Windows search has always been one of the most powerful and useful tools of the Windows Operating System. It is excellent to find your lost files and folders. With Cortana’s addition, the search has become more comfortable as it allows you to search smartly using filters like music, images, PDF, and more. However, sometimes even Windows search couldn’t find important files when you search them by their names. In such a case, you can aid the Windows search by adding the tags to the files.
This post will guide you on how to add the tags on your images and MS Office documents to organize them properly, use the tags while searching, and increase the Windows search efficiency.
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What are Tags?
You might have heard the term ‘tag’ on the internet, especially on social media sites. A post is tagged with its characteristics in the blog sites, i.e., what information it contains, such as tech news, latest news, Windows 10 latest news, etc.
Similarly, in Windows Explorer, users can tag the images with their characteristics for better organization and quick search. It is quite similar to the hashtags (#) used on social media.
You might question that why to use the tags if you can easily organize the files in Folders? Since a file can have multiple tags, it makes it easier to tag them rather than copy them in a different folder and increase the redundancy.
For example, if you have some images that you want for Project A as well as Project B. So instead of putting those images separately in Project A and B folders, you can tag those with Project A and B. When you search Project A or Project B on the Windows search, those images will automatically appear.
Tags can also be used for describing the files. You can also use them to indicate the action you have or want to perform. For example, if you have to upload some files on the cloud, you can tag them with the “Upload on Cloud” keyword. It would be then easier to search them while uploading.
How to add Tags in a file on Windows 10?
Adding a tag to a file in Windows 10 is a straightforward task. Here are the steps to do that.
Note: Before trying to add a tag on a file, remember that not all file types and format supports tagging. You can add tags on most image formats such as JPEG, PNG, etc. Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc., also support the tags.How to add tags on a single file?
Right-click on the file, and from the context menu, select Properties.
Under the Details tab, look for the Tags.
Click on the right side of the Tags property and type the suitable tag. You can add multiple tags by inserting the semicolon between them.
Click Apply and OK after applying the required tags.
How to add tags on Multiple Files at the same time?
- Select the files for tagging. Ensure that files are of the same type/format.
- After selecting files, right-click and choose Properties.
- Under the Details tab, you will find Tags property.
- Type the required tags for the files. Click on Apply and OK.
How to add tags on MS Word?
You can add tags in all the MS Office applications. Here is how to add it to the MS Word 2019. Follow the same procedure in other Office apps.
- Open the Word document in which you want to add the tags.
- Click on the File tab.
- Choose the Info option from the list.
- After clicking the Info, on the right side, there is the Properties option. You will see the Tags under it.
- Add the required tags and save the document.
Using Tags in Search
As already mentioned, adding the tags would make the search more efficient, especially when you are searching for a file from an extensive collection.
In File Explorer, if you search for a file with its tag in the same folder where it is present, you can directly type the tag in the search bar, and the search result will show the files with that tag.
However, if you search for a file with its tag, outside the folder in which it exists, you have to insert a “tags:” or “tag:” operator before searching.
Conclusion
If practiced regularly, tagging can be very useful in organizing the files on Windows. The reason tag is highly unpopular is because it is limited to only a few file formats. Another reason is Windows search is already very efficient in finding the files with just their names, so users rarely require tags for that. However, if you need to quickly find a group of files from the clutter, tagging can be a great boon.
Peter is an Electrical Engineer whose primary interest is tinkering with his computer. He is passionate about Windows 10 Platform and enjoys writing tips and tutorials about it.
