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dtSearch Desktop
What dtSearch Desktop is
dtSearch Desktop is a Windows application for instant searching of desktop-accessible files in local or network locations. It supports PDF, Microsoft Office files, email with nested attachments, compressed archives, web data, and other listed formats. Across the product line, more than 25 full-text and metadata search features include federated search, relevancy ranking, multicolor hit highlighting, and options for forensic work. The company says its products can index over a terabyte of text in one index and search indexes during updates. The single-user license costs $249, paid once and lets one individual use the software on up to two computers. An annual investigative license costs $1,225 a year, with successive installations requiring removal from the prior machine, plus a personal-use Desktop license. A 30-day evaluation is available for internal testing and development. Desktop licenses include one year of support and maintenance; the application does not include the developer API.
Who it suits
It suits individuals and organizations searching large desktop, network, email, legal, forensic, government, finance, recruiting, or medical-record collections. Windows users needing local or network content search are the intended audience.
What it does well
- Searches local and network indexes
- Handles email and nested attachments
- Offers more than 25 search features
- Can index over a terabyte in one index
- Includes a 30-day evaluation
What to know first
- Windows is required
- No free plan
- Desktop application lacks developer API
- Standard license covers one individual
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| dtSearch Desktop — annual single individual user “investigative” license | annual single individual user “investigative” @ $1,225 covering one year · Windows required · one individual · successive installs on multiple machines only after uninstalling from the previous machine · includes an additional Desktop single-user license for personal use | $1,225 a year |
| dtSearch Desktop — single user license | single user @ $249 · Windows required · one individual on up to two computers, used exclusively by that individual | $249, paid once |
As dtsearch.com lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
dtSearch Desktop focuses on broad file-format coverage and large-index searching on Windows. Review the single-user licensing, evaluation restrictions, and missing developer API before purchase.
Facts from dtSearch Desktop's own pages
- Company history
- dtSearch Corp. says it was incorporated in Virginia in 1991 and began marketing its first product in the first quarter of that year. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Developer API
- The Desktop end-user application does not include access to the developer API. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- File formats
- The product line supports searching PDF, Microsoft Office, email and nested attachments, compressed archives, web data, and other listed formats. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 1991 · dtsearch.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- The company's ordering information lists its address as 6852 Tulip Hill Terrace, Bethesda, Maryland 20816. · support.dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Index size
- The company says its products can index over a terabyte of text in one index and search indexes during updates. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The official site lists SharePoint, Azure, AWS, and SQL or NoSQL data among supported data sources or integrations across the product line. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The company describes use across enterprise document and email search, legal research, e-discovery, forensics, government, finance, recruiting, and medical records. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- License limit
- The standard single-user license allows one individual to use the software on up to two computers, exclusively by that individual. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- dtSearch Desktop/Network supports Windows 8 through 11 and Windows Server 2012 through 2022; there is no macOS version of Desktop. · support.dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- dtSearch Desktop provides instant searching of desktop-accessible files. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Search features
- The product line offers more than 25 full-text and metadata search features, including federated search, relevancy ranking, multicolor hit highlighting, and forensics-oriented options. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Security and trust
- The maker describes secure Intranet searching across the product line; its documented Windows permission behavior applies specifically to dtSearch Web. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- A Desktop license includes technical support for one year to a single point of contact in the licensee organization. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Trial
- The evaluation version may be used for up to 30 days for evaluation and testing, and evaluation use is limited to internal testing and development purposes. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Updates
- The license agreement provides maintenance releases, new versions, and upgrades for one year from the agreement date, subject to third-party supplier restrictions and charges. · dtsearch.com, 4 Oct 2026
Where dtSearch Desktop stands on Freedom251
- Desktop Search Software#34 of 57