Search Word Docs.... without opening them

Aiadi
Aiadi Posts: 1,840 Forumite
Happy New Year everyone
Does anyone know if there is a way to search multiple word documents not by the file name but rather by word(s) inside the files without actually opening them? I have failed to find any such think doing an online searh but was wondering if anyone has found a way or used something to achieve a similar aim.
Do I want it? ......Do I need it? ......What would happen if I don't buy it??????

Comments

  • closed
    closed Posts: 10,886 Forumite
    start, search, *.doc, a word or a phrase in a file.
    !!
    > . !!!! ----> .
  • buglawton
    buglawton Posts: 9,242 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    or install Google desktop which will search your computer like Google searches the Web, including your Doc files.
  • Scrilla
    Scrilla Posts: 242 Forumite
    buglawton wrote: »
    or install Google desktop which will search your computer like Google searches the Web, including your Doc files.
    +1 for Google Desktop if you're on Windows. If Mac, Spotlight. (For completeness) If Linux, I have no clue :(.
  • Scrilla
    Scrilla Posts: 242 Forumite
    Or install Windows Search 4.0 through Windows Update if you're using XP. If you're using Vista/Win7, forget Google Desktop altogether as Windows Search is far better.
    Will try that for me too, didn't know Windows Search did a content search as well. Thanks.
  • Aiadi
    Aiadi Posts: 1,840 Forumite
    Thanks everybody for the replies and apologies if I haven't made it clear enough. I was looking at a search to identify word(s) WITHIN a group of documents without having to open them and not for a simple search for file name (the title of .doc file). Windows search indexes files by their names and would not identify their contents unless there is something I am missing.

    Oops, looked at the posts again and it seems that people suggest the Google Desktop would do this (content search) as well. Will try it and let you know...
    Do I want it? ......Do I need it? ......What would happen if I don't buy it??????
  • closed
    closed Posts: 10,886 Forumite
    edited 8 January 2010 at 4:33PM
    You can search within a file by entering the words you are looking for in the "a word or a phrase in a file" box, the *.doc was there just to limit the search to relevant word documents.

    This doesn't require installing any indexing software, which will slow the pc down.

    Search%20Criteria%20%28edited%29.png
    !!
    > . !!!! ----> .
  • isofa
    isofa Posts: 6,091 Forumite
    Textpad is very good at this, I use it a lot for HTML and text files, so it should work with Word and others providing the text is readable in some way in the file.
  • John_Gray
    John_Gray Posts: 5,837 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I use Closed's idea in Windows Explorer quite frequently - it takes a fair time to hunt through lots of *.doc or *.rtf files, but if the words(s) is/are pretty unique, then it gives you want you asked for.
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