---
title: "Lookeen – The Alternative to Windows Desktop Search"
url: https://lookeen.com/blog/lookeen-the-alternative-to-windows-desktop-search
lang: en
description: "Lookeen is the alternative to the cumbersome Windows Desktop Search and Windows Search. Try desktop search free for 14 days now!"
author: "Eric Ebert"
published: 2014-12-18T12:48:49+00:00
modified: 2026-11-11T06:50:53+00:00
---

# Lookeen – The Alternative to Windows Desktop Search

Whether you are super organized or in utter chaos: without a good search function, most of us will sooner or later be left stranded when trying to find something on your Windows desktop. However, the built-in Windows search function often cannot really help either. Fortunately, there are several alternatives in the form of search tools that handle the task more quickly.

## Time is Money – Even When Searching

For businesses especially, the time spent searching for files represents a significant cost factor. According to our calculations on the [costs caused by search processes](https://lookeen.com/blog/searching-for-information-in-the-enterprise-a-waste-of-money), an employee spends about one hour a day using the built-in Windows desktop search to look for internal, local information. Using a professional search tool can reduce this time by at least half. This is reason enough to look for an alternative software solution.

[Save time and money with desktop search using Lookeen – learn more about it here!](https://lookeen.com/solutions/desktop-search/desktop-search)

## Speed and File Formats Are Crucial

What is most frustrating about the Windows search is its speed: queries take a long time and still don’t deliver the results you were hoping for. Therefore, speed is primarily what matters when choosing an alternative professional search tool.

Furthermore, it must be ensured that the software supports all file formats you want to search through. What good is it if the search works wonderfully for Word documents but doesn’t search the email files that are so important to you?

## Lookeen Searches Windows at Record Speed

Lookeen, the alternative Windows search, searches both in Outlook and on the Windows desktop, delivering top-notch search results. Whether emails, contacts, Word documents, or PDF files – Lookeen uses full-text search to scan everything you need, thereby completely replacing both the Outlook search and the Windows search. It searches not only headings and file names, but the complete content of the files.

Data indexing occurs once at the first program startup; afterwards, changes as well as deleted or new files are detected and synchronized by the system. Here, the user can select which folders and networks they want to search. This keeps the index always up to date.

Practical filtering options, an intuitive user interface, and outstanding speed make Lookeen an ideal [alternative for the Windows search](https://lookeen.com/blog/the-new-lookeen-the-next-generation-of-desktop-search).