Search Inside Documents with Flow Launcher
To search text inside documents, use the Explorer plugin’s content-search action and a suitable engine. Content search is not the same as matching a filename. The documentation lists doc: as a default content-search keyword, but your active settings are the authority if you have changed keywords.
Steps to follow
- Create a local plain-text test file containing a distinctive harmless phrase. Place it in a folder covered by the selected search engine.
- In Explorer settings, inspect the Content search engine and the current action keyword for content searching.
- Query the distinctive phrase with that keyword. Compare the result with a filename search for the same file.
- After the text-file test works, test the document format you actually use. Scanned images or unsupported formats may need separate text extraction before an index can search their contents.
Example only; confirm your configured keyword:
doc: orchard-test-phraseCheck the result
A content query should find the file because of text inside it, even when that phrase is absent from its filename. Open it and confirm the matched text exists.
Limits and common pitfalls
Encrypted documents, image-only PDFs, cloud placeholders, and unsupported file filters can prevent content indexing. Do not upload private documents to a conversion service simply to troubleshoot a local launcher.
Make the check repeatable
Use a two-column test: filename result and content result. If only the content column fails, focus on indexing filters and file availability instead of the hotkey or Program plugin. A simple text fixture makes that distinction much easier to reproduce.
Questions and answers
Is doc: guaranteed to search every document format?
No. It selects a search action; the configured engine, filters, scope, and file contents determine what can be found.
Sources and scope
Related guides
Connect Everything to Flow Launcher File Search
Everything can serve as a file-search engine inside Flow Launcher’s Explorer plugin. First verify that the same filename is found in Everything itself.
Use Windows Search as Flow Launcher’s Search Engine
Windows Search can provide indexed results to Flow Launcher’s Explorer plugin. Its results depend on Windows indexing scope and the selected search type.
Exclude Folders from Flow Launcher Search Results
Explorer’s excluded-path settings can hide selected directories from Flow Launcher’s indexed search results. This changes result visibility; it does not.