If there are a million haters of Windows Search, you can be certain I’m one of them. And if somehow nobody else feels that way, I guess I’m on my own. It’s sluggish, cluttered, and wastes so much time that you’d rather look for things manually. On top of that, the search tools sometimes just stop showing results for no clear reason. I’ve been using a Mac for a long time, too, and even Finder combined with Spotlight Search feels better than Windows Search.

I decided to do something about this. At first, I thought it was the Bing search results that made things worse, so I replaced it with Google. But that didn’t help. So, I’ve now replaced Windows Search altogether with an open-source app called DocFetcher, and I’ve noticed a serious jump in my productivity.

Setting up and using DocFetcher

It's fast and easy to use

DocFetcher is an open-source desktop search tool that works like Google for your local files. Instead of relying on Windows’ inconsistent indexing, it builds its own database from the folders you choose. Once indexed, it can surface results instantly, even from inside file contents. Unlike Windows Search, which tries to act as a launcher, settings finder, and Bing portal, DocFetcher focuses on one job and does it well.

It works across Windows, Linux, and macOS. Since it is licensed under the Eclipse Public License, there is no adware, nagging, or hidden data collection. It supports all kinds of file formats, including but not limited to docx, xlsx, pptx, docm, xlsm, pptm, MP3 Metadata (mp3), FLAC Metadata (flac), JPEG Exif Metadata (jpg, jpeg), Microsoft Visio (vsd), and Scalable Vector Graphics (svg).

Installing and setting up DocFetcher is simple. After downloading the app, you select the folders you want, such as work documents, research libraries, or your downloads folder, and create indexes for them. Indexing may take a few minutes initially, but once it’s done, searches that would have dragged on or failed in Windows feel instant. Updating the indexes later takes only seconds.

The difference from Windows Search is clear. Where Windows often stalls, returns incomplete results, or fails to find files, DocFetcher consistently delivers accurate results. As mentioned above, it can even find specific text inside documents with ease, which makes it easy to find files even if you don't remember the file name.

DocFetcher beats Windows Search any day

Windows Search got nothing on DocFetcher

Windows Search has always tried to be a catch-all tool. It looks for apps, settings, documents, emails, and even web results. That broad approach means it rarely excels at the one thing most people actually need it for — finding files. Too often, it feels like the operating system is second-guessing you, surfacing web snippets or system settings before the actual file on your hard drive is accessed. I’ve noticed much better results after disabling web search in Windows Search. There’s no built-in option to do this in the settings, but it can be done with a bit of Registry tweaking.

DocFetcher takes the opposite approach. It is narrow and precise, concerned only with documents, and it searches them thoroughly. Where Windows Search might miss text in a PDF or ignore content inside an archive, DocFetcher surfaces results from Office files, PDFs, text documents, source code, and even compressed formats such as .zip and .rar. Because you choose which folders are indexed, results stay relevant to your workflow rather than being cluttered with random system files. And since everything happens locally, there is no sense that your queries are being sent to Bing or anywhere else.

The first thing I noticed after switching was speed, but the way it handles results was just as impressive. A built-in preview pane lets you see the text inside a document immediately, with your keywords highlighted. This saves you from opening multiple PDFs just to find the right one. Filtering by size, file type, or location makes it easy to zero in on what you need, which is especially useful when working with a large archive.

DocFetcher also handles advanced use cases with ease. Old email archives in Outlook PST files can be indexed and searched. Developers can point it at a code repository and search across thousands of files instantly. Even compressed archives aren’t a barrier, since the program can look inside nested .zip and .rar files.

You don’t need Windows Search

Windows Search has only gotten worse over time, and I don’t expect it to improve. There are plenty of alternatives you can use to ditch it and get results faster. DocFetcher is a solid choice if you want an open-source option, but if you’re open to any tool, you might want to try Everything, which is a popular favorite. Another good pick is PowerToys Run, which brings Spotlight Search-like features to Windows. And if you’d still rather stick with Windows Search, there are ways to make it a lot better and more effective.