Instantly find and retrieve e-mail messages and attachments, business documents, media files, and many other file types located on PCs and file shares on your network. With Windows Search 4.0, simply type a search term and results quickly appear—including information within e-mail messages and their attachments. In Windows Vista, start your search right from the Start menu and fine tune your search within Search Explorer. In Windows XP, use the always visible Deskbar for quick and easy search access to indexed content on your PC or the network. Results are displayed in a clear way that lets you quickly find the exact file or e-mail message you need, even when many results are returned.
The latest version of Windows Search provides the following features:
Download Windows Search 4.0 today and start finding everything faster!
Thinking about installing Windows Search 4.0?
Learn the benefits! Take a moment to review the additional information for
business users, IT professionals, and developers. If you are thinking about deploying Windows Search 4.0 within your company, please also review the Frequently Asked Questions and Deployment Guidance for more information.
Already installed Windows Search and want to get started? Watch these Windows Search training videos to become a search "expert" in no time. Additionally, read our Tips and Tricks for handy references on how you can make your searches even more targeted.
A wide array of support options is available to help you with questions and issues involving search and organization in Windows Search.
Community
Use these community resources to find helpful hints and tips from other Windows Search users.
Help files
Review this page for information on how to find product help within Windows Search 4.0.
Support options
Review the range of self-help, full-service, and deployment support options available for Windows Search.
Technical FAQ
Read the frequently asked questions to review technical issues and specifications for Windows Search.
Review the system requirements for installing Windows Search 4.0:
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![]() | Operating System | Windows Vista SP1
Windows XP SP2+
Windows Server 2003 SP2
Windows Server 2008
Windows Home Server
x64-bit versions of Windows XP SP2+
x64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 SP2
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![]() | Processor Speed | Pentium 500MHz processor or better (1GHz recommended) | ![]() |
![]() | Memory Required | Minimum 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended) | ![]() |
![]() | Hard Disk Space | 500 MB of available hard disk space recommended
Note: The index size depends on how much content is included in the index | ![]() |
![]() | Display | 1024 × 768 screen resolution recommended | ![]() |
![]() | E-mail Indexing and Search | Microsoft Outlook XP or newer version required to index and search your e-mail and/or attachments | ![]() |
![]() | Document Preview | Microsoft Office XP or later versions required for full preview of Microsoft Office documents in search results | ![]() |
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To download Windows Search 4.0, click on the appropriate link for your version of Windows. By downloading, you agree to the end user license agreement for Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2008 and 2003—as well as the Supplemental License Terms listed below. Our privacy statement is also available for review.
Personalize Windows Search with add-ins and third-party protocol handlers.
For Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 (32-bit)
The Windows Search Individual Installer for the 32-bit Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems consists of the Windows Search 4.0 software, and the .ADM template to allow for Group Policy settings. The Windows Vista SP1 package also contains 36 language resources.
For Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 (64-bit)
For the 64-bit Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, the download package contains the Windows Search 4.0 software and the .ADM template to allow for Group Policy settings.
For Windows XP (32-bit)
The Windows Search Individual Installer for the 32-bit Windows XP SP2 (or higher) operating system consists of the Windows Search 4.0 software, the .ADM template to allow for Group Policy settings, and the UNC protocol handler to allow indexing of shared network directories and shared FAT drives. The 32-bit Windows XP package contains 22 stand-alone language installers. This includes English.
For Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Home Server (32-bit)
The Windows Search Individual Installer for the 32-bit Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows Home Server operating systems consists of the Windows Search 4.0 software, the .ADM template to allow for Group Policy settings, and the UNC protocol handler to allow indexing of shared network directories and shared FAT drives. The 32-bit Windows Server 2003 package and the Windows Home Server package contains 22 stand-alone language installers. This includes English.
For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (64-bit)
For the 64-bit Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems, the download package contains the Windows Search 4.0 software and the .ADM template to allow for Group Policy settings.
Multilingual User Interface Language Pack
The Windows Search 4.0 MUI language pack includes resources for 33 languages in one installation package. Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Language Pack for Windows XP.
Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Language Pack for Windows Server 2003 SP2.
Available Languages
The complete list of supported languages for Windows Search and Windows Vista are available for review in the languages table.
Windows Search 4.0 Administration Guide
Use the administration guide to assist with setting up, configuring, and customizing Windows Search 4.0 for your organization. The administration guide offers a deployment checklist, pre-installation considerations, installation instructions, extensibility and programmability information, tips for customizing Windows Search with Group Policy, and additional resources.
Windows Search Supplemental License Terms
Microsoft Corporation (or based on where you live, one of its affiliates) licenses this supplement to you. You may use a copy of this supplement with each validly licensed copy of Microsoft Windows software identified for use with it (the 'software'). You may not use it if you do not have a license for the software. The license terms for the software apply to your use of this supplement.