Find a lost file with Windows search
Explains how to track down a file you cannot find, step by step, from what you remember about it, and what to check if search misses it.
Task:
Explain how to find a file I lost on my Windows PC, using what I remember about it.
Context:
The file is a [type of file, for example a spreadsheet]. I remember [name fragments, words inside it, or when I last used it]. It might be in [places it could be, or "no idea"].
Rules:
- Give a search order of at most six steps, from the quickest to the slowest, and say what each step covers.
- Show how to use what I remember, such as a word in the name, a date or a file type, to narrow the search.
- Add a short list of reasons a search can miss a file that exists, with one check for each.
- If you are not sure how a search option is called in my version, describe where to look instead of quoting a label.
Result:
A numbered list of the steps, then the list of reasons for a miss, under 250 words in total.