For Windows 10 & 11

Find the file you know exists.

FileRanger brings Mac-caliber search to Windows with instant results as you type, filters that actually narrow things down, and spacebar previews. Point it at your files and find them.

$9.99 one-time· Runs 100% on your PC· No account· No app telemetry
FileRanger mid-search: filter chips for kind and size narrow results while the Details panel previews the selected image
100% local index No app telemetry No account Runs unelevated Recycle Bin deletion

The problem! I know it’s on here somewhere..

You typed the name. Windows Search thought about it, showed you unrelated results, and never found the file. So you start digging through folders by hand. It shouldn’t be this hard to find something on your own computer.

Windows search returns everything except the file you asked for.
Windows results arrive slowly or feel unpredictable.
There’s no clear way to ask Windows for “the big videos from last month.”
Windows tools are visually bare and give little or no preview.

The search experience Mac users take for granted... now on Windows.

FileRanger builds a fast local index of the folders and drives you choose. After indexing, results appear as you type and every byte stays on your machine.

1
Choose locations

Point FileRanger at the drives and folders you actually care about. Nothing else is touched.

2
It builds a local index

A fast index is built on your PC with live progress, on-demand refresh, and optional scheduling.

3
Search and preview instantly

Type, stack filters, press Space to preview. The right file, before you finish typing.

Search

The right file, before you finish typing.

Results appear as you type, matching names, partial words, phrases, and extensions. Then stack filters to move from thousands of hits to the exact file.

Kind is Image Size greater than 1 MB Modified Jan 1
  • As-you-type search — no Enter, no search syntax.
  • Filter by name, extension, kind, path, folder, drive, size, and dates.
  • Type .png or .docx to jump to that type.
  • Deep indexing searches supported text and metadata inside files.
  • Save searches for one-click reuse.
Filter chips 'Kind is .png' and 'Size greater than 1 MB' applied to a search, with sortable results and a details preview
Quick Look preview window showing a full-size image over the results list, opened with the spacebar
Preview

Press space. See the file. Open nothing.

Select a result and press Spacebar to open a large preview. Use the arrow keys to move through results without launching Photoshop, Acrobat, or a video player just to identify the right file.

Space while FileRanger is focused

Formats other tools just shrug at.

FileRanger renders the actual file for a broad range of formats with Windows-thumbnail fallback for everything else.

Images

PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, WebP, TIFF, ICO, HEIC, and SVG.

Documents

PDF, Illustrator .ai, and Photoshop .psd / .psb thumbnails.

Video

MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WebM, WMV, MPG, and more — with controls.

Text & code

TXT, MD, CSV, JSON, XML, HTML, CSS, JS, PY, CS, and more.

Interactive 3D

OBJ, STL, FBX, DAE, 3DS, PLY, and glTF/GLB.

Color tags: mark files with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, or gray. Tags appear beside file names and in the Details panel — every color also carries a text label.

Collect and move

Gather files from everywhere — then move the batch in one go.

A useful search surfaces files across many folders and drives. Add them to File Roundup as you find them, then move or copy the checked batch to a single destination.

  • Add files by right-click or drag-and-drop.
  • Move to relocate; copy to keep the originals.
  • Duplicate Roundup entries are skipped.
  • Name conflicts get a unique name — nothing is overwritten.

A move removes originals from their previous folders; a copy does not. Deletion is a separate action and always goes to the Recycle Bin.

File Roundup panel with ten checked files collected from search results, ready to Move to or Copy to a chosen folder
FileRanger indexing a drive in three stages: no locations added, a drive being added, then the drive indexed and ready to search
Speed and control

It indexes in the background so search never waits.

Choose the drives and folders FileRanger should know about. It builds a local index, shows live progress, and can refresh locations on demand or on a schedule while it sits in the system tray.

Deep indexing reads additional metadata and supported in-file text. Prefer manual control? Run indexing now is one click away.

Your files never leave your PC. Full stop.

FileRanger’s index lives entirely on your machine. No telemetry, no analytics, no cloud account, no file upload. It runs as a normal user and never asks for administrator rights. The only external actions are ones you start, opening Help in a browser or preparing a support email for your review.

100% local index No app telemetry No account No admin rights Recycle Bin deletion

Small app. Deep toolbox.

Right-click power

Reveal in Explorer, copy path, copy to folder.

Multi-select

Act on many files at once.

Safe deletes

Confirmation first; files go to the Recycle Bin.

Saved searches

Re-run common searches from the sidebar.

Relevance ranking

Best matches first — with a reason shown.

Themes

Dark and light themes plus a custom accent color.

System tray

Available without keeping a full window open.

Deep indexing

Search supported metadata and in-file text.

Why not just use…?

Capability
FileRanger
Windows Search
Typical tools
Reliable name search
Yes
Inconsistent
Usually
Results as you type
Yes
No
Often
Clear filters for kind, size, date, location
Yes
Limited
Varies
In-file text search
Yes, deep indexing
Limited
Varies
Spacebar Quick Look
Yes
No
Rare
Rich previews incl. video, code, 3D
Yes
Limited
Rare
Color tags
Yes
No
Rare
Roundup and bulk move/copy
Yes
No
Rare
Local and offline operation
Yes
Mixed
Often
No account or admin rights
Yes
No account needed
Varies

Built by CTRL Colab. Designed to stay out of your data.

FileRanger is a CTRL Colab product. It operates locally, uses no account, and never sends your file index to a cloud service.

Stop hunting. Start finding.

Give FileRanger the folders you care about and make hard-to-find files easy to locate again.

Download for Windows
$9.99 one-time  ·  Version 1.2  ·  Windows 10 & 11  ·  No account  ·  No app telemetry
One purchase, not a subscription. Covered by a 14-day refund, any reason. Your licence and download arrive by email within minutes.