Google Desktop Search 1.0 Launched Today with New Features!

Google Desktop Search beta, already in wide use, has today been superseded with the launch of the first official version, 1.0 (news story).

Version 1.0 adds much needed support for search over the full text of PDFs and the meta-information stored with music, image and video files. Google also recognized the momentum of the Firefox browser and the Thunderbird email client by adding support for them. I run Outlook, Eudora and Thunderbird on my computer and at least I now have two out of three email clients covered. Lack of support for Eudora doesn’t bother me though since Thunderbird is going to overtake it as the “alternative” email client anyway.

But wait, there’s more!

Not only will Google Desktop search computer files and email, but it is now the first desktop search tool to access the full text of web page history and the only one to search AOL instant messages. You find a complete list of what it searches here.

I’m not sure if these were available prior to 1.0, but you can download third-party plug-ins that will enhance for Google Desktop Search. At the moment, the plug ins page lists seven plug ins which will add functions like search OpenOffice documents, mIRC private messages, faxes and more.

In addition to searching a wide range of computer files and email, Google is the first desktop search tool to access the full text of web page history and the only one to search AOL instant messages. Google Desktop Search can also be used to recover accidentally deleted or misplaced information. For instance, a user who unintentionally deletes a Word document or PowerPoint presentation can use the tool to find the text stored in Google Desktop Search. All results are accompanied by cached snapshots of each web page and document so users can access information even if they’re not connected to the web or if a document has been deleted.

One other minor detail: Google Desktop Search can now be used by 1.4 billion more people in their own language–Chinese and Korean.

We’ll be getting into the tips and techniques of using this fantastic, free tool in the near future. For now, you can learn how to install and use it at the Getting Started Guide. I’ve been using the beta version for a couple months now and it’s been great. I can’t wait to get 1.0 downloaded and index nearly everything on my computer.