Have you ever transferred pictures to your PC but forgot where you saved them? Or, do you have lots of pictures but don’t know how to locate some of them?
Fortunately, this article covers everything you need to know.
We’ll show you some quick ways to find all the pictures on your Windows device. From there, we’ll check out how you can locate the pictures that might be hidden somewhere on your device.
1. Use the “People” Tab on the Windows Photos App
The Windows Photos app makes it easy for you to view all the pictures on your PC. But did you know that you can use this tool to search for your pictures easily?
Interestingly, the Photos app has a search bar and several tabs that help you easily locate your pictures.
Let’s start by focusing on the “People” tab. This feature uses a facial recognition tool to find and organize your photos and videos. It usually comes in handy when you want to find all the pictures of a specific person.
Here’s how you can use the “People” tab on the Photos app to find your pictures:
- Type Photos in the Start Menu search bar and select the Best match.
- Click the People tab in the top-left corner of the screen. If the “People” feature isn’t enabled yet, be sure to activate it before you proceed.
Next, look at all the profiles that appear in the middle pane and then select one of them. This should now display all the images of that specific person—even if the photos are saved in different folders.
So, if you’ve been struggling to locate someone’s pictures on your Windows PC, this method will help you out. But if you want to find other pictures, then you can use the other tabs on the Photos app.
2. Use the Search Bar and Other Tabs on the Windows Photos App
If you’re looking for a high-resolution HD wallpaper but can’t easily find it, try the search bar and the tabs on the Windows Photos app. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Type Photos in the Start Menu search bar and select the Best match.
- Type the name of the photo you’re looking for in the search bar and then select the relevant option when it appears.
Alternatively, try the various tabs on the Photos app.
Let’s start with the Folders tab:
- Click the Folders tab in the top-left corner of the screen. This should display all the folders containing your pictures. If some folders are missing, click the “Missing folders?” option in the top-right corner to troubleshoot this problem.
- Finally, select the folder containing the pictures you’re looking for.
Next, let’s see how the Collection tab can help:
- Click the Collection tab in the top-left corner of the screen.
- Scroll down and click the collection containing the pictures you’re looking for.
Finally, click the Albums tab and see if this option can help you locate your photos.
3. Use File Explorer’s Search Bar to Find All Your Pictures
The Windows File Explorer is one of the best and most reliable file management tools. Now, let’s explore how you can use the tool’s search bar to find all your pictures easily:
- Open File Explorer by clicking its taskbar icon or by pressing Win + E.
- Next, click This PC on the left-hand side pane.
- Type kind:picture in File Explorer’s search bar and press Enter. This should display all your pictures, but you might have to wait for a few minutes for the results to load.
Finally, scroll down to find the picture you’re looking for. If you want to change the thumbnail size, click any of the two options that appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
4. Search for Photos Using Specific File Names
Now, let’s say you know the name of the photo you’re looking for. However, the name coincides with the names of various other file types (videos, audio files, and more).
How do you tackle this issue?
File Explorer’s search bar can help with that too! Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
- Click This PC on the left-hand side pane.
- Type filename kind:picture in File Explorer’s search bar, but replace “filename” with the exact name of your file. For example, if you’re looking for a picture named “Sound icon,” type Sound icon kind:picture and then press Enter.
5. Search for Photos Using a Specific File Format
File Explorer’s search bar can also help you find photos of a specific format (such as JPG, PNG, and more). Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
- Type ext:.fileformat in File Explorer’s search bar and replace “fileformat” with the image file format you’re looking for. For example, if you’re looking for JPG files, type ext:.JPG and then press Enter.
Finally, scroll down and locate the picture you’re looking for.
Now, if you know the name and the file format of the photo you’re looking for, you can still use File Explorer’s search bar to find that file. This method could be helpful if you have lots of similar images with the same name but different file formats.
So, here’s how you can search for a photo using its name and file format on File Explorer:
- Open File Explorer as per the previous steps.
- Type filename ext:.fileformat and replace “filename” with the name of your file and “fileformat” with the correct format. For example, if you’re looking for a JPG file named Sound icon, your search query should be Sound icon ext:.JPG.
6. Find Your Hidden Photos (if You’re Struggling to Locate Them)
If you’ve tried all the methods and still can’t find your photos, then those pictures are likely hidden. So, let’s check out how you can find all the hidden photos (and other files) on your PC:
- Type Win + E to open File Explorer.
- Click the View tab in the top-left corner.
- Check the Hidden items box to show all the files and folders that are hidden.
Now, try searching for your photos using any of the methods in this article.
What’s Your Favorite Method for Finding Pictures on Windows?
There are times when you might forget where you saved some of your precious pictures. Fortunately, you can easily find all those pictures if you apply any of the methods we’ve covered.
From there, you can start exploring cool tricks such as how to compress the images on your Windows device.
