S-IT FileFinder

Overview

S-IT FileFinder helps you find files on your local PC – even if all you remember is a fragment of the name, a rough date or the file type. The search runs directly on the file system, without an index service, and covers either all selected drives at once or one specific folder. Result lists can be sorted, saved and loaded again later, and selected files can be copied, moved or sent to the Recycle Bin straight from the tool.

User interface

The window has three areas: the header bar with the Start, Results Manager, Settings and Help buttons, the search criteria area and the result table with the save buttons below it.

Header bar

Button	Function
🏠 Start	Returns the program to the empty start view at any time: fields and result list are cleared, and a loaded result or the “Large files” view is closed.
⚙️ Settings	Opens the settings dialog for display (scaling, advanced filters at startup), default sorting and language. All settings are stored in the file `FileFinder-config.ini` – there is no need to edit the INI by hand.
📋 Results Manager	Shows all saved results for loading, viewing and deleting (see below).
❓ Help	Opens this help file in your default browser.

Search criteria

Basic search

Field	Meaning & examples
File name contains	One or more name fragments, separated by spaces. The search is not case-sensitive. Example: `Werner Schmi` → finds all files containing both werner and schmi in the name.
File type / extension	File extension with or without the dot. Examples: `jpg` · `.pdf` · `docx`

Advanced filters

The advanced filters can be shown or hidden with the F11 key or the “🔍 Advanced filters ▼” toggle. Whether they are visible at startup is set in the ⚙️ Settings dialog. The window adjusts automatically.

Field	Meaning & examples
📅 Created from / to	Narrows the search by the date the file was created. Format: `DD.MM.YYYY` · Example: `01.01.2023` to `31.12.2023`
✏️ Modified from / to	Narrows the search by the date of the last edit/save. Useful for finding recently edited documents. Format: `DD.MM.YYYY`
Size at least / at most (MB)	Limits the file size in megabytes. Both fields are optional.

Created or Modified – what is the difference? Created is the date the file was placed in its current location. Modified is the date of the last edit. For copied files the created date is often newer than the modified date – so a file can be old even though it looks “newly created”.

All fields are optional Empty fields are ignored during the search. It is enough, for example, to enter just an extension to find all files of that type.

Search scope: folder or drives

Above the drive area there is the field Folder only. If a folder is entered there (select it via Browse… or type it in directly), only this folder including its subfolders is searched – the drive selection below is greyed out and all check marks are removed. The field applies to both searches, including 🔍 Large files. With ✕ or via ✖ Clear fields the field is emptied and the previous drive selection returns.

Without a folder entered, the drive selection applies as before: all detected drives are shown automatically as check boxes. With All every drive is checked or unchecked at once; any combination of individual drives is possible.

Note on system folders In the root directory of each drive, the Windows system folders (Windows, $Recycle.Bin, System Volume Information and others) are skipped automatically to speed up the search. This also applies when a drive root such as C:\ is entered in the Folder only field. All other folders are searched completely.

Search buttons

Button	Function
🔍 START SEARCH	Starts the search with the current criteria. Hits appear as they are found. Alternative: `Enter` in the name field.
🔍 Large files	Finds the 100 largest files on the checked drives or in the entered folder, sorted by size in descending order. Name, date and size filters are ignored – only the size counts. Ideal for quickly spotting the biggest space hogs.
⏹ Cancel	Stops a running search immediately. Hits found so far remain visible.
✖ Clear fields	Resets all input fields and empties the result table.

Result table

Found files are shown with file name, size, modified and created date and path. The table scrolls; column widths can be adjusted with the mouse.

Sorting

Clicking a column header sorts the list by that column; clicking again reverses the direction (arrow ▲/▼). Size is sorted correctly by bytes, dates by their real timestamp – not by the displayed text. Which sorting is applied automatically after a search is set in the ⚙️ Settings dialog (default: Modified, newest first).

Double-click

Opens the folder containing the file in Windows Explorer – with the file selected.

Multiple selection

With Ctrl individual rows are added to the selection, with Shift whole blocks. The selection is the basis for the action window (copy / move / delete, see below).

Right-click – context menu

Menu item	Action
📂 Open folder in Explorer	Explorer opens the folder with the file selected.
▶ Open file	Opens the file with its associated default program.
📋 Copy path	Copies the full file path to the clipboard.
🔧 Selection: copy / move / delete …	Opens the action window for all selected files (see below).

Action window: copy / move / delete

Select one or more files in the result list and choose “🔧 Selection: copy / move / delete …” via right-click. A separate window opens, listing the selected files – all actions run inside the tool itself, without calling Explorer, with their own progress bar.

Action	Behaviour
📋 Copy	Asks for a destination folder and copies the selection there. The result list stays unchanged.
✂ Move	Moves the selection to the destination folder. Moved files disappear from the list.
🗑 To Recycle Bin	Puts the selection into the Windows Recycle Bin – so it is recoverable, not permanently deleted. Deleted files disappear from the list.

No overwriting If a file of the same name already exists at the destination, the copy automatically gets a suffix (Name (2).ext, Name (3).ext …) – so nothing is ever lost by accident.

Saving results & Results Manager

Below the result table there are two buttons. Both store the result in the fixed folder FileFinder-Suchen\ next to the program – each as a loadable file (.ffs) and as an HTML report for viewing.

Button	Function
💾 Save result	Saves the current result quietly (for the Results Manager).
🖨 Result report	Saves the result and opens the HTML report in your browser right away – for viewing, printing or sharing. The report header shows under Search scope where the search ran – the drives, or the folder path for a folder search.

Results Manager

The 📋 Results Manager button in the header bar lists all saved results (date/time, hits, search term, search scope), newest first. For a folder search, the search scope shows the folder path.

Button	Function
📂 Load	Brings search criteria and result list back into the main window (double-click works too). For a saved folder search, the folder is also restored to the “Folder only” field.
🌐 Open HTML	Opens the HTML report of the selected result in your browser.
🗑 Delete	Deletes the selected saved results (multiple selection possible).
📅 Delete from–to	Deletes all saved results within a date range.

A loaded result is locked against re-saving Once a result has been loaded in the manager, “Save result” and “Result report” are locked – an already saved result should not keep copying itself endlessly. A dark blue ⓘ then appears next to the status line with an explanation. In this case, open the HTML report via “🌐 Open HTML” in the Results Manager. A new search or “Clear fields” unlocks saving again.

Settings (⚙️)

All settings are made through the dialog and stored in FileFinder-config.ini – no manual work on the INI is needed.

Setting	Meaning
Scaling	Display size: Automatic (system value) or 90 % to 200 %. A change takes effect after restarting the program – the dialog offers the restart directly (the program only, not the PC).
Show advanced filters at startup	Sets whether the advanced filters (date/size) are visible when the program starts.
Language NEW	Interface language: Deutsch, English, Français or Español – selected via flags in the Language section. A change takes effect after the offered restart of the program.
Default sorting	Column (file name / size / modified / created / path / none) and direction (descending / ascending) by which the list is sorted automatically when a search finishes.

Languages NEW

From version 1.2.16 on, FileFinder speaks four languages: German, English, French and Spanish. The language is chosen in the ⚙️ Settings dialog and, after the program restarts, applies to the whole interface – including all messages and the HTML result report. This help also exists in all four languages; the language bar at the top of every page switches between them.

File names stay the same in every language Saved results are always called Ergebnis_…, and the folder FileFinder-Suchen\ and the FileFinder-config.ini keep their names. The same installation therefore finds its settings and results again after a language change.

Language packs The languages ship as verified, encrypted language packs (sit_fftexte_….3kl) next to the program. If a pack is missing, FileFinder starts in German. Further languages will appear as language packs from Sattler IT-Service.

Keyboard shortcuts

Key	Function
`F11`	Show / hide the advanced filters.
`Enter`	Start the search (when the cursor is in the name field).
`ESC`	Quit the program.

Status line & progress bar

While the search is running, a progress bar moves and the status line shows the progress. When it finishes, the total count appears; skipped folders without access are mentioned as well, e.g.: ✔ Search finished — 47 hits (3 folders without access)

Tips & notes

Quick search for image types Enter the extension jpg or png, select all drives → finds all images. With a date range, holiday photos from a particular year are found in no time.

🌐 Website In the program's footer, the 🌐 Website link leads directly to the FileFinder project page with all versions and this help.

Search where it matters, not everywhere If you roughly know where the file is (e.g. in the download or project folder), enter that folder in the Folder only field – the search then finishes in seconds instead of crawling the whole disk.

Finding space hogs Check the drives and click 🔍 Large files → the 100 largest files appear immediately, biggest first. Fast and clear, without an extra program.

Cleaning up in one go Select several large or old files with Ctrl/Shift, right-click → action window → to the Recycle Bin. Since the Recycle Bin is recoverable, a wrong click stays harmless.

Adjusting the display On very large or small screens, adjust the scaling via ⚙️ Settings (90 % to 200 %). The program then restarts – not the PC.

Network drives Network drives mapped to a drive letter appear in the list and can be searched. On slow connections this can take considerably longer.

Search speed The search runs in the background and does not block the window. On very large drives (several TB) a full search can take a while; it can be stopped at any time with Cancel.

System requirements

Operating system	Windows 10 / 11
Python	3.10 or newer (only for the .py version)
Dependencies	Python standard library only (tkinter, os, threading, ctypes …)
Permissions	No administrator rights required; locked folders are skipped

💛

S-IT FileFinder is freeware.
If you find the tool useful, I would be happy about a small contribution via PayPal:
tool-entwicklung@sattler-it.de · © 2026 Sattler IT-Service, Greifenstein · Author: Hans Udo Sattler