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Introduction | Start | Vista | Using | Search results | Pausing Desktop

Introduction - How Google Desktop works

You have lots of information on your computer. Wouldn't it be great if you could find it all when you need it? You can use Google Desktop to locate your files, emails, past IM chats, and web pages you've seen. And Google Gadgets with sidebar puts up-to-the-minute info - your email, photos, weather, news stories, etc. - right on your desktop.

When you look at a web page, read an email, or edit a file, Google Desktop indexes that item and copies the item's content into your local cache, so that you'll be able to find older versions of files and web pages.

This page will help you start using Google Desktop. Afterwards, please visit our Google Desktop Features page for additional information.

Starting Google Desktop

Do I need to do anything after installing Google Desktop to get it to work?

No, you don't. Google Desktop automatically starts after you install it, as well as each time you reboot your computer. Once you've installed Desktop, whenever your computer is idle for more than 30 seconds, it automatically starts indexing items that were already on your computer. It also indexes new items in real time as you see them. For example, it will find a web page immediately after you view it, or an email right after you read it.

How long does the initial indexing take? Can I use my computer while it's going on?

Depending on how much data your computer contains, it could take Google Desktop a few hours to index all your existing information. Since this one-time initial indexing only happens when your computer is idle, it shouldn't slow down your work. But it might be a good idea to go to lunch or to leave your computer on overnight to let it have time to index without your work interrupting the process.

Google Desktop in Microsoft Vista

Why should I enable the Google Desktop search index in Microsoft Vista?

Enabling the Google Desktop search index helps to improve your desktop searches. You'll be able to view previous versions of your documents and also search additional items such as your web history, Gmail and PDFs. When you do searches, you'll get high quality snippets to help you understand why a given result is relevant. You'll also see thumbnail previews of your search results for images, videos and your web history. While enabling the Google Desktop search index requires additional computing resources, these additional features help to make searching your computer as easy as searching the web with Google.

Using Google Desktop

How do I search my computer with Google Desktop?

You do desktop searches the same way you do Google web searches; simply enter your search terms into a query box and either hit Enter or click the Search Desktop button.

You can get to a desktop search query box in a variety of ways:

1. Enter your search terms into sidebar, deskbar, or floating deskbar.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Double-click the Google Desktop icon in the taskbar or press the "Ctrl" button twice to call up the Quick Search Box
   
   
   
3. Clicking the Desktop link above the search box on the Google homepage.
   
   
   

How do I use Google Gadgets and the sidebar?

• Drag Google Gadgets by the title bar to reorder in the sidebar or to undock from sidebar and on to the desktop.
• Double click the title bar to collapse or expand the Google Gadget.
• Keep a Google Gadget always on top of other windows by clicking the gadget menu down arrow and selecting "Always on top"

Google Desktop Search Results

Your Desktop search results page lists all the items in your index that match your search terms. By default, it orders results by when you last saw each item; you can also click Sort by relevance near the top of the page.

A small icon next to each result identifies this result's type:

• = Microsoft Word files.
• = Microsoft Excel files.
• = Microsoft PowerPoint files.
• = PDF files.
• = Video files.
• = Music files.
• = Image files.
• = Text files.
• ,  = Emails.
• = Web pages you've viewed. (note: these results may instead show icons unique to the page's website).
• = AIM chats.
• = Google Talk chats.

When you click on a result's title, you'll go to the current version of that result.

• If you click on a web page title link, you'll go to that web page.
• If you click on an email message subject link, you can read the email in your browser and respond using your default mail program.
• If you click on a file title link, the most recent version of that file will open, using the appropriate application (e.g. Word for Word documents).
• If you click on a chat link, a web page showing you the full text of the chat opens. It includes links to start a new chat with the person you had this chat with.

Just click on the item's Cached link on the results page, and you'll go the version(s) of the item that Desktop has in its cache. This is particularly useful when you accidentally delete a file!

What if I only want to see one type of result - just emails, files, chats, etc?

Near the top of your results page is a line that lists how many of each result type Desktop found. Click on a number and you'll get a results page showing only results of that type; click 126 emails, for instance, and you'll get a list of only email results.

Pausing and Stopping Google Desktop

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