When your PC is full of files, managing them becomes difficult. Every time you need a specific document, you end up scrolling through a maze of folders, guessing names, and wondering why you didn’t organize things better months ago. But it’s not just you. With dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of files accumulating over time, even the most organized user can struggle to keep track of everything.
Fortunately, Windows also offers a simple solution that can help you with this. By adding descriptive tags to your files, you can easily locate what you need, no matter where it’s stored.
Searching for files doesn’t have to be painful
If you’re like most people, your PC is probably full of documents, images, and downloads collected over the years. You know a file is somewhere on your system, but finding it typically means jumping between folders and drives. Of course, you can use File Explorer’s search features to narrow down results and locate your files quickly, but that can still take time. To do it efficiently, you’d need to remember the exact file name or location—but with thousands of files, that’s easier said than done.
Tagging files on Windows can be a true lifesaver. Tags are simple keywords you attach to files, which give them context beyond their name or folder location. Instead of relying solely on folders and file names, tags let you organize your files by themes, projects, or priorities.
For instance, if you’re working on a project with multiple components, one folder may contain contracts, another stores research PDFs, and a third holds images. Without tags, each project lives in a maze of folders, and locating a single file can take several minutes. With tags, you can label all project-related files with the project name and even add tags like “urgent,” “draft,” or “reference.” Windows also lets you assign multiple tags to a single file if needed.
A few clicks is all it takes
One of the best things about file tags is that adding them is quick and easy. To add a tag, right-click on the file you want to label and select Properties. Then, navigate to the Details tab, where you’ll see a field called Tags. Type in your keywords, separating multiple tags with semicolons. For example, if you have a file related to a project proposal, you might add tags like “projectX; proposal; draft.” Once you click Apply and OK, your tags are saved.
You can also add tags directly in Office apps like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. When you save a document or spreadsheet, you can include tags in the document properties. This way, the file retains its tags no matter where it moves on your PC.
While adding tags is easy enough, you don’t have to repeat this process for each file separately. Windows 11 lets you add tags to multiple files at once. To do so, press and hold the Ctrl key and select the files you want to tag. Then, right-click on your selection, choose Properties, and add tags as usual.
Windows 11 doesn’t allow you to add tags to certain file formats. If you don’t see the Tags field under the Details tab, it means that one of the selected files doesn’t support Windows’ tagging system.
Find your files quickly with smart file tagging
Locate any file in seconds
Once you have your files tagged, finding them becomes a breeze. First, head to the folder where your tagged files are stored. Click the View menu at the top and select Details from the list. If you don’t see the Tags column, right-click on the title bar at the top and select Tags. Once done, you can click the Tags column header to sort the files by tags.
If you only want to view files containing specific tags, click the caret down icon next to the Tags column header and select your preferred tags. Once you do, you’ll only see files with your selected tags.
Of course, sorting files via tags only works if you already know the folder where your tagged files are saved. If you don’t, you can still find files across your entire PC. For that, click the search box in the top-right corner, type tags: followed by the file tag you want to search for, and press Enter. For instance, if you want to find files with the Project tag, you should type tags: Project. Windows will then pull up every file with that tag.
There are plenty of ways to manage files so you can find them quickly, but tags take file organization to a whole new level. With tags, you’re no longer limited by folder hierarchies or file names. Instead, you can create a flexible, searchable system that works the way you think.