The program is free to download and enables users to track down files and information stored on their own computers.
A prototype was trialled in October last year but the latest version 1.0 offers enhanced options to search through text in PDF files and search tags in audio, video and image files. It can also trawl through web page history and recover accidentally trashed files.
Version 1.0 is also compatible with the Firefox and Netscape web browsers, and Netscape and Thunderbird email programmes.
"Google Desktop Search brings the power of Google search to information on the computer hard drive," said Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president of product management at Google.
"It's like having a photographic memory of everything you've seen with your computer, right at your fingertips."
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