📎 AI Summary:
The thread discusses issues with using Windows File Explorer to search for tagged photos, with the original poster experiencing difficulty seeing tags other than "unspecified." Using the "Tags:" search operator helps resolve the issue temporarily, but the poster questions why the tag column itself doesn't display actual tags. A contributor mentions that the current search functionality only works within the current directory and hints that future updates may improve metadata indexing, including tags. Overall, the conversation points to limitations in Windows' native tagging and search features, with optimism about upcoming improvements.

Abinoone

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
3
Thread Author #1
I'm a photographer who likes to organize my files using tags - landscape, birds, place, etc. I've tagged all of my photos but when I try to use File Explorer to search for files by one of the tags, the only tag option that displays is "unspecified". No matter what I do it doesn't seem to work. What should I do?
 

Neemobeer

Windows Forum Team
Staff member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
8,995
In the search bar just type Tags:<tagname> <keyword1> <keyword2> ...
 

Solution

Abinoone

New Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2020
Messages
3
Thread Author #4
My only other question is why doesn't the tag function work properly? In other words, if I add the column "tag", then click the tag drop down, all that displays is "unspecified" rather than the actual tags in the files.
 

Neemobeer

Windows Forum Team
Staff member
Joined
Jul 4, 2015
Messages
8,995
Don't know, it does for me, but it only will show what's in the current directory. It doesn't do any recursion.

An image from 'Searching for files using tags'. Two screenshots show a file explorer with installer files and a tag selection pop-up.
 

Last edited by a moderator:

Josephur

Windows Forum Admin
Staff member
Premium Supporter
Microsoft Certified Professional
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Messages
1,283
I contacted the creator of Everything (voidtools.com) and apparently there is something in the works to index metadata including tags in a future version.