Enhanced OneDrive Search Experience: New Features to Boost Productivity

Nowadays, users often waste time trying to find a specific file in a sea of ​​documents. Microsoft OneDrive introduces a suite of enhancements designed to optimize the browsing experience so users can quickly find the files they need, making the process faster and more efficient than ever.

Let’s take a look at what’s new.

File Type Filter Pill

The File Type Filter pill lets you utilize easy-to-use filters to narrow your search results by specific file types, including documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Just click the filter pill to quickly find the files that matter most to you, so there’s no need to sift through irrelevant data.

Date filter for ranged time searches

New date filter options make your searches even more accurate. You can now define a specific time period to find files modified within that period. Whether you’re looking for articles from last week, last month, or last year, this feature will help you get timely, relevant search results.

GIF showing the date filter option in action, using a cursor to select a specific time frame to find files modified within a specific time period, refine your search for timely and relevant results.

Additional information to help you easily identify the correct search result

Source Location column of the original

It’s important to know where your files come from, especially when collaborating with others. Improved OneDrive search now has a Location column that shows whether a file came from a specific site or another user’s OneDrive. This transparency allows you to easily identify file sources and improve collaboration and file management. If you want to find more files in this location, you can click in the Location column and browse directly.

Created and modified by metadata

To make file identification easier, the search results page now shows who created the file and who last updated it. This dual approach provides immediate context on file ownership and activity, making it easier to track changes and collaborate with your team.

GIF showing OneDrive search improvements, including a Location column indicating the file source and additional details such as Author and Last Updated By for easy identification and direct navigation.

Switch between All Files, My Files, Current Folder, and Current Library scopes

Flexibility in search scope is very important. You can now switch between “All Files,” “My Files,” “Current Folder,” and “Current Library” on the search results page. This feature allows you to perform a broader search across all accessible files, or a more focused search within personal files, specific folders, or document libraries, depending on your needs at that particular moment.

GIF showing how to switch between ‘All Files’, ‘My Files’, ‘Current Folder’, and ‘Current Library’ on the search results page for flexible, focused searches.

We’re excited to announce these enhancements are now available in the OneDrive search experience, helping you work smarter and more efficiently! With powerful new tools to filter and identify files, OneDrive is committed to supporting your productivity and collaboration needs.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we continue to innovate and improve the OneDrive browsing experience.

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