Unable to search multiple subfolders with containing video files

[Debugger]

I am unable to search for video files located in more than one subfolder.
I am writing because I am constantly running into serious problems when searching for files in Everything.

I have tried dozens of different combinations: regular expressions, path filters, size filters, and other operators. Very often the result is either incorrect matches or “0 items found”, even though the files definitely exist.

The main issue appears whenever folder names are:

very long

contain non-Latin characters (Chinese, mixed languages)

include brackets, special characters, or long descriptive titles

and the files are located inside subfolders

Something as simple as finding files located in two specific folders at the same time becomes extremely complicated and unreliable. In practice, this turns into a frustrating trial-and-error process.

Because of this limitation, I often have to manually copy all files into a single folder just to be able to find them, since Everything frequently fails to locate files spread across multiple folders with complex names.

This is honestly one of the most frustrating limitations I repeatedly encounter. Searching across multiple folders with long or non-standard names feels far more complicated than it should be.

Is there a recommended or reliable way to search for files located inside multiple folders (and their subfolders) with long and complex names, without resorting to manual consolidation or fragile regex/path combinations?

Thank you for your time.


Enable Regex:
UnicodeSubfoldername with different brackets in the subfolder names|UnicodeSubfoldername with different brackets in the subfolder names

[void]

Is there a recommended or reliable way to search for files located inside multiple folders

Search for:

Code: Select all

ancestor-filelist1:

Right click ancestor-filelist1: and click Edit File List Slot....

Paste your folder paths here.
-or-
Hold down ALT and drag-drop folders to this window.

Click OK.



File List Slots

[Debugger]

Is there a recommended or reliable way to search for files located inside multiple folders

Search for:

Code: Select all

ancestor-filelist1:

Right click ancestor-filelist1: and click Edit File List Slot....

Paste your folder paths here.
-or-
Hold down ALT and drag-drop folders to this window.

Click OK.

thank you very much for the explanation and the solution.

The ancestor-filelist approach works perfectly and finally solves the issue of searching files across multiple folders and their subfolders, even with long and complex names. This is exactly what I was looking for.

I really appreciate your help and the clear guidance.