Go to Options (Ctrl+O) and click the Net Search tab. It will accept specific computer addresses/names or an IP address range. Sadly, LAN Search Pro cannot search the network from the off as the default search method of “Entire network” doesn’t work. LAN Search Pro is also able to scan and search hidden network resources, restricted access resources, IP subnets, and LAN FTP servers among other things. It’s a powerful utility that is specifically designed to perform searches over a Local Area Network quickly and efficiently while being easy to use. LAN Search Pro used to be shareware but it is free these days although no longer updated or supported. This is obviously the best method if you have a large number of shared folders on the network or folders are continually being added/removed. The software we list here is able to scan an entire network range for connected computers and then search for files in the shared folders it finds. Tools That Scan The Network For Shared Folders This way you can search the LAN in a similar way you would search your own computer. However, there are free tools around that are specifically designed to scan your local network for shared folders so you can see what’s shared on the network. There are many dedicated search utilities around that give the opportunity to search local files and optionally a mapped network drive. Obviously, Windows has a built-in search feature that scans your own computer for files, but it doesn’t automatically scan the network for anything. The problem with having different machines on the local area network is it’s not that easy to find all available shared files and folders, you would normally have to manually browse the shared folders to find what you’re looking for. If you fit into that category, then it’s probably also the case that they will all be networked wired or wirelessly to a router so they can connect to the internet, and also together so files can be shared between each other. It’s not that uncommon these days for households to have more than one Windows computer in them with desktops, laptops, ultrabooks, netbooks, and even Surface devices a possibility.

Best windows file search tool