Windows 11 Partial File Name Search

To search for files using partial names in Windows 11, you utilize wildcard characters within the File Explorer search bar.

The primary wildcard for matching any sequence of characters (including none) is the asterisk ($*$). This allows you to find files when you only know part of their name.

Using the Asterisk Wildcard

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to the folder or drive where you want to search.
3. Click in the Search bar located at the top-right corner.
4. Type the partial file name, using the asterisk ($*$) as a placeholder for unknown characters. For example, to find all Word documents starting with "budget", you would type: $budget*.docx$. To find all files containing "report" anywhere in the name, you could use: $*report*$.
5. Press Enter or click the search icon. Windows will display files matching your pattern.

The asterisk ($*$) wildcard is essential for flexible file searching when the exact file name isn't known.