Once you have completed installation of Google Desktop, searching your personal computer for lost or misplaced information becomes child’s play. Backed with the same technology Google uses to search the internet, Google Desktop is highly capable of undertaking an efficient search of your own computer and bringing up relevant results.
There are three ways to easily access Google Desktop on your computer.
1. Clicking on the Google Desktop icon on your desktop brings up the Quick search box.
2. Alternatively you can press CTRL twice to show or hide the Quick search box.
3. You can search in the deskbar or floating deskbar.
4. If you installed the sidebar, you can search in the tiny Quick search box pre-installed in the sidebar.
5. On the Google homepage, click on Desktop above the search box.
The first time you run Google Desktop, it will begin an indexing of all the files, folders and data residing on your computer. This may take a couple of hours as Google Desktop undertakes indexing of your files only when the computer has been idle for 30 seconds or more, to increase efficiency of the computer.
After it has completed indexing all the information on your computer, it searches your computer several times a day to include the latest information in its searches. Usually, you can search for a file, a few minutes after it has been created.
To search, type in a search term in the Quick Search Box. The search term can be a file name, folder, content of a file, instant chat messages, web pages,etc. As you type the search term, you will see a drop-down menu with options, “Search Web” or “Search Desktop”. Be sure to select Search Desktop.
For any specified search term, Google Desktop will show the following results:
- Files with the search term in their names
- Files with the search term in the content
- Audio, video files with the search term in file name
- Web pages with the search term either in the title or web content
- Chat messages with the search term, etc.
The results will be displayed in Internet Explorer like Google results. The results are sorted by most recently viewed. You can select Sort by Relevance, if you prefer. On the top of the webpage, the type of results found will be displayed like Files, web history, emails, chats and other. Click on the term you are interested.
If you click on files, it will display all the files found on your computer. You should see a drop-down menu named as View. Here you can select what type of file you want displayed like Microsoft Word files, Microsoft PowerPoint files, etc.
To protect your privacy, Google Desktop allows you to remove files and other information from being indexed. In the Quick Search box, click Options, then click More Options. Google Desktop Preferences will open up in a new browser. Click Desktop Search tab. Here you can select or deselect the type of terms to be indexed. You can also remove an entire drive or folder from being indexed.
You can also lock the Desktop Search if you do not anyone to search your computer in your absence. Simply right-click the Desktop icon in your taskbar and select Lock Search. Only you will be able to unlock the search after entering a password.
With so many features, searching your computer has never been easier. It’s no wonder Google Desktop is a big hit among both personal as well as professional users.