ZipSeekA search for invoice can mean two different things. You may want files whose names contain invoice, or documents whose body mentions an invoice even though the file is called Project Notes.docx. Combining both is convenient, but it can also create noise when the question is specific.
ZipSeek exposes three scopes beside the search field: Contents & File Names, Contents Only, and File Names Only. The scope applies to the full selected location, including names of entries reached inside supported archives.
Use both for an exploratory search
Contents & File Names is the default because it answers the broadest version of “where is this?” A file can appear because its name matches, because its body matches, or because both do. The result identifies the origin instead of presenting a file-name match as if it came from the document body.
This is a good first pass when you remember a project name but not whether it appeared in a folder, an archive entry, a title, or the document itself. Sort by match count to bring files with more occurrences toward the top, then inspect the source labels in the result list.
Use Contents Only for evidence inside documents
Choose Contents Only when file names are likely to be misleading or repetitive. A folder of monthly exports may use nearly identical names, while a clause, account label, or product code in the body is the real discriminator.
Content results keep their native locations: line numbers for text, pages for PDFs, paragraphs for Word, slides for PowerPoint, worksheets and cells for Excel, and image regions for OCR. File names can still be seen as context, but they do not count as matches.
Use File Names Only for a quick inventory
File Names Only avoids document parsing and OCR. It is useful for locating a known deliverable name, checking which archive contains a named file, or surveying a large folder before running a narrower content search.
Because the mode can match nested archive entries, it reaches further than a simple Finder query over the outer directory. It still cannot tell you whether the requested words appear in the body; switch back to a content scope when that distinction matters.
Result filtering is not another search
After a search, the field above the result list filters only what has already been found. It checks result file names, complete source paths, and the stored match summaries. It does not open additional files, run OCR, or change the original query.
Use that filter to reduce a finished result set by extension, folder name, or path segment. Use the main search field when you want ZipSeek to inspect document content again. Type filters, case sensitivity, and whole-word matching also belong to the main search rather than the result filter.