About extensibility for Microsoft Windows Desktop Search indexing

Microsoft Windows Desktop Search

About extensibility for Microsoft Windows Desktop Search indexing

Microsoft Windows Desktop Search indexes most common file types. However, Windows Desktop Search can't index every type of file. To search more file types, you can use an iFilter, a component of the Indexing Service that is included with Microsoft Windows 2000 and later versions. You can also search the Web to find iFilter plug-ins created by non-Microsoft developers.

If you're a software developer, you can deliver additional value to customers by writing an iFilter for the file type created by your applications. Users can quickly and easily use Windows Desktop Search to find information in files and documents created by your applications.

For more information about the iFilter interface, visit the IFilter information webpage on MSDN.

For more information about building your own iFilter implementation for specific file types, visit the Desktop Search iFilters website, or the MSN add-ins website.