Desktop Search Engines: Reviews

Updated March 2009

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Best desktop search tool overall

Reviewers say Google Desktop keeps getting better with each version -- it's free and available for Linux, Mac and PC. It also has an Enterprise version for businesses and a new Quick Search tool. Google Desktop indexes… the content of files as well as most file types and is easy to customize. Add-ins are available -- for example, to index QuickBooks, OpenOffice and WordPerfect files. An optional sidebar can be customized with over 150 fun and useful widgets that draw information from the web. You can even set up Google Desktop so you can search your hard drive from another computer. The main drawback is the limited categorization of results, plus previews that have minimal formatting. You can add a search toolbar inside Outlook, but these results show no previews at all.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Download.com: CNET editors give this latest version of Google Desktop the highest possible rating, praising its new preview capabilities and ...

DownloadSquad.com: Google Desktop Search 5.5 beats Windows Desktop Search 4 based on DownloadSquad's indexing speed tests, but the reviewer finds ...

Lifehacker.com: This review praises Google Desktop for its cross-platform availability and extensive indexing, but notes that the optional widget ...

MakeUseOf.com (blog): Comparing Google Desktop with three other desktop search engines, this anonymous reviewer praises the way Google can search chats ...

Kalio: The objective tests at Kalio.com compare Google Desktop 4 with four other desktop search engines available at the time. Google ...

PC Pro: Editors give an earlier version, Google Desktop 4, a very low rating of only two stars on a six-point scale, favoring Copernic as ...

PCMag.com: Although an earlier 2005 comparison review ranks Yahoo! Desktop (now X1) at the top, PCMag.com editors are enthusiastic about the ...

PC World: As of 2006, Google Desktop 3 earns top ranking at PC World, edging out the 2005 choice, Copernic.

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Searches the most file types

Copernic Desktop Search Professional 3.1

*Est. $50 Compare Prices

Though it doesn't index inside zipped folders or index chats like Google Desktop does, Copernic does index WordPerfect and OpenOffice files (you need an add-on to search these files with Google Desktop). Copernic earns… kudos for superior speed, ease of use and customization -- plus excellent categorization and previews of results. Copernic indexes most files right away, including Outlook e-mail messages as soon as they're received. This Pro version indexes Outlook tasks and appointments too, and can search network drives -- features no longer available in the free Copernic Home version.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

PC World: This review praises Copernic 3.0 for the way it "displays your results in a clear, easy-to-understand manner." The main ...

Download.com: CNET editors give this slightly earlier version of Copernic Desktop Search a rating of four stars out of a possible five, but ...

Snapfiles.com: Editors at this download site give the free version of Copernic Desktop Search a perfect five-star rating, but the average rating ...

Lifehacker.com: Copernic earns kudos in this comparison review for its excellent previews, but a poll of over 2,000 (mostly tech-savvy) readers ...

PC Pro: This older review gives an earlier version, Copernic Desktop Search 2, top ranking among five desktop search engines, rating it ...

Kalio: Older objective tests here find Copernic 1.6, a much earlier version, faster than Google Desktop 4 but slower than Yahoo! Desktop ...

MusTech.net: Joseph M. Pisano, a musician and fine-arts professor, gives Copernic a rave review based on his personal use of several free and ...

Web Worker Daily: This reviewer praises Copernic Desktop Search for its speed and the fact that it doesn't slow his system, finding it faster than ...

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Fastest desktop search for PC

Everything

Free Compare Prices

Reviewers like the Everything search engine because it is fast and light, indexing and searching a hard drive and external drives in just seconds. It manages this by indexing only file and folder names, not their contents… -- so you'll be out of luck if you can't remember the file name (or part of it). Most desktop search engines don't index folder names at all, so even if you use another search tool at times, this one fills a niche. Moving files and folders is no problem for this tool either, since it re-indexes in seconds every time you launch the program.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

Download.com: At CNET's download site, editors rate the Everything search application four stars (on a five-point scale), praising its ...

MakeUseOf.com (blog): This recent write-up recommends Everything search engine "not for full blown desktop search, but in a crisis where I need that ...

Freeware Genius: Freeware Genius offers users the opportunity to submit reviews for free software. Anonymous contributor "Samer" explains how ...

The Portable Freeware Collection: This forum discussion compares Everything search engine with another popular free desktop search engine for Windows, Locate32. A ...

84 Productions (blog): This brief blog post praises Everything search engine for its speed and minimal use of computer resources.

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Yahoo! Desktop Search Free

3 picks by top review sites.

Windows Desktop Search 4 Free

2 picks by top review sites.

Archivarius *Est. $40

2 picks by top review sites.