Program files (.exe) not found by Windows Search

Program files (.exe) which are not installed (and so don't have a shortcut) are not being found by Windows search. Shortcuts, help files, folders etc with the same name all show up.



Indexing is complete and .exe is defined (as default) in indexing options to Index Properties Only using the File Properties Filter. If I open up the old Windows 8 fly-out style search then .exe are found so they must be in the index.



I found this thread which is the same http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-files/windows-7-search-doesnt-work but the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes registry key doesn't exist in 10.

Any ideas how to make this work in the normal Windows search? (I'm not interested in any third party search tool).

Hi, same thing. No exe's found.

My index includes the Sysinternals folder. An appropriate search in explorer finds procmon.exe.

Here's an odd thing: in 'Cortana' search/My Stuff, searching for 'procmon' gave, as you found, 'procmon.chm'. Searching for procmon.exe found nothing. I also tried 'procmon.*'. This time I got a message saying 'Windows is still indexing some files'. Yet I had waited for indexing to be complete- and it said so. I noted some other searches also led to 'Windows is still indexing some files'.

I've put shortcuts in ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs for now (then it works) but it isn't a good solution.

- yep, that's what I've got- so I have them in Classic Shell as normal start menu shortcuts, and of course, it can find them.

Hmm. So another minor Win 10 bug? But hey, I've no plan to use that search - or Cortana... even tho' 'Who created you?' etc is mildly amusing- once.

It did seem that a non-indexed search via Explorer was much faster than one using that search box (for the same thing)- which I gave up on.

The Search on the Taskbar includes Cortana, didn't care for that and also didn't want to search the Web but only the PC so went into Settings on that panel and turned those two features off then did a Search for *.exe and got a whole bunch of results.

Ztruker said:

The Win 10 image you posted shows Procmon.exe. Isn't that what you were looking for?

Both images are from Win10. The top one is from pressing the key and typing proc and doesn't show it, the second is from opening the old style search ("C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Search.lnk") and it does.

It would be wasteful to index every single (orphan) file under Program Files. Gigabytes of game files etc.
Actually, this was the old behavior that people complained about because of performance concerns, in previous versions of Windows.
So, if it's a portable program, please add it yourself to the programs list.
Or use a proper file manager with a proper search, like Total Commander or it's alternatives.

AveYo said:

It would be wasteful to index every single (orphan) file under Program Files. Gigabytes of game files etc.
Actually, this was the old behavior that people complained about because of performance concerns, in previous versions of Windows.
So, if it's a portable program, please add it yourself to the programs list.
Or use a proper file manager with a proper search, like Total Commander or it's alternatives.

I don't think you understand. They are not in program files and they are indexed - just not shown in search results.

In indexing options you can chose what to index but as they are in user folders they are indexed by default.

And I'm telling you that's not how it works.
Programs must be registered as programs, else won't show.
This is a (security?!) "feature".