Gmail’s search engine makes it quite easy to find a message in your inbox. But you can make it even more efficient by using search operators.
Search for a message by entering a few keywords in Gmail’s search engine, anyone can do it. But the results obtained, even if they are generally relevant, require that the user review all the returned messages corresponding to the typed keywords.
However, Gmail, like Google Search, supports a number of search operators. These formulas, which allow you to specify precise criteria, associated with keywords, allow you to refine the results, and get what you are looking for much faster.
On the web version of Gmail, it is possible to obtain them without entering them, by deploying the search engine pane and directly entering the filters.
On smartphones, however, Gmail does not offer this possibility. Knowing the most important carriers will make it easier to find a message if you are using Google Mail on Android or iOS.
In the following lines, you will find all the operators essential to fully exploit the capabilities of the Gmail search engine.
1. Search for a message from a specific sender
Before entering the key words or simply the name of your correspondent, you can filter the results by adding at the beginning of the search from: name of the sender.
2. Search for a message sent to a specific recipient
Similar to searching for an e-mail from a sender, it is possible to search for a message that you have sent to a specific recipient. To do this, enter to: name of the recipient.
3. Search for a message with a specific term in the subject
If you know the subject of an e-mail, it is possible to narrow the search based on the subject’s keywords. Simply enter subject: your keyword to display only emails with subject lines that contain your keyword.
4. Combine several filters
To refine your search results, it is possible to launch a query containing several terms, or several filters. To do this, use the OR operator, or put your search in brackets {}.
5. Exclude certain terms from a search
As with Google Search, it is possible to exclude certain terms from search results in Gmail. You just need to add the minus sign – followed by the term to exclude after the initial search.
6. Look for messages with attachments
To go even further, it is possible to filter your searches according to the presence of an attachment or not.
To search for a message with a classic attachment, type has: attachment.
You can also search for messages containing documents:
- Google Drive (has: drive)
- Google Docs (has: document)
- Google Sheets (has: spreadsheet)
- Google Slides (has: presentation)
- and even YouTube videos (has: youtube)
7. Find a message with an attachment in a defined format
Can’t find a message with a PDF? It is quite possible to add a filter to search for a particular file format.
To do this, you must add the filename operator: ExtensionDuFichier.
8. Look for a message in all the folders of your mailbox
You may not find what you are looking for directly in your mailbox. You can then launch a request on all the folders, including the recycle bin, in your Gmail mailbox.
To do this, add the in operator: anywhere looking for you.
9. Search for a message according to a period
The search for an e-mail can be started according to a period. For example, it is possible to search for all messages before or after a certain date.
You will then have to enter before: yyyy / mm / dd or after: yyyy / mm / dd, making sure to indicate the date in year / month / day format.
10. Search posts by size
You can also search for an email by specifying a size greater or less than a certain value.
In your search, use the larger: and smaller: operators followed by the size of the file in xM format, replacing x with the value in megabytes.
All of these search operators can be added one after the other in the Gmail search engine to get results that are as relevant as possible.