Use everyday words to search

This feature is available with Google Workspace.

You can use everyday words to describe what you want to find with Google Cloud Search. For example, you can search for sheets from joe smith last week to find a spreadsheet your coworker Joe shared with you a week ago. You can search only in English for now.

Cloud Search interprets your query using search operators to give you the most relevant results. If Cloud Search doesn’t interpret your query the way you expected, at the top of the page, click the Show results for the original query link.

Rewritten query

For quick answers, the information appears on a card at the top of your search results. For example, if you search for audrey’s phone number, you get an answer card with the profile information for your colleague named Audrey. If more than one person has that name, scroll through the results or click View all, then click the correct person to open their profile information page.

Answer card

Note: You get contact and profile information only if your organization adds these details to user accounts.

Find content from your Google Workspace services

  1. Sign in to Cloud Search at cloudsearch.google.com.

    If you can't sign in, your account doesn't have Cloud Search. Learn more

  2. Do a search, such as slides audrey sent last month.
  3. If the interpretation isn't quite right, click the Show results for the original query link.

Find contact information for people at work

  1. Sign in to Cloud Search at cloudsearch.google.com.

    If you can't sign in, your account doesn't have Cloud Search. Learn more

  2. Do a search, such as audrey's phone number.
  3. Click the person's results card to open their profile information. If more than one person has the name, scroll through the results or click View all. Click the correct person's name to open their profile information page. 
  4. To contact a person or schedule a meeting with them, click the action you want to take:
    • To send an email, click Email  or the person's email address.
    • To set up a meeting, click Schedule .
    • To chat, click Hangout .
    • To start a video call, click Video call Video camera.

Use common phrases

You can use phrases related to people, documents, Google services, and more. Here are some examples.

People

Common keywords Example search queries
first name, last name, username
email address
address
phone number
job title
manager
reports to
info about
joe smith's email
title of joe smith
who reports to audrey
who is audrey's manager

 

You can only search for profile information that your organization sets up. If you can't search by job title, phone number, or other profile information, ask your administrator to update user profiles.

Gmail

Common keywords Example search queries
about
from
received
sent
to me
topic
mail about sales from audrey
email received yesterday from smith
mail from joe smith last week

Content/Source

Common keywords Example search queries
files1
documents
mail
sheets
slides
slides from mary moore last month
documents from audrey
files by smith last week
mail from joe smith before 06/01/17
docs owned by mary moore
from
owned by
recently
last week
last year
before date2
after date

1Includes all file types, in Drive and attachments.
2When you use the before or after operators in a query, your results may include content that contains the before or after date, because of timezone differences.

Document sharing

Common keywords Example search queries
shared
shared but not viewed
mention1
mentions not addressed2
need attention3
documents that mention me recently
files shared with me in the past two weeks
sheets shared by audrey
docs that need attention

1Documents shared with you that mention you in a comment you viewed or didn’t view, or you've replied to.
2Documents shared with you that mention you in a comment you haven’t replied to.
3Documents shared with you that you haven’t viewed or that mention you in a comment you haven’t replied to.

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