Find Files Within a Date Range with Windows Vista Search
I was browsing our forum earlier today when I noticed a question from a reader asking how to select a date range when searching for files in advanced search. This is something that was extremely easy in XP, but seems to be much less intuitive in Vista.
I figured he can’t be the only person confused by this, so I’m writing it up here for everybody. Hopefully this will help somebody!
Search Date Range with the Keyboard
If you are a keyboard junkie, you can easily select a date range by using the following syntax in the search box in any folder:
modified:2/1/2008 .. 2/20/2008
The key is the two periods between the dates, which tells the search engine to use it as a range. You could use “Datecreated” instead of “modified”, or just “date” if you wanted to.
If you want to change the search to also use keywords as well, you can use the name: parameter like this:
name:xls modified:2/1/2008..2/20/2008
It’s quite powerful once you get used to it.
Select Date Range with the Mouse
If you aren’t a keyboard junkie you probably don’t want to remember the exact syntax you need to type in, but don’t fear – we’ve got another way to do it. Just open up Advanced search by hitting the F3 key with an Explorer window open (or if you are using Vista pre-SP1 you can use the Search option on the start menu)
Now change the Date drop-down to “Date Modified” and then “is”, then pop up the date range box…
Once you have the date range box open, you can just click the first date and drag the mouse to select more dates.
You can even click on the month to select the whole month, or even select multiple months. The key thing is that once you’ve got the selection how you want it, you need to click somewhere else… it’s slightly tricky until you get used to it.
Of course you’ll have the best luck if you also put in a filename into the Name box, and select the right folder location to search in.
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Advanced Query Syntax for Vista is documented here (there are still a few undocumented features but this covers most of it):
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-.....S.85).aspx
Finding files of a certain type modified within a range of dates seemed so much easier under XP that before searching out this article I was trying to shaer my C: drive on my non-domain Vista machine somehow to a domain-based XP machine on the local LAN just so I could search the Vista drive for an important date range from XP. But that was not so easy to do either (so maybe you can cover it in another article).
Thanks.
I really wish Microsoft would stop “fixing” things like this that aren’t broken. Why change the XP search behaviour when it’s more inituitive?
There is no indication even in Vista help that you can search for a range of dates, so this had me frustrated for quite a few minutes until I found this article.
Does Microsoft never listen to their market? Their products have always been a collection of mis-named counterintuitive gibberish packaged in the most illogical menu system possible – and rather than fix it they brought Vista which only assigns new counterintuitive names arranged in new illogical menus. Obviously they never use their own products.
Thanks for the helpful tip – “search by date range” is one of the most useful tools for anyone who actually uses their computer and collects many files over time.
Wow! Thanks so much. Love those keyboard shortcuts and really appreciate the tip for date searches. I don’t know what happened to “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but Microsoft sure dropped the ball on this one.
Thanks again!
Gayle
Can you tell me how I can restrict the search to a number of main folders?
Like d:\dev and d:\sandbox?
And for a number of named extensions (*.sql;*.doc;*.txt)
And the other thing is, do I have to type all this in the tiny little search box at the top right?
Can I make this box bigger, and can I have advanced search turned on by default?
THANK-YOU for this write-up. Searching a date range within a folder or collection of subfolders is a basic requirement for moderately advanced users. Why M$ would not properly document this (I have been looking for 2+ hours) and why they couldn’t just use two pick-calendars like WinXPO is beyond belief. Here is another example of a solution looking for a problem. I need to do REAL work and do it quickly. Insert M$ into the equation and… well… good luck. Don’t even get me started about opening and printing multiple spreadsheets from Windows Explorer in Vista (the way you could EASILY do it in WinXP). A complete joke. For heaven’s sake! Click, click, click, click, click, click. What we need is a simple modern-day version of a batch system command set… PRINT *.XLS USING XXX ORDER Y PRINTER Z NOW… etc., etc., etc.
This was HUGELY helpful for me! I am new to Vista and was going crazy trying to find a file. THANKS!
The search function seems to be a step back to DOS when I had to write literally everything. The search function with the right click were so easy with XP. I am also new to VISTA and it seems I have to learn from scrap.
Thanks for your tips but I still cannot find the advanced search. With F3 I get the simple seach window from Google. And in Start there is no Search command. I spent already hours to find how I can search for files by size. Can anybody tell me why the advance search is so well hidden in VISTA?
Can someone help me, please.
Ewald
>Thanks. This site has shown to be the most purposeful in providing meaningful information that doubtless is not just parroting MS verbage as are SO many “may we help you” sites. Thank you for actually constructing answers based on what appears to honestly be an independent evaluation of experience.
>I must mention, although, in sympathy with…nay, with the solidarity it demands…I could not agree more with the earlier posters as to the inexplicable determination of MS to “fix” things (such as search) which certainly do *not* need fixing. But it is somehow satisfying to know that I’m not alone in wondering if my 20+ years of experience has failed me…I’m certain it hasn’t.
>I’ve found countless examples of bewilderment posted by others of which I concur, notably that the Vista Search mechanism works *best* if one *already* knows *where* it is! Leaving the question open as to, that being the case, of *what would be the purpose of searching* I know the author of this article agrees with this because I am helped by his last paragraph, thus: “Of course you’ll have the best luck if you also put in a filename into the Name box, and select the right folder location to search in.”
>Thank you so very much. Great tip, too…and I remind all that although it may been said before, it is clearly said best *here*.
thanks so much for your help, i am new to vista and hope i can find my file this way.
Thanks so much for this!!!! You are now prominently bookmarked as a “most-helpful-resource”. I was beginning to think I was nuts for wanting this function (date to date search) back when Vista is supposed to be soooo advanced (Hah!). I agree with all of the above in spades.
Is there any software that would give me the search capacities on Vista that I have on XP.
Just when I was hoping I was comfortable with Vista, I thought I would lose my mind searching for files with a date range. Microsoft really missed the boat with this one. The date range search was sooooo easy in XP. Thank you for your help!
Firstly, to Ewald Goldīs q about not being able to find the advanced search button, yes ironically I had to do a search for “advanced search” before that turned up. but then it did.
Secondly, and more gushingly, I love you all for this How-to and following comments. It saved me from an imminent and violent hissy fit, I absolutely concur with the comments re the frustration of this silly change to a non-intuitive method, but reading that I was not the only one banging my head against this particular wall was a great relief. Thanks to all
).
ooh, my smiley went funny – shows my un-savvyness. trying again
Modified works slightly. But F3 does NOT work, at least if you have Google desktop. Indeed, if you turn Google desktop off, F3 just turns on Google desktop again. Ugggh.
Many thanks for the clear description of using Vista Search by date range article. It was most helpful.