How to Add Tags to Files to Find Them Easily in Windows 11

Quick Tips

• On Windows, you can assign tags to your images, videos, documents, and other files so that you can easily find them using the search menu.
• You can add tags to files through the file properties window or the details pane in File Explorer.

How to Add Tags to a File in Windows 11

There are multiple ways to add tags to a file in Windows 11. You can do this through the file properties window or the details pane in File Explorer. Let’s go over both methods one by one.

Add Tags via File Properties

Step 1: Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Locate the file to which you want to assign tags. Right-click on it and select Properties.

Step 3: Switch to the Details tab.

Step 4: Double-click on Tags and type your tags. If you want to assign multiple tags to a file, add a semicolon (;) after each tag. For instance, if you want to add tags named Trip, Holiday, and Vacation, you should enter Trip; Holiday; Vacation in the Tags field.

Step 5: Click Apply and then OK.

Add Tags via the Details Pane in File Explorer

Step 1: Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer.

Step 2: Click on the View menu and go to Show > Details pane.

Step 3: Select the file to which you want to assign tags.

Step 4: In the details pane on your right, click on Add a tag. Then, enter your tags in the text field, separating each with a semicolon.

Step 5: Click on Save at the bottom.

Similarly, if you want to add tags to multiple files at once, press and hold the Ctrl key and select the files. Once selected, add tags via the file properties window or the details pane.

Once you complete the above steps, Windows will add tags to the file’s metadata, allowing you to search for the file using the assigned tag name.

Note: Windows 11 does not support adding tags to certain file formats, such as PDF, PNG, ISO, and others. So, if you don’t see the Tags field after selecting one or more files, it means one of the selected files does not support File Explorer’s tagging system.

How to Search for Files Using Tags in Windows 11

Once you have added tags to your files, you can locate them easily using the Tags column or File Explorer’s search bar. Here’s how.

Find Tagged Files Using the Tags Column

Step 1: Press the Windows + E keyboard shortcut to open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where you have stored your tagged files.

Step 2: Click the View menu at the top and select Details from the list.

Step 3: Click the Tags column header to sort files based on their tags.

If you only want to view files containing specific tags, click the downward caret icon next to the Tags column header and select your preferred tags.

While sorting files using the Tags column is simple, you cannot use this method if you are unaware of the folder where your tagged files are located. You can use File Explorer’s search bar to look for those files.

Find Tagged Files Using File Explorer Search

Step 1: Open File Explorer on your PC.

Step 2: Click the search box at the top-right corner and type tags: followed by the file tag you want to search for. For instance, if you want to look for files with the Trip tag, input tags: Trip and press Enter. Once you do, File Explorer will display all the files containing the specified tag.