About Google Desktop Search

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Search your own computer

Google Desktop Search is how our brains would work if we had photographic memories. It's a desktop search application that provides full text search over your email, computer files, chats, and the web pages you've viewed. By making your computer searchable, Google Desktop Search puts your information easily within your reach and frees you from having to manually organize your files, emails, and bookmarks.

After downloading Google Desktop Search, you can search your personal items as easily as you search the Internet using Google. Unlike traditional computer search software that updates once a day, Google Desktop Search updates continually for most file types, so that when you receive a new email in Outlook, for example, you can search for it within seconds. The index of searchable information created by Desktop Search is stored on your own computer.

In addition to basic search, Google Desktop Search introduces new ways to access relevant and timely information. When you view a web page in Internet Explorer, Google Desktop Search "caches" or stores its content so that you can later look at that same version of the page, even if its live content has changed or you're offline. Google Desktop Search organizes email search results into conversations, so that all email messages in the same thread are grouped into a single search result.

We're currently working to fine tune our algorithms and to add more capabilities to Google Desktop Search, including the ability to search for more types of information on your computer. Your opinions and feedback can help us with this process. What types of files or other information would you like to be able to search? What new features would be helpful? Please contact us and let us know.

Frequently Asked Questions



What does Google Desktop Search do?
Why is this useful?
Where do I go to do a Desktop Search?
What are the system requirements for running Google Desktop Search?
How long will the download take?
How easy is it to install?
After installing, how soon can I search my computer?
Will Google Desktop Search affect my computer's performance?
What about my privacy? Does Google Desktop Search share my content with anyone?
How come Google Desktop Search doesn't search all my communications and files?
Is Google Desktop Search available in languages other than English?
How do I uninstall?
1. What does Google Desktop Search do?

With Google Desktop Search, you can search the full text of your email, files, viewed web pages, and chats. Specifically, you can:

Search email from Outlook 2000+ and Outlook Express 5+
Search files in TXT, HTML, DOC, XLS, and PPT formats (Office 2000+)
Search chats from AOL 7+ and AOL Instant Messenger 5+
Search web pages viewed in Internet Explorer 5+
2. Why is this useful?

Since you can easily search information on your computer, you don't need to worry about organizing your files, email, or bookmarks. You can just do a quick search for what you remember seeing, instead of having to remember exactly what file, email, or web page had that information, and where that item is now located on your computer.

3. Where do I go to do a Desktop Search?

Right after you install Google Desktop Search, your browser will show the Desktop Search home page. After you close the Desktop Search home page, you can quickly get back to Desktop Search by double-clicking the Desktop Search icon in your system task tray (usually at the bottom right of your screen).

4. What are the system requirements for running Google Desktop Search?

Google Desktop Search is currently available for Windows XP and Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and above. To install, you must have administrator privileges (home users shouldn't have this problem; people in offices might). It also requires 500MB of space available on your hard disk. We also recommend a minimum of 128MB of RAM and a 400MHz Pentium processor.

5. How long will the download take?

The download is only about 400K (smaller than a typical digital photo) and will take a few seconds over broadband or about a minute over a modem.

6. How easy is it to install?

Installing Google Desktop Search is quick and easy:

Click here to download and install Google Desktop Search.
Click "Open" or "Run" in the new window that appears. The download will start.
Google Desktop Search may ask you to quit some open applications, like Internet Explorer or Outlook. Click "OK" to quit these applications and start the Google Desktop Search installation.
After about a minute, a web page will appear congratulating you on a successful installation. It will also ask you to set a few preferences.
Next you will be notified that Google Desktop Search is preparing an index that will enable you to search through your own information.
Just click "Start searching" to start using Google Desktop Search.
7. After installing, how soon can I search my computer?

After installing, Google Desktop Search starts indexing the email, files, and web pages that were stored on your computer before you installed Google Desktop Search. This process occurs while you aren't using your computer and may take several hours, depending on how many items you have on your computer. When this is completed, you'll be able to search the items on your computer.

8. Will Google Desktop Search affect my computer's performance?

Google Desktop Search should not slow down your computer's performance, because it only builds its index when you aren't using your computer. So it may make sense to install before going to lunch.

9. What about my privacy? Does Google Desktop Search share my content with anyone?

We treat your privacy with the utmost respect. The Google Desktop Search program does not make your computer's content accessible to Google or anyone else. You can learn more by reading the Desktop Search privacy policy.

10. How come Google Desktop Search doesn't search all my communications and files?

Google Desktop Search is still under development as a beta product. We intend to add new file, email, and chat formats and browsers as Google Desktop Search evolves, and when new formats are created and used. If there's a format you'd like Google Desktop Search to be able to search, please let us know. We can't guarantee that we'll add every type that's suggested, but your suggestions will let us know what formats are important to you.

11. Is Google Desktop Search available in languages other than English?

Google Desktop Search is currently only available with an English interface and supports search in English (though a limited set of other languages may also be used for searches). We're committed to making Google Desktop Search available to as many people in as many languages as possible.

12. How do I uninstall?

You can easily uninstall Google Desktop Search by going to Start > Programs > Google Desktop Search > Uninstall Google Desktop Search.