Windows Search is sufficient in most cases. The reasons for seeking an alternative usually involve searching a network share, the speed of searching by name through a large number of files, and searching within scanned PDFs, archived emails, or compressed archives.
Comparison of the 3 Alternatives to Windows Search
| Tool | Pricing | Search within the content | Network Drives, NAS | OCR of Scanned PDFs | Compliance with Access Rights |
|---|
Windows Search
-reference | Included with Windows | Yes, indexed locations | Notindexed by default | Not specified | View resultsfiltered by each PC user's Windows permissions |
| Everything | Free of charge | Limited, no index, slow | Yes, add this to the options | Not specified | Someinaccessible file namesare visible; opening is blocked |
| Agent Ransack / FileLocator Pro | Free LitePro: $79 per user, perpetual license | Ouisans: Index in Lite, Index in Pro | Mapped drivesand UNC paths | Pro Version | Direct search for Windows permissions, undocumented for the shared index |
| DocFetcher | Freeand open source | Yes, withindex | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
Everything
Everything, published by voidtools, finds files and folders by name as you type. It indexes only the names: according to the publisher, a fresh installation of Windows 11 (approximately 250,000 files) is indexed in about 5 seconds, and 1,000,000 files in about one minute. On NTFS volumes, the index is kept up to date in real time using the USN journal, including changes made while Everything is closed.
- Price: Free (freeware).
- Content: Searches are possible using the ` content:` function, but the content is not indexed, and the publisher notes that this type of search is slow.
- Network: A mapped network drive, a NAS, or a network share is added to the index in Options, on the Folders tab.
- Permissions: On NTFS drives, Everything reads the file table directly and also displays the names of files that the user does not have access to; Windows prevents these files from being opened (response from a moderator on the voidtools forum).
Agent Ransack and FileLocator Pro
Agent Ransack, published by Mythicsoft, searches for files by name and content, and highlights the text it finds. It supports Perl-compatible regular expressions and Office formats. Agent Ransack and FileLocator Pro share the same code: the Lite version is free, while the Professional version requires a purchase.
- Price: Lite mode is free for personal and commercial use; FileLocator Pro is $79 per named user (up to 3 Windows installations), perpetual license.
- Network: Searches for mapped drives and UNC paths, even in Lite mode.
- Pro Version: OCR, search within ZIP, 7Z, RAR, and TAR archives, as well as within Outlook PST and MSG emails.
- Multiple users: The Pro version's index can be shared among users; the publisher's documentation does not describe how results are filtered based on each user's access rights.
DocFetcher
DocFetcher is an open-source desktop search application released under the Eclipse Public License. It extracts the text from files into an index once, and then searches that index instead of re-reading the files.
- Price: Free; a commercial version, DocFetcher Pro, is available with additional features.
- Formats: PDF, Office documents (doc, xls, ppt, docx, xlsx, pptx), Outlook PST files, and zip, 7z, rar, and tar archives.
- Operating systems: Windows, macOS, and Linux.
How to Choose File Search Software
- Name or ContentTo find a file whose name you know, a name index provides an instant result. To find a word within the document, you need a tool that reads the content.
- VolumeWithout an index, each search re-reads the files; with an index, the text is extracted once and then updated.
- LocationLocal disk, mapped network drive, UNC path, NAS, or SharePoint: Verify that the tool supports the actual location of the files, and in which edition.
- FormatsScanned PDFs require OCR; archived emails (PST, MSG) and compressed archives (ZIP, RAR) require a tool to open them.
- LicenseSome free versions are for personal use only; Everything and Agent Ransack's Lite mode can be used in a business setting.
- Number of usersA workstation tool creates an index for each PC. For a team searching the same server, a central index prevents each workstation from having to read the files again and ensures that the same access rights are applied to all users.
Shared File Server: When a Desktop Tool Is No Longer Enough
The tools listed above are installed on a PC and perform searches from that PC. On a file server used by dozens of people, three additional considerations arise: the server’s access permissions must apply to each user’s search results; the index must be shared rather than duplicated on each workstation; and the search history must be accessible, including scanned PDFs, archived emails, and ZIP archives.
There are two main types of solutions that meet these needs. On one hand, there are enterprise AI platforms from very large corporations, such as Sinequa, part of the ChapsVision Group: over 200 connectors, document-level security, AI agents and assistants, clients such as TotalEnergies, Airbus, and Siemens, and an undisclosed price. On the other hand, there are solutions focused on document search and file servers, such as Outmind.
Outmind: Search and AI Assistant for File Servers
Outmind indexes file servers, Windows shares, and NAS devices where they are, without requiring migration, and makes their content searchable via full-text search and an AI assistant that cites its sources.
- Setup: The source is created using the Outmind application for Windows or Mac, installed on a computer or a virtual machine, using a service account that has read permissions for the selected folders.
- Access Rights: Outmind reads the permissions (DACL) for each file; each user sees only the documents they are already authorized to open on the server, and permissions are never modified.
- Formats: Office and OpenDocument files, PDFs with automatic OCR for pages without text, archived emails (msg, pst, eml), ZIP and RAR archives opened file by file; 3D drawings and models (dwg, ifc, rvt) retrieved based on their metadata.
- Update: The first documents are available within a few minutes; the first full synchronization takes several hours, depending on the volume; then, incremental synchronization occurs every 24 hours by default.
- Other sources in the same search: SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, Google Drive, iManage, Notion, and Slack, each with its own access rules.
- Security: Encrypted index at rest and in transit, dedicated instance per client, hosting in Europe, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications.
Example: Setec Bâtiment, engineering firm
+30All documents
1,600cases
230people
Indexed sources: file servers, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Teams. Read the Setec case study
To compare the two approaches in detail: Outmind vs. Sinequa—what are the differences? Best practices for naming conventions and folder structures are covered in the article “How to Search Effectively in a File Server.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search the contents of files in Windows?
Windows Search indexes the contents of text files located in the indexed locations: Documents, Pictures, Music, and Desktop by default; the entire PC if you enable the corresponding option in the search settings. Simply type a word into the search bar or in File Explorer. For non-indexed locations, Ransack Agent searches the unindexed content, and DocFetcher builds its own index of the content.
Which free file search software should you choose?
Everything: Find a file by name in seconds. Agent Ransack (Lite mode), free even for business use, to search for a word within file contents, including network drives. DocFetcher, open source, to index the contents of PDFs, Office documents, PST files, and archives.
Why can't Windows Search find files on a network drive?
This is because Windows does not index network drives or NAS devices by default. The workaround described on Microsoft Q&A involves making the folder available offline to create a local, indexable copy. Everything and Agent Ransack also allow you to include a network drive in their searches.
Can you search within scanned PDFs?
Yes, if the tool uses optical character recognition (OCR). Among the tools compared, FileLocator Pro—the paid version of Agent Ransack—offers this feature. Outmind automatically applies OCR to PDF pages without text from indexed file servers.
How do I search a file server shared by the entire team?
Using a shared index rather than an index per user, which applies the server's access rights to each user. Outmind indexes Windows shares and NAS drives without moving files, reads the permissions for each file, and shows each user only the documents they are already authorized to open.
