Tips for the using the Search box

The Search box is a powerful tool for submitting queries. Here are some handy techniques for using the Search box.

Select a search scope

If it is displayed, use the list of scopes beside the Search box to adjust the range of your search. Narrowing the scope of a search lets you focus on likely sources for the information that you need. Instead of searching over a broad scope such as All Sites, try a more specific scope such as This Site or This List.

Type words to "find all"

When you type words in the Search box, your search returns content within the chosen scope that contains all of the words that you typed, in any order. For example, to find both words "apples" and "oranges," type apples oranges and click Search.

Enclose exact phrases in quotation marks

To find a specific phrase, enclose it in quotation marks ("). For example, if you want to find items that contain a parts order form, type "parts order form" in the Search box. Your search returns content within the chosen scope that contain this exact phrase.

Append file properties

Use properties to specify the name or type of file to return. For example, if you want to find Microsoft Office Word 2003 files that include the word "schedule," type schedule filetype:doc in the Search box.

Exclude certain search results

To exclude search results that contain certain terms, use a minus sign (-) before the term to exclude. For example, if you want to find items that include the word "expenses" but do not include the word "taxes," type expenses -taxes in the Search box.
NOTE: A query must include at least one term to find. Queries that consist only of terms to exclude will produce an error message.

Tips for using properties

As you type queries in the Search box, or on the Search Center site, you can enhance your results by searching on property values, typed in the form property:value.

Enclose a property value in quotation marks to find an exact match, or leave the value unquoted to find partial matches that begin with the letters that you typed. Values are not case-sensitive.

Search by filename

If the filename property is available for searches, type filename:"Budget" (with quotation marks) to find a file named "Budget.xls," or type filename:budget (without quotation marks) to find both "Budget_Current.xls" and "Budget_Next.xls."

Search by file type

Suppose that you are looking for budget spreadsheets that were prepared in Excel 2003. Append filetype:xls to your query to display only search results that are Excel 2003 workbooks.

Search on different properties

The search service interprets the space between terms that use different properties as an AND. For example, if you search on title:budget filetype:xls, your search will return only Excel 2003 workbooks with titles that begin with the word "Budget."

Search for alternate values for the same property

The search service interprets the space between terms that use the same property as an OR. For example, if you search on author:"Renee Smith" author:"Aldon Schwimmer", your search will return items that were created by either person.
If your admistrator has mapped properties such as "writer" or "e-mail" to the managed property "author," your results might also include content that contains these properties.

Exclude property values

To exclude content that is marked with a certain property value, use a minus sign (-) before the name of the property.
For example, if a "technology" property is available for searches, append -technology:mobile to your query to exclude content about mobile technologies from your search results.
NOTE: A query must include something to find. Queries that consist only of terms to exclude will produce an error message.