Finding a File

Windows File Explorer can be used to find a file.

1	Open File Explorer in one of the following ways:

•	Right-click the Windows Start button at the bottom left corner of your screen, then click click File Explorer or Explore or Open Windows Explorer (the terminology varies depending on which version of Windows you are using).

•	Press Windows+E (the Windows button on your keyboard and the E key).

•	If Windows Explorer is already open, click the Exploring icon on your Windows taskbar or hold down the Alt key while you repeatedly press the Tab key to scroll through open programs to Explorer.

Press Ctrl+F to open the Search dialog. The Search dialog varies a little depending on the version of Windows you are using. Fill in information including the drive or folder you want to search, the file name and/or date modified, size, etc. In most versions, you can use the * wildcard when you type in the name of the file you are trying to find, and you can specify which folders and subfolders should be searched. For example, if you search for ab*.nb, Windows Explorer will search the folders that you specify for all of the files that start with ab and have an .nb extension. In Windows XP, you do not need the wildcard. Searching for ab.nb would find files that start with ab and have an .nb extension. If you don't know which folders to search, you can search your whole c drive.

3	Once you have found a file, you may want to make note of the path.

If you have a general idea of the location of the file, it may be easier to find it by browsing using either File Explorer or the Nota Bene File Open dialog. If you use the Nota Bene File Open dialog, there is a preview button that allows you to inspect the file before opening it.