Search Images by Content on Your Desktop
Your screenshots are named IMG_2041.png. Your receipts are named scan001.jpg. LocalSpider lets you find any image by describing what it shows — all on your computer, nothing uploaded.
The problem: images and screenshots have meaningless names
Cameras, phones, and operating systems name images automatically. A photo becomes IMG_2041.png. A screenshot becomes Screenshot 2024-03-14 at 09.41.22.png. A scanned receipt becomes scan001.jpg. None of these filenames tell you anything about what the image actually shows.
When you need to find a specific screenshot or image, you are left with two bad options: open every file one by one, or try to remember the exact date and time the screenshot was taken. Neither is practical when you have hundreds — or thousands — of image files.
LocalSpider solves this by letting you search images the way you actually remember them: by what they show, not what they are named. It is part of the same semantic file search system used for documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Why filename search fails for images
Every automatic image naming convention produces the same result: filenames that carry no information about content. These are the situations where searching images by filename is useless.
Screenshots named by timestamp
macOS and Windows name every screenshot with a date and time. "Screenshot 2025-11-04 at 14.22.31.png" is indistinguishable from the 600 other screenshots in the same folder without opening each one.
Camera roll defaults
Phones name photos IMG_0001.JPG through IMG_9999.JPG. Transferred to your computer, these filenames tell you nothing about what is in the photo — you must open each file to find the one you want.
Scanned receipts and documents
Scanner apps produce filenames like scan001.jpg or document_20241104.pdf. The content — which vendor, which amount, which project — is invisible until you open the file.
Design exports and references
Design files are exported with version suffixes: mockup_v3_FINAL.png, component_export_12.png. Without opening each file, you cannot tell which version shows what you are actually looking for.
How LocalSpider lets you search images by content
LocalSpider analyses your images locally and builds an index of what they appear to show — visual elements, the general scene, and text that is visible within the image. This index lives entirely on your computer.
When you type a description, LocalSpider searches that local index and returns images that match what you described. You do not need to remember filenames, folder paths, or dates. You describe what you are looking for, and LocalSpider finds it.
Example queries you can use
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"screenshot with login error" Finds screenshots showing error messages on login or authentication screens — regardless of when the screenshot was taken or what it was named.
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"image of a receipt" Surfaces photos or scans of receipts, invoices, and payment confirmations — useful when you need to find a specific purchase but cannot remember the vendor or date.
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"diagram with architecture flow" Locates exported diagrams, flowcharts, and system architecture images — even when saved as generic image files without descriptive names.
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"photo of whiteboard notes" Finds photos taken of physical whiteboards — meeting notes, diagrams, or brainstorming sessions photographed with a phone and transferred to your computer.
What you can find with image content search
Image search by content is useful any time you have images that were named automatically — or named with a convention that made sense at the time but gives you nothing to search against now. It works alongside desktop search for the rest of your local file archive.
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Screenshots Error messages, UI states, confirmation dialogs, bug captures — all searchable by what is visible on screen rather than a date stamp.
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Reference images Charts, graphs, and reference photos saved for research or inspiration — findable by subject even when the file is buried in a downloads folder.
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Work images Product screenshots, client deliverables, and progress photos — searchable by project context rather than by the version number in the filename.
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Design files and exports Mockups, wireframes, component exports, and design references — locate the right iteration by describing its visual content, not its version suffix.
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Receipts and scanned notes Expense receipts, invoices, and scanned handwritten notes — searchable by what they contain rather than a scanner's auto-generated filename.
Your images stay on your computer
Searching images by content requires analysing what each image shows. LocalSpider does this entirely on your device — your photos, screenshots, and design files are never uploaded or transmitted anywhere.
Indexed on your device
LocalSpider analyses your images and builds the search index locally on your computer. No image file content is ever sent to a server. The model that processes your images runs on your own hardware.
Works completely offline
Once your images are indexed, LocalSpider searches them without an internet connection. No Wi-Fi, no cloud, no network request — results come from the index on your own machine.
No data collected
LocalSpider does not collect your search queries, your image content, or any information about your files. What you search and what your images show stays private, matching LocalSpider's broader private AI file search approach.
Search your images by content — without uploading them
LocalSpider is in early access. Join the waitlist to be notified at launch and lock in a discounted early-access price.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about searching images by content with LocalSpider.