A fast, portable file search for Windows that finds files by name and searches inside them across an entire folder tree, with no index to build and no background service to wait for.
Fully featured
- Wildcard filename search across the whole tree
- Content search that streams files line by line
- Multicore scanning across every CPU core
- Tabbed searches, each with its own folder and terms
- Filters by extension, date modified, and size
- Search within results to drill down, tab by tab
- Sort and Ctrl+F-filter the results live
- Reveal in Explorer or open the file directly
- Export to a self-contained HTML report or CSV
- Six themes with live accent colors
Built from scratch
KillerFind is written in C# and WPF on .NET Framework 4.8, so it runs as one self-contained native .exe with no runtime to install. There is no index and no background agent. It walks the folder tree across all your CPU cores as you search and streams each file one line at a time, so results start appearing the moment you hit search.
The Technical page has the full breakdown of how the search pipeline works.
By a field tech, for field techs
Created during everyday systems administration work at a large MSP, where tracking down the right file, or the right line buried inside a pile of files, was often the slowest part of closing a ticket.
It was built to make that step quick, so you can point it at a folder, find exactly what you need, and get the ticket closed and move on to the next one.
Read the story behind it on the About page.
2B96484FACD0F625AEB938A61A3617DA
Install or run portable. Free, open source, GPLv3.
No agent, no account, no subscription.
No telemetry is sent and no ads... ever.
What it does
Filename search
Wildcard patterns like *.log or report_*.xlsx matched against every filename in the tree. Results stream in real time with no pre-indexing.
Content search
Streams through files line by line without loading them into RAM. Shows matched lines with their line numbers, and skips binary files automatically.
Multiple terms
Run several filename and content searches in a single pass. Each term is tracked independently with its own match count, so you can see which patterns hit.
Include / exclude filters
Semicolon-separated patterns narrow or limit the scope by extension or directory segment, for example *.txt;*.log or node_modules.
Tabbed searches
Each tab is its own search with its own folder, terms, filters, and results. Drag tabs to reorder, and optionally restore your open tabs on the next launch.
Search within results
Pipe one search's results into a new tab and search inside just those files. Chain as deep as you like; each pass only touches the survivors of the last.
Sort & refine
Sort results by name, location, size, or modified date, and press Ctrl+F to filter the list live. Dropdown filters narrow by extension, date, or size.
HTML & CSV export
Export results as a self-contained HTML report with matched lines and a built-in theme switcher, or as CSV for spreadsheets. Opens anywhere, no dependencies.
Themes & accents
Six themes (Dark, Light, Black, Blood, Greed and Cyanotic) with per-theme accent colors, all switchable live.
Install or run portable
Drop the .exe anywhere and run it, or use the built-in per-user installer.
No admin rights, extra runtimes or dependencies are required.
Private by design
Everything runs on your machine. No agent is installed, no account is required, no cloud, and no telemetry is sent anywhere.
Nothing about your files leaves the device.
Eight languages
The interface is localized in eight languages (English, Spanish, German, French, Turkish, Chinese Traditional and Simplified, and Bengali), switchable live from the toolbar.