How to have Windows search find something with file explorer open at This PC

By default if you set Search in Settings to Classic (which excludes all system files essentially) (via Privacy & Security, Search, then...

.. if you have file explorer open at This PC and attempt a search... nothing is found. I had previously dealt with that on Windows 10, and have done so with Win 11.

Note: when using Windows search, it's really helpful to have restored the classic ribbon in file explorer e.g. using

Here's how.

Open Indexing Options (e.g. taskbar search for Indexing..

Click Modify

Expand Windows (C:)
Note which boxes are selected and which not.
Repeat for Users

Tick the box next to Windows (C:)
Other boxes will be selected which you probably don't want. Leaving Windows (C:) selected, now deselect those you don't want indexed.
Remember to expand Users and choose which ones you want selected.

Click Ok

Wait for Indexing Options to show "Indexing Complete"

Now do a little test.
Note the number of items indexed.
Create a file containing some distinctive text in a location specified to be indexed.
E.g. I created Search test.txt containing 'aardvark' in Documents.
Check the number of items indexed increments.

Now open file explorer at This PC
Type (in my case) 'aardvark' in the Search box.
It should be found instantly.

Hope that's of interest. Sadly it's popular to decry Windows search partly because it's got a historically bad reputation lingering from Windows XP (remember that?) and partly because whilst superficially trivial, it's very far from that and needs proper understanding.

Also it's not a simple consumer-oriented product, unfortunately, and was messed around with badly by MS at the end of build 1903, Windows 10 before being restored as was months later.