> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://linkly.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Finding Content in Specific Documents

> You know the content is somewhere in a file on your computer, but you just can't find it. Linkly AI helps you locate it in seconds.

## Have You Encountered These Scenarios?

You clearly remember "there's this thing" — maybe a specific clause in a contract, a set of data in a report, or a decision from meeting minutes. You're sure it's in some file on your computer, but you just can't find it.

You open the file manager, browse through dozens of folders, search with a few keywords — nothing. You can't even remember if it was a PDF, Word, or PPT file. You don't remember if it was in English or another language, just the general idea.

This frustration of "I know it's there, but I just can't find it" is something almost every office worker has experienced.

## Why Traditional Methods Fall Short

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="System search only covers filenames" icon="file">
    Windows Search and macOS Spotlight primarily match by filename. If you only
    remember the content but not the filename, they can't help you.
  </Card>

  <Card title="PDF and Office documents aren't searchable" icon="file-pdf">
    These files are in binary format — ordinary full-text search tools can't
    read the text within them. They are the "dark matter" on your computer.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Browsing folders is time-consuming" icon="folder-tree">
    Manually opening files one by one? When you have hundreds or thousands of
    documents, this is nearly impossible.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fuzzy memory makes precise search difficult" icon="brain">
    You may only remember the general content but don't know what keywords to
    search for. Traditional full-text search requires exact matching and isn't
    flexible enough.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How Linkly AI Solves This

Linkly AI automatically indexes the **body content** of all documents on your computer in the background — including PDF, Word, PPT, Excel, Markdown, TXT, Image (OCR), and more. When you need to find something, simply:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Invoke the search launcher">
    Press the global shortcut `Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + L` and the search launcher
    appears instantly. Like Spotlight, always ready when you need it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter keywords or descriptive phrases">
    Type the keywords you remember, or use descriptive language to search.
    Linkly AI doesn't just match keywords — it understands semantics and can
    cross-search across hundreds of languages.
  </Step>

  <Step title="View results instantly">
    Search results appear in real time, showing the filename, matching body text
    snippets, file path, and more. You can quickly preview content to confirm if
    it's the file you're looking for.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open or use">
    Once you find the target file, open it with one click, or copy the path for
    use with other tools.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Real-World Scenarios

### Scenario 1: Finding a clause in a contract

> "What was the penalty rate in that contract we signed last month?"

Open the launcher, type "penalty rate," and Linkly AI instantly finds the relevant paragraph from your PDF contract, highlighting the matching content. No need to open the contract and flip through pages.

### Scenario 2: Finding a decision from meeting minutes

> "What was the final decision on which solution to use at last month's product review meeting?"

Type "product review solution decision," and within seconds it locates that Word meeting minutes document, showing you the relevant paragraph directly.

### Scenario 3: Finding data in a report

> "What was the year-over-year growth rate for the Eastern region in the Q3 sales report?"

Type "Eastern region year-over-year growth," and Linkly AI finds this data from your Excel or PPT report, pinpointing the exact location.

### Scenario 4: Finding a resume

> "What was the name of that accountant born in the '90s I interviewed a year ago?"

Type "90s accountant resume," and Linkly AI finds the relevant content from your PDF and Word resume files, helping you recall this person.

## Tips

<Tip>
  These tips can help you better manage and more quickly find target content.
</Tip>

* **Use multiple keywords or descriptive phrases**: Entering 2-3 keywords works better than a single keyword. For example, use "quarterly budget approval" instead of just "budget"
* **Try natural language search**: If one word doesn't find it, try a more detailed descriptive phrase. If "contract" doesn't work, try "2025 printer procurement contract, supplier is XX company"
* **Use preview to confirm**: The body text snippets in search results help you quickly determine if it's the target file without opening each one
* **Add more directories**: Linkly AI can manage and search hundreds of thousands of files, so we recommend adding more folders to the index scope to increase the chance of finding what you need

## More Scenarios

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Key information retrieval" icon="file-contract">
    Quickly find key clauses, amounts, dates, and other information in contracts
  </Card>

  <Card title="Data lookup" icon="chart-bar">
    Locate specific data in reports, annual reports, and analysis documents
  </Card>

  <Card title="Note recall" icon="note-sticky">
    Retrieve past meeting minutes, study notes, and work logs
  </Card>

  <Card title="Document identification" icon="magnifying-glass">
    Search and use metadata to quickly identify the document you need from a
    large collection of reference materials
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  Linkly AI runs silently in the background, automatically monitoring file
  changes and updating indexes. You don't need to manage anything manually —
  just invoke the launcher and search when you need it.
</Note>