Windows11 File Explorer search box does not search subfolders with "File contents" enabled

The File contents option does not override the current search scope or Windows indexing rules. It only tells File Explorer to search inside supported file types. I would check the scope and index separately.

First, confirm the folder scope:

1. Open the parent folder and enter the search term.
2. Open Search options on the File Explorer toolbar.
3. Set the scope to All subfolders, not Current folder.
4. Try content:yourword to confirm that you are searching file contents rather than filenames.

If deeper files are still missing, add that location to the Windows Search index:

1. Open Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows.
2. Check that the parent folder is not listed under Excluded folders.
3. Open Advanced indexing options, select Modify, and include the required folder or drive.
4. Select Advanced > File Types, find the affected extension, and choose Index Properties and File Contents.
5. Return to Index Settings, select Rebuild, and wait for indexing to finish before testing again.

Create a small text file containing a unique word inside one of the deepest folders and search for that word. If the filename is found but its contents are not, the file type probably lacks a working content filter. If neither the name nor contents are found, the folder is still outside the search scope, excluded from indexing, or inaccessible to your account.

For OneDrive files, make the test file available offline first. For network folders, content searching may depend on the index maintained by the server, so rebuilding the index on the Windows 11 PC may not affect those files.