Finding files with incomplete names refers to locating files when you know only part of their exact filename. Instead of requiring the full, correct name, you use partial name fragments, wildcards (like * to represent any string of characters or ? for a single character), or search systems that automatically handle variations. This differs from exact name searches, which return nothing if a single character is missing or wrong.

This technique is widely used across computing platforms. A graphic designer might search their downloads folder for *logo*.psd to find any Photoshop file mentioning "logo". A researcher could use 2023_??_data.csv on Linux or Mac Terminal to find monthly data files for 2023, where ?? represents any two-character month abbreviation. Most file managers, including Windows Explorer and Mac Finder, support this via their search bars; command-line tools like find (Linux/Mac) and dir (Windows) use wildcards explicitly.

The main advantage is flexibility and efficiency when the exact name is unknown, enabling discovery of related files by pattern. However, it can yield too many irrelevant results ("false positives") with overly broad patterns. While fundamental and essential, it's a basic method compared to indexed search engines; its effectiveness depends on well-structured folder organization and naming conventions to minimize clutter in the results.