Google Drive - Searching for Items Part II
Previously I talked generally about how to think about searching within Google Drive. Today I'd like to go through using the Google Search Bar.
Just about everyone is familiar with the Google Search Bar. It resides at the top of your Google Drive. It is actually found at the top of just about every Google App.
Most people, when searching for a document, will type multiple words into the search bar. This can result in a lot of frustration as they often get too many results! Let's talk about ways to get better results. In fact, let's talk about that little arrow next to the magnifying glass in the search bar because that is one key to better searching. Enter the advanced search:
Using this will yield you much better results as you can better target your search. Some key pieces that most people file helpful:
Type: Usually you know the type of file you are looking for. By selecting the type in the advanced search, you can eliminate all other files of other types helping narrow down your search very quickly. Why do you need to see all the documents and spreadsheets in a project when you know you are looking for the presentation?
Date Modified: Often we remember when we last worked or looked at a file, but maybe not the name. Setting the date modified will eliminate all the old stuff and help us find only files that were modified recently.
Item name vs Has the words: It's important to note that these are searching two different things. If you know the name of the file, using Item name is the best option. But if you do not remember the name of the file, but do know what some of the words or terms that were included in the file itself use the Has the words. It will search throughout each file for the words you list.
Hopefully, if you have never used the advanced search before, it will become your go-to to saving time and finding files quickly in your Drive.
Just about everyone is familiar with the Google Search Bar. It resides at the top of your Google Drive. It is actually found at the top of just about every Google App.
Most people, when searching for a document, will type multiple words into the search bar. This can result in a lot of frustration as they often get too many results! Let's talk about ways to get better results. In fact, let's talk about that little arrow next to the magnifying glass in the search bar because that is one key to better searching. Enter the advanced search:
Using this will yield you much better results as you can better target your search. Some key pieces that most people file helpful:
Type: Usually you know the type of file you are looking for. By selecting the type in the advanced search, you can eliminate all other files of other types helping narrow down your search very quickly. Why do you need to see all the documents and spreadsheets in a project when you know you are looking for the presentation?
Date Modified: Often we remember when we last worked or looked at a file, but maybe not the name. Setting the date modified will eliminate all the old stuff and help us find only files that were modified recently.
Even more powerful, if you remember that you worked on a project in a certain time frame, the Custom option under Date modified will let you search between two dates. (I actually use this a lot!)
Hopefully, if you have never used the advanced search before, it will become your go-to to saving time and finding files quickly in your Drive.
