Advanced Search In Google Drive

Don't Just Search for your Docs - Search Well

@joe_edtech/@LisaBerghoff

I used to love asking classes full of freshmen to explain Google to me. Specifically, I would ask, "What is Google?" A complex question for sure, because Google is a multi-billion dollar international industry that is always growing and changing, offering new services, products, and entire platforms. All true, of course, but the simplest answer is always the best - and this is the answer I always rewarded with chocolate. Google is a search engine. 

Indeed it is a search engine. Everything else from Google is but an extension of the search engine. One of the reasons I love Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Drive is that the search functions are so robust. In fact, the search in Google Drive just got better.

Loyal readers (that would be my mom) remember that last year I spent some time writing about advanced search options in Google. Well, the same basic principles apply to searching in Google Drive. To start with, don't simply trust the first suggestions you get. You'll always get better results by typing in your full search terms and clicking the blue magnifying glass icon at the far right of the search bar.

When you start to type characters into the search window in Google Drive, you'll get a drop-down window with a partial list of matching documents in your drive. But if you type in the whole search term and click the blue magnifying glass, you'll get a far more complete list. Additionally, Google recently improved search in Google Drive. Now, when you click the "inverted triangle" icon in the search window, you'll get a drop-down window with an advanced search option.

If you are having trouble finding that pesky document, you can search by owner, or even search for words included in the document. You can even easily search for items you may have inadvertently thrown into the trash.

You can also get to the advanced search just by putting your cursor in the Google Drive search bar. You'll see a list of filters (for instance, you can search all of your PDFs, or Text documents), but if you click on "More search tools" at the bottom of the drop-down window, the advanced search window will open.

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Got any search tips or tricks to share? Please post them in the comments below.