| Advanced query referenceThe following tables describe the syntax to use with Windows Desktop Search, as well as the properties that can be queried for each category of file displayed in the Desktop Search results window. You can restrict your query to specific locations, specific file types or properties within those types, or specific "file kinds". File kinds refer to the categories displayed at the top of the Windows Desktop Search results window. | Keyword/symbol | Example | Function |
|---|
| NOT | social NOT security | Finds items containing social, but not security |
| - | social -security | Finds items containing social, but not security |
| OR | social OR security | Finds items containing socialor security |
| Quotation marks | "social security" | Finds items containing the exact phrase social security |
| Parentheses | (social security) | Finds items containing the socialand securityin any order |
| > | date:>11/05/04 size:>5 | Finds items with a date after 11/05/04 Finds items with a size greater than 5 |
| < | date:<11/05/04 size:<5 | Finds items with a date before 11/05/04 Finds items with a size less than 5 |
Notes - Boolean operators must be in all uppercase letters.
- You cannot use two keywords (for example, NOT and OR) in the same query.
| has:attachment | report has:attachment | Finds items containing reportthat have attachments. Same as hasattachment:true |
| is:attachment | report is:attachment | Finds items that have attachments that contain report. Same as isattachment:true |
| before: | before:10/9/2004 | Finds items whose PrimaryDate field contains a date before 10/9/2004. |
| after: | after:10/9/2004 | Finds items whose PrimaryDate field contains a date after 10/9/2004. |
| author: | author:jake | Finds items with jakein the author property. |
| author:"name" | author:"jake zukowski" | Finds items with jake zukowski, in that order, in the author property. |
| author:(name) | author:(jake zukowski) | Finds items with jakeand zukowskiin the author property. |
| author:(name OR name) | author:(jake OR bob) | Finds items with jakeor bobin the author property. |
| author:name name | author:jake bob | Finds items with jakein the author property and bobanywhere in the document. |
| from:name | from:jake | Finds items with jakein either fromName OR fromAddress, since "from" is a property name for both fromName and fromAddress. |
To specify a date range, type the property followed by two dates. Closed date ranges are indicated by typing ..For example, type from:david sent:11/05/04..11/05/05. Windows Desktop Search recognizes all Windows date formats, and also recognizes the following values:
- Relative dates: For example, today, tomorrow, yesterday
- Multi-word relative dates: For example, this week, next month, last week, past month, coming year.
- Days:Sunday, Monday ... Saturday
- Months:January, February ... December
| size:>50 < 70 | Searches for files with a value in the Size property between 50 and 70. |
| date:>2/7/05 < 2/10/05 | Searches for a date in the Date property between the values 2/7/05 and 2/10/05. |
The syntax listed above can be used with any of the following file properties. For example, to find e-mail from "jake" that was sent in 2005, your query would look like this:
kind:email author:jake after:12/31/2004. | To restrict by file type: | Use: | Example |
|---|
| All file types | everything | kind:everything |
| Communications | communications | kind:communications |
| Contacts | contacts | kind:contacts |
| Instant Messenger conversations | im | kind:im |
| Meetings | meetings | kind:meetings |
| Text documents | text | kind:text |
| Spreadsheets | spreadsheets | kind:spreadsheets |
| Presentations | presentations | kind:presentations |
| Folders | folders | kind:folders |
| Folder name | foldername, in | foldername:mydocs |
| Favorites | favorites | kind:favorites |
| Programs | programs | kind:programs |
If you use several e-mail accounts and you want to limit a query to either Microsoft Office Outlook or Outlook Express, you can use the store: indicator. | Desktop | desktop | store:desktop |
| Outlook | outlook | store:outlook |
| Outlook Express | oe | store:oe |
| Title | title, subject, about | title:sample |
| Status | status | status:sample |
| Date modified | datemodified, modified | modified:last week |
| Importance | importance, priority | importance:high |
| Deleted | deleted,isdeleted | is:deleted |
| Is attachment | isattachment | is:attachment |
| Company | company | company:sample |
| Location | location | location:sample |
| Category | category | category:sample |
| Keywords | keywords | keywords:sample |
| File name | filename, file | filename:sample |
| Author | author, by | author:sample |
| People | people, with | with:(sonja mo david) |
| Folder | folder, under, path | folder:sample |
| Ext | ext, fileext | ext:sample |
| File name | filename, file | filename:sample |
| People | people, with | people:sample |
| Job title | jobtitle | jobtitle:sample |
| IM address | imaddress | imaddress:sample |
| Assistant's phone | assistantsphone | assistantsphone:555-3323 |
| Assistant name | assistantname | assistantname:Paul |
| Profession | profession | profession:sample |
| Nickname | nickname | nickname:sample |
| Business city | businesscity | businesscity:sample |
| Business postal code | businesspostalcode | businesspostalcode:sample |
| Business home page | businesshomepage | businesshomepage:sample |
| Callback phone number | callbackphonenumber | callbackphonenumber:sample |
| Car phone | carphone | carphone:sample |
| Children | children | children:sample |
| First name | firstname | firstname:sample |
| Last name | lastname | lastname:sample |
| Home fax | homefax | homefax:sample |
| Manager's name | managersname | managersname:sample |
| Business phone | businessphone | businessphone:sample |
| Home phone | homephone | homephone:sample |
| Mobile phone | mobilephone | mobilephone:sample |
| Office | office | office:sample |
| Anniversary | anniversary | anniversary:yesterday |
| Birthday | birthday | anniversary:tomorrow |
| Web page | webpage | webpage:www.microsoft.com |
Properties for file type: Communications (e-mail, appointments) (back to top)| From | from, organizer | from:sample |
| Received | received, sent | sent: yesterday |
| Subject | subject, title | subject:sample |
| Has attachment | hasattachment, hasattachments | has:attachment |
| Attachments | attachments, attachment | attachment:presentation.ppt |
| Bcc | bcc, bccname | bcc:sample |
| Bcc address | bccaddress, bcc | bccaddress:sample |
| Cc address | ccaddress, cc | ccaddress:sample |
| Follow-up flag | followupflag | followupflag:2 |
| To address | toaddress, to | toaddress:sample |
| Due date | duedate, due | due:last week |
| Is completed | iscompleted | is:completed |
| Incomplete | incomplete, isincomplete | is:incomplete |
| Has flag | hasflag, isflagged | has:flag |
| Duration | duration | duration:> 50 |
| Recurring | recurring, isrecurring | is:recurring |
| Organizer | organizer, by, from | organizer:sample |
| Comments | comments | comments:sample |
| Last saved by | lastsavedby | lastsavedby:Josh |
| Document manager | documentmanager | documentmanager:sample |
| Revision number | revisionnumber | revisionnumber:sample |
| Document format | documentformat | documentformat:sample |
| Date last printed | datelastprinted | datelastprinted:last week |
| Slide count | slidecount | slidecount:>20 |
| Lyrics | lyrics | lyrics:sample |
| Bit rate | bitrate, rate | bitrate:2 |
| Artist | artist, by, from | artist:sample |
| Duration | duration | duration:sample |
| Album | album | album:"greatest hits" |
| Lyrics | lyrics | lyrics:"happy birthday to you" |
| Year | year | year:> 1980 < 1990 |
| Camera make | cameramake | cameramake:sample |
| Camera model | cameramodel | cameramodel:sample |
| Dimensions | dimensions | dimensions:sample |
| Orientation | orientation | orientation:sample |
| Date taken | datetaken | datetaken:last week |
| Height | height | height:sample |
| Name | name, subject | name:sample |
| Ext | ext, fileext | ext:sample |
|