Frequently Asked Questions

FileLocater.net is a powerful, browser-based file search tool that allows you to quickly find files on your computer. It works entirely in your browser with no installation required, and all processing happens locally on your device for maximum privacy.

Yes! FileLocater.net is completely free to use. There are no hidden charges, premium tiers, or feature limitations. We support the service through non-intrusive advertising.

No installation is required. FileLocater.net runs entirely in your web browser. Just visit our website and click "Launch App" to start searching your files immediately.

Once the application is loaded in your browser, it can work offline for searching your local files. However, you need an internet connection to initially load the application.

No, absolutely not. All file processing happens locally in your browser. Your files never leave your computer, and we have no access to them. This is a fundamental design principle of FileLocater.net.

Your search history and saved searches are stored locally in your browser using IndexedDB. This data never leaves your device and can be cleared at any time through your browser settings.

FileLocater.net uses the File System Access API, a modern browser feature that allows web applications to access your local files with your explicit permission. All searching, filtering, and content analysis happens directly in your browser using JavaScript and Web Workers.

No, we cannot see your files, file names, search queries, or any other data about your searches. Everything happens locally on your computer, and no search data is transmitted to our servers.

You can search for any file type on your computer. FileLocater.net supports searching by filename for all file types, and can search inside the contents of text files, PDFs, Word documents, and many other common formats.

Yes! FileLocater.net can search inside the contents of many file types including:

• PDF files
• Microsoft Word documents (.doc, .docx)
• Text files (.txt, .md, .rtf)
• Code files (.js, .py, .html, .css, etc.)
• And many more text-based formats

To use regular expressions:

1. Select "Regular Expression" from the Search Mode dropdown
2. Enter your regex pattern in the search box
3. Common examples:
   • .*\.pdf$ - Find all PDF files
   • IMG_\d{4} - Find files like IMG_0001, IMG_0002
   • (report|summary).*2024 - Find reports or summaries from 2024

FileLocater.net offers four search modes:

• Simple Search: Basic text matching, case-insensitive by default
• Wildcard: Use * for any characters and ? for single character
• Regular Expression: Advanced pattern matching using regex syntax
• Boolean: Combine terms with AND, OR, NOT operators

FileLocater.net works best in modern browsers that support the File System Access API:

• Google Chrome (version 86+)
• Microsoft Edge (version 86+)
• Opera (version 72+)

Note: Firefox and Safari do not yet support the File System Access API.

For security reasons, web applications cannot access your files without your explicit permission. When you select a folder, your browser asks for permission to let FileLocater.net read the files in that folder. This is a security feature of modern browsers to protect your privacy.

There's no limit on the number or total size of files you can search. However, for content search (searching inside files), we recommend limiting individual files to 10MB for optimal performance. You can adjust this limit in the settings.

Yes, you can search network drives as long as they're mounted and accessible from your operating system. When selecting a folder, navigate to your network drive just as you would with a local drive.

To improve search performance:

• Be more specific with your search terms
• Use filters to narrow down the search scope
• Disable "Search Inside Files" if you only need filename matches
• Search specific folders instead of entire drives
• Close other browser tabs to free up resources

If file preview isn't working:

• Check if the file size is within the preview limit (default 5MB)
• Ensure the file type is supported for preview
• Try refreshing the page
• Check your browser console for any error messages

If you're experiencing issues:

• Make sure you're using a supported browser (Chrome, Edge, or Opera)
• Clear your browser cache and cookies
• Disable browser extensions that might interfere
• Check if JavaScript is enabled in your browser
• Try using an incognito/private browsing window

To report a bug, please contact us with:

• Your browser name and version
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Any error messages you see
• Screenshots if applicable