Search just the apps in Windows 8.1

07
2014-07
  • Rich

    Is there a way to search just the applications installed in Windows 8.1?

    In Windows 8 I could do this but the 8.1 search is much wider scoped. I can do things like press Win+W to search settings but there doesn't seem to be an option that will effectively search the shortcuts in the start menu hierarchy.

    My PC is almost seven years old - it runs fine with Windows 8.1 but finding things in the start screen is frustratingly slow.

    I've tried defragmenting and have had a little improvement by turning off the Bing integration.

    • Answers
  • FrankieA

    Here's how to search only apps when you hit the Windows key in in Windows 8.1:

    1. Right click the Taskbar and go to Properties.
    2. Change to the Navigation tab
    3. Check the "Show the Apps view automatically when I got to Start" box
    4. Uncheck the "Search everywhere..." box right below it.

    Now if you hit the Windows Key and start typing, it should only search apps.


    • Related Question

    Can I make Windows 7 Start Menu search show items in order of most frequently used?
  • qes

    I work as a web applications developer; during the course of a day I open applications a lot.

    The search box in the start menu that appeared in Vista & 7 has been a godsend. Hit the start key, type a few letters, enter, bam - application launched. Much faster than navigating my often enormous start menu with a mouse.

    But, lately, I notice the application I want is often not first in the search results.

    Take this example:

    picture of searching "sql"

    When I type sql into the search box, it appears to sort the results alphabetically - but 95% of the time I want to open SQL Server Management Studio. It is an order of magnitude slower to open the application when it is not the first item in the list.

    Is there any way to affect the order of search results here?

    Preferably, it would use a most frequently used algorithm to prioritize items I select more often, but if I can influence it in any way I would like to know.


    • Related Answers
  • xOAT

    I have the same problem but made a work around.

    Rename the start menu item.
Add a symbol such as "~" in the front of the shortcut name.

~SQL Server Management Studio

    Type "sql" and the renamed item will always be on top.

  • Oliver Salzburg

    I'm, sadly, not aware of a method to change the order of the search results. But I found it helpful to include wildcards in my searches in those situations.
    For example 

    m*v*s

    Would bring me right to

    Microsoft Visual Studio

    Maybe that helps :)