Start Screen Search Won't search IE Favorites Websites

Ronc

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It seems I have to open File Explorer and use the search box there to search the contents of my IE Favorites folder. Is there anyway to add the same capability to the Start Screen Search. So far all I can do is put in the word "favorites" and start screen search finds the Favorites folder but it can't find any of the internet shortcuts (*.url files) within the Favorites folder. Is this normal? If so how can I change the normal behavior so it works like the start button search from Vista and Win7?
 

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Hello Ronc. Welcome to Eight Forums.

There are many ways to search favorites.
Also favorites can be added to the start screen search.

First, the easiest way is to pin the favorites folder to the start screen.

pinfavorites.jpg


Second, is to list favorites (using internet explorer) in metro or desktop views.

iefavd.jpg

iefav.jpg

(Adding favorites to start screen search)
Third, is to copy your current favorites folder to the metro UI start menu folder ...

sm1.jpg

The following is an example (only a few) of website favorites being listed in the start screen search.

favab.jpg

Still, the easiest way is to pin the favorites folder to the start screen.
 

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The problem is that although it does search for the odd file that is not an "Internet Shortcut" (i.e. ending in .url) it doesn't search through the hundreds of .url files in that folder. (IE puts .url files in Favorites whenever I save a website.) To search for Internet Favorite websites I must use the search box in file explorer. I specifically checked to make sure that the .url file extension is included in the index as well as the Favorites folder. (As mentioned in the Title to the post.)
 

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The problem is that although it does search for the odd file that is not an "Internet Shortcut" (i.e. ending in .url) it doesn't search through the hundreds of .url files in that folder. (IE puts .url files in Favorites whenever I save a website.) To search for Internet Favorite websites I must use the search box in file explorer. I specifically checked to make sure that the .url file extension is included in the index as well as the Favorites folder. (As mentioned in the Title to the post.)

I cannot imagine having hundreds of favorites but if you do, you can copy your favorites folder to the place specified if you wish to use the start screen search to list them in all apps.

19774d1364237242-windows-8-search-not-working-properly-sm1.jpg


urls.jpg

urls1.jpg
 

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You must identify the search terms using the start screen by the title of the web page not the extension.
If you want to search in file explorer, then you can use wildcards.

Still works here... on the start screen

f1.jpg
 

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search should be working. you should see it on other drives. my drives from c through l can be searched. are you sure you clicked on "Files" after doing your search?

21lle38.jpg

2d85etx.jpg

and if you want to find *.url, through the Search in the charms bar, you could type "url" (but yeah, for wildcards, it's better to use the search box in the file window0url.
 

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Start Screen Search Won't search IE Favorites for Websites

OK. I've done some research to better describe what I'm trying to do, which is nothing more than recreate what the Start Button search did in Vista and Windows 7. In my favorites folder I have two files named "Twitter": one is "Twitter.com" the Internet Shortcut and the other is a Notepad file called "Twitter.txt". The File Explorer search finds both easily, just as the Start Button search did in Vista and Windows 7. But the Start Screen search only finds the Notepad file (with the txt extension) not the Internet shortcut file (with the url extension). So it does search the Favorites folder but not for the type of file the folder is usually used for (Favorite websites).
 

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OK. I've done some research to better describe what I'm trying to do, which is nothing more
than recreate what the Start Button search did in Vista and Windows 7.

You cannot recreate what previous versions of windows did using the 7 start button as a compare and contrast point of reference. 8 has a similar approach but is designed differently and will yield results in a different way.

The desktop (Win32) exists, in a huge way now, because it is absolutely necessary. The metro (WinRT) has different features and is not the same as the familiar.

But the Start Screen search only finds the Notepad file (with the txt extension) not the Internet shortcut file (with the url extension)

Start Screen search results:

favc.jpg

Start Screen search results:

atralls.jpg

But the Start Screen search only finds the Notepad file (with the txt extension) not the Internet shortcut file (with the url extension). So it does search the Favorites folder but not for the type of file the folder is usually used for (Favorite websites).

Not really sure anymore what you are referring to in start screen search.
Do you mean the charms files (or apps) search?
The start screen and apps area are used to list and launch apps and recognized shortcuts.

twit.jpg
 
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The charms search will not recognize *.url (wildcard) as a search term. File explorer does.
The charms search will recognize *.html as an extension.

exthtml.jpg

htmls.jpg

In Windows 8, the file explorer is the best device to use to search files.
The easiest way to access favorites in Windows 8 is to pin the favorites folder to the start screen.
 

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Not really sure anymore what you are referring to in start screen search.
Do you mean the charms files (or apps) search?
The start screen and apps area are used to list and launch apps and recognized shortcuts.
The magnifying glass icon in the charms bar that pops out of the right side of the start screen or the desktop for that matter. Call it the charms search. My charms bar search has a breakdown of Apps, Settings, and Files. An Internet Shortcut is a type of file known as a "url" file, just as a text file is known as a "txt" file. It would be great if the search had a fourth category called "Favorites" that included "url" files but I can't get a "favorites" breakdown category to show up on my system. (In file Explorer I pinned the c:\users\<username>\Favorites folder to the start screen.) It would be impractical to pin hundreds of urls to the start screen; besides, I don't see an option to pin even one.
 

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If you want the start screen to list favorites by web page title, that's if, (not file name extension or file type), then you can copy, as already been stated, the folder, :

favs.jpg

to >
19774d1364237242-windows-8-search-not-working-properly-sm1.jpg


sm4.jpg

Unfortunately this is not what you wanted.
As your post title indicated, Start Screen Won't search for IE Favorites Websites, ...
oh, but it does, if the favorites folder is planted in the proper location.

Individual favorites can also be planted and pinned to the start screen (or apps area) if you copy them to the correct location, as stated.

:lock:But, I think we will not resolve this to what you would prefer, so, ! cheers ! :lock:
 
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Is url checked in Advanced Index Options:

Advanced Index Optioons.jpg
 

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Is url checked in Advanced Index Options:

The OP wanted a charms search listing to be the same as in file explorer (to pick out a particular file type and list them - favorites urls). I think there was also an interest in the start screen functioning the same as the file explorer or as a re-creation of the Vista or Windows 7 desktop start menu. It does not work that way.

File Explorer:

111g.jpg

Metro Explorer Charms Search (fully indexed):

111f.jpg
 

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If you want the start screen to list favorites by web page title, that's if, (not file name extension or file type), then you can copy, as already been stated...
Call it the file name or web page title. Let's say the page title is "Twitter", but I may change it to "Twitter-Me". In any case it's the final name that I would be searching for usually not *.url (unless I wanted to find all internet shortcuts listed in the results). But thanks for telling me how to do it. It just seems odd that without moving the Favorites folder to the start menu, I can "charms" search for and find a file named "Twitter.txt" in the same Favorites folder but not an internet shortcut file having the same name and located in the same folder.
 

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Does everyone know about indexing?
I do, since I've been using Vista or Windows 7 for the past 6 years. So I checked the index for the Favorites folder and the .url file type. (At least for a File Explorer search, a file doesn't need to be indexed to be searched for; indexing just speeds it up.)
 
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How to Search For Favorite URLs

It seems I have to open File Explorer and use the search box there to search the contents of my IE Favorites folder. Is there anyway to add the same capability to the Start Screen Search. So far all I can do is put in the word "favorites" and start screen search finds the Favorites folder but it can't find any of the internet shortcuts (*.url files) within the Favorites folder. Is this normal? If so how can I change the normal behavior so it works like the start button search from Vista and Win7?
Apparently Microsoft added a feature to IE itself some time ago that I was not aware of 'til now. The bar at the top in which a website's url appears doubles a search bar. If you type in a word or phrase appearing in the title given to the url when it was saved in the Favorites folder, that title and link will appear in a dropdown list under the heading "Favorites". If it's in your browsing history, it will show up under the heading "History". This may be preferable if you want to limit your search to browsing history or the Favorites folder. However, if you often move your saved favorites to another folder (e.g. Downloads or Documents), you will have to revert to the global File Explorer search to find them.
 

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