Millisecond filename search
Our own lightweight index plus direct disk-metadata reads, no directory-tree traversal — every file on the drive appears as you type.
Community, freeLocal-first · Privacy-safe · Minimal footprint
Follow the trace, find the source
Locate every file across your drives in milliseconds, with full-text search and image OCR.
All indexing and searching happen on your device — your data never goes to the cloud.
The name
Fountrace, read here as Found + Trace
"Being findable" comes down to "leaving a trace" — your files were never lost, you just couldn't recall where they were; following the traces they leave, Fountrace points you straight to where each one lives right now.
found is to find, trace is the trace. Most files on your computer aren't missing — they're just scattered across several drives and buried under nested folders, waiting for the moment you can't remember where. Fountrace follows the traces a file leaves — its name, its content — to show you exactly where it is right now.
What we mean by getting to the nature of things is concrete here: Fountrace doesn't stop at filename search, it reads the content itself — even if you only remember one sentence from a report or one line in a screenshot, it can trace the content and OCR text back to that file. And all of this happens only on your machine: indexing reads and uploads no file contents; the location is found, and the file stays exactly where it is.
Core capabilities
Local retrieval built for vast file collections
From filenames to file contents, from keywords to full-text hits — layer upon layer, helping you locate every "star of data".
Full-text content search
Full-text search across PDF / Word / Excel / PPT / Markdown / plain text, with a local index and precise hit location.
Professional+Scanned docs & image OCR
Local on-device OCR with GPU acceleration, automatic CPU fallback when no discrete GPU is present — text in images becomes searchable.
Professional+Batch productivity tools
Batch rename / batch operations / saved searches / advanced export — configure once and save hours of manual tidying.
Professional+简体中文 · English
A native bilingual interface with carefully proofed terminology — the search experience feels equally natural in both languages.
All editionsPrivacy first
The index is stored entirely locally; nothing about your file contents is acquired, transmitted, or stored. It only goes online when you activate a licence.
All editions
Time saved, itemised
Turn repetitive tidying into a one-time setup
"Saving you time" isn't just a slogan — every capability is converted into a visible before / after.
| Scenario | Manual way | With Fountrace | Time saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rename 1000 files in a batch | One by one ≈ 5 hours | Apply a template ≈ 30 seconds | ~600× |
| Archive 500 invoices into a zip | Manual packing ≈ 30 minutes | One click ≈ 15 seconds | ~120× |
| Re-run a frequent search | Re-entering filters ≈ 30s/time | One click / shortcut < 1 second | one-click |
| Find one sentence in a document body | Open and scan each file ≈ minutes | Word-level hit + highlight < 0.1s | full text |
| Search scanned docs / screenshots | Body not searchable, eyes only | OCR index → full-text hits | OCR hit |
| Whole-disk content indexing | Content into RAM, slows as it grows | On-disk index read on demand, GBs without RAM bloat | always on, unnoticed |
Three editions
Pick the edition that fits you
Keyword and regex search are free forever; full-text search, OCR and productivity tools are unlocked with the Professional Edition.
| Capability | Community | Professional | Flagship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filename search (millisecond) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Regex / wildcard search | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full-text content search | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scanned docs & image OCR | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Batch tools (rename / operate / export) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Commercial licence | — | — | ✓ |
| Device allowance | Unlimited | 3 devices | 5 devices |
FAQ
What you might want to know
No. Fountrace is a local-first app — all indexing and searching happen on your device, and none of your file contents are acquired, transmitted or stored. It only goes online when you perform an online licence activation.
It uses a rolling-window mechanism (Rolling-N): activation never fails. When devices reach the limit, activating a new one automatically releases the least-recently-used device; the released device can be re-activated at its next online check. No manual unbinding is needed, and the released device is disclosed clearly.
Yes. Fountrace supports offline activation codes: bind in an air-gapped environment using an offline code. Once activated, the authorisation state is cached locally, so day-to-day use needs no continuous connection.
This software is a digital good; once activated it is deemed delivered, so per PRC Consumer Rights Protection Law Art. 25 the 7-day no-reason return does not apply (stated up front on the purchase page). If unactivated, a full refund can be requested within 7 days. For a serious defect affecting core functionality that isn't fixed within 30 days of confirmation, a refund may be requested. See Article 4 of the Terms of Service for details.
Windows (NTFS) is the primary supported platform; the core millisecond experience relies on reading Windows disk metadata directly. macOS / Linux fall back to generic directory traversal and are not yet official release targets. Platform support is per official announcements.
Fountrace is an independent-studio product; the installer currently ships without a paid commercial code-signing certificate, so on new Windows the SmartScreen may show the blue "Windows protected your PC" notice, some browsers flag the downloaded file as "might be unsafe", and a few antivirus tools may false-positive — all common reactions to "a new app without publisher reputation", not evidence of malicious code. You can: ① verify the installer against the SHA-256 published on the download page; ② on the SmartScreen notice click "More info" → "Run anyway"; ③ know that indexing and search run fully locally and upload no files, the update channel has built-in Ed25519 signature verification, and the code is open source and auditable. If it's blocked, report it to support@fountrace.com.