How to Use Google Drive Search Operators (2026)
Google Drive’s search bar takes the same kind of operators as Gmail. Once you know five or six of them, finding a file goes from minutes to seconds. Here’s the full reference, with examples.
Core Search Operators
| Operator | What it finds | Example |
|---|---|---|
type: | Files of a specific type | type:pdf, type:spreadsheet, type:document, type:presentation, type:folder, type:image, type:video |
owner: | Files owned by someone | owner:me, owner:alex@example.com |
from: | Files shared with you by someone | from:alex@example.com |
to: | Files you shared with someone | to:alex@example.com |
sharedwith: | Files shared with a specific email | sharedwith:team@example.com |
before: | Files modified before a date | before:2025-01-01 |
after: | Files modified after a date | after:2024-12-01 |
title: | Match in the title only (not body) | title:"Q3 plan" |
app: | Files opened with a specific app | app:"Google Docs" |
starred | Only starred files | starred type:pdf |
is:starred | Same as starred | |
followup:actionitems | Files with action items assigned to you | |
source:domain | Files within your organization domain |
Combine Operators
Operators stack with spaces. Each acts as an AND filter.
- All PDFs Alex owns, last 90 days:
owner:alex@example.com type:pdf after:2025-02-27 - Spreadsheets you starred, from 2024:
owner:me type:spreadsheet starred before:2025-01-01 - Folders shared with your team:
sharedwith:team@example.com type:folder
For OR logic, use uppercase OR:
type:pdf OR type:documentowner:alex@example.com OR owner:jordan@example.com
To exclude, use a minus:
type:pdf -owner:me(PDFs not owned by you)
Full-Text Search (the default)
Type a word or phrase and Drive searches both the filename and the contents of every Google Doc, Sheet, Slide, and most PDFs (Drive runs OCR on uploaded PDFs and images).
- Exact phrase: wrap in quotes —
"Q3 launch plan" - Just the filename: use
title:—title:contract - Inside an image’s text:
applewill match the text “apple” recognized via OCR on a scanned photo
Date Operators in Detail
Dates accept YYYY-MM-DD:
before:2025-06-01— modified strictly before June 1, 2025after:2025-01-01— modified on/after Jan 1, 2025- Combine for a window:
after:2025-01-01 before:2025-04-01
The date is last modified, not created. For “files I uploaded last week,” combine with owner:me for accuracy.
Use the Filter Chips
When you click the search bar, Drive shows filter chips: Type, People, Modified, Location, Title only, Has the words, Shared to. These are an interactive version of the operators and don’t require remembering syntax:
- Click Type > Spreadsheets
- Click People > pick a name
- Click Modified > Last 30 days
The query bar updates with the equivalent operators — a quick way to learn the syntax.
Advanced Search Form
For a form-based version:
- Click the sliders icon at the right end of the search bar.
- The advanced search panel opens — pick a file type, owner, date range, location (My Drive, Shared drives, Trash), starred status, has-the-words, etc.
- Click Search.
The filled-in form fields show what they translate to as operators.
Practical Recipes
Recover a lost file you “definitely had”
- Try the trash:
is:trashed [keyword] - All locations:
[keyword] -is:trashed -is:in:drive(this includes orphaned files)
Audit external sharing
- Files you shared outside your domain:
to:* -to:@yourdomain.com
Find big files cleaning up storage
type:image larger:100MB(note:larger:is supported in Drive)type:video larger:500MB
Old stuff you can probably delete
owner:me before:2022-01-01 -starred
Files where someone @mentioned you in a comment
- Type your email in the People chip, then add
followup:actionitems
Troubleshooting
Operator results are empty
Check syntax: no space between the operator and the value (type:pdf, not type: pdf). Date format must be YYYY-MM-DD. Email must be exact.
Search shows files you can’t open
The file is in a Shared drive or someone else’s space you have view-only on. Click the Location chip > My Drive to limit.
A known file isn’t showing up
It may be in Shared drives (default search is My Drive). Add is:in:shareddrive or use the Location chip > Shared drives.
OCR / full-text search isn’t catching a scan
OCR runs on upload and can take minutes for large PDFs. Try again later. Image-based PDFs from low-resolution scans may not OCR cleanly — search for a unique exact phrase.
Operators stopped working after I typed naturally
Spaces inside a value need quotes: title:"Project Apollo", not title:Project Apollo (the latter searches “Apollo” alone).
Quick Reference
| I want | Type |
|---|---|
| Spreadsheets only | type:spreadsheet |
| PDFs from Alex | owner:alex@example.com type:pdf |
| Files I shared with someone | to:them@example.com |
| Files starred and old | starred before:2024-01-01 |
| Match filename only | title:"Quarter Plan" |
| Big videos | type:video larger:500MB |
| In a Shared drive | is:in:shareddrive |
Related Google Drive guides: How to organize Google Drive · How to use Google Drive offline · How to recover deleted files in Google Drive · How to share a folder in Google Drive · How to copy a folder in Google Drive
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