> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://tools.osintnewsletter.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://tools.osintnewsletter.com/osint-tools/searchshared.md).
# SearchShared
Tool Description: File-sharing search engine for locating publicly indexed/shared files across multiple hosting services.
| **Tool name** | **Quick Overview** |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| URL | |
| What it does | Searches for files indexed across file-sharing and hosting services. |
| How to use it | Enter keywords or a filename, select a relevant hosting source where available, then review the returned links. |
| Cost | Free. |
| Account required | No account required for basic searching. |
| Cookies | Google domain cookies. |
| Ownership | Not publicly disclosed. |
| Use in Reporting | Useful for locating potentially relevant publicly indexed files and generating investigative leads. |
### What does SearchShared do?
SearchShared.info is a file-search engine designed to find files hosted on third-party file-sharing services. Historical descriptions of the site state that it searches shared files across services such as MediaFire, RapidShare and other file-hosting platforms, with searches covering categories including documents, images, videos, MP3s and software.
It’s therefore best understood as a file discovery and pivoting tool, rather than a conventional search engine or people-search service.
**The lowdown:** It can help locate files that may otherwise be difficult to find through normal web searching.
### How to Use:
**1. Enter a specific keyword, filename, phrase or other relevant search term.**
**2. Review the returned results and, where available, narrow the search to a particular file-hosting service or content type.**
**3. Open the underlying result cautiously and record the filename, hosting service, URL and access date. Make sure to verify the material independently**.
### Cost
* [x] Free
* [ ] Partially Free
* [ ] Paid
## Data Processing
### Account Required:
* [ ] Yes
* [x] No
No for basic searching.
### Cookies:
Google-domain cookies were observed during testing, including SAPISID, SID, SIDCC, SSID, SOCS, SEARCH\_SAMESITE and UULE. These appear to relate to Google authentication, security, consent and search personalisation rather than SearchShared's core functionality.
### Use in Reporting
SearchShared can be useful for:
* Locating publicly indexed files, documents, images, videos and other material relevant to an investigation.
* Providing investigative leads and source material for reports, briefings and analytical assessments.
* Identifying filenames, file types, hosting services and URLs that may support further lines of enquiry.
* Discovering potentially relevant material that may not be readily surfaced through conventional web-search methods.
* Developing investigative hypotheses by identifying shared files, datasets or documents requiring further examination.
* Supporting findings by directing investigators towards underlying files and hosting locations that can then be independently verified and cited.
**Note:** The platform is an indexing/search service, not primarily a document-hosting service. The underlying files are hosted on third-party file-sharing platforms.
| **Capabilities** | **Limitations** |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Searches for files across multiple file-sharing/hosting services. | The exact hosting services currently indexed are difficult to confirm. |
| Can locate material using filenames, terms or other search strings. | Results depend on what has been indexed and may be incomplete or outdated. |
| Can turn a keyword or filename into a potential source URL. | Finding a file does not establish who created, uploaded or owns it. |
| Potentially useful for locating older or obscure shared material. | Results may lead to external services with different reliability, security and access conditions. |
| Coverage of documents, images, video, audio and software. | File-sharing results may include copyrighted, malicious, misleading or otherwise inappropriate material. |
### Summary
SearchShared is best positioned in the discovery and collection stage of the OSINT workflow, particularly when an investigation involves documents, datasets, images, videos or other files. It’s especially useful for finding potentially obscure shared files but should be treated as a file-discovery/pivot tool rather than an authoritative evidence source.
### Ownership
Not publicly disclosed.
### Ethical Considerations
* Avoid downloading material unnecessarily.
* Treat unexpected downloads as potentially unsafe.
* Do not open suspicious files on a normal operational workstation.
* Verify the provenance and authenticity of files before relying on them.
* Avoid redistributing sensitive material simply because it can be located through a search engine.
### Related Tools:
* FilePursuit
* SearchFiles
* [Wayback Machine](/osint-tools/waybien.md)
#### Sources