Search Google Drive
Once you create a matter, you can search for files in Google Drive. You can also search for:
- Mail and classic Hangouts messages
- Google Groups messages
- Hangouts Chat messages
Things to know before you search
Before you search, you should understand the following.
Vault searches Drive for all files owned by and directly shared with the users specified in your search entry. This includes files in a shared drive that are directly shared with a user, regardless of whether the user is a member of that shared drive.
Vault also searches:
- All files owned by and directly shared with the users specified in your search query.
- Shared drives in your organization that have been shared directly with users in your query.
- Files in shared drives that have been shared directly with users in your query.
- Files in external shared drives that have been shared directly with users in your query. Note that Vault can't search an externally owned shared drive that has been shared with users in your organization, even if it includes files that are shared directly with those users.
Yes, when you search for files in Drive, you have two options:
- When you're searching for files belonging to specific users or organizational units, you can check a box to include results from their associated shared drives in your search.
- You can use Vault to find shared drives. You can then search selected shared drives for files.
You can search for words and phrases that occur in file names and in the contents of files. Vault indexes the first 100 pages of text files and the first 10 pages of text in image PDFs.
You can search text within the following file types:
- Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint
- .html
- .txt
- .rtf
- OpenOffice™ XML
- Wireless Application Protocol (.wap)
- Wireless Markup Language (.wml)
- Google Earth (.kml)
Vault doesn't index video, audio, image, or binary files.
You can preview these files:
- Google files such as Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawings
- User-uploaded files such as .docx, .pdf, and .xlsx
Users can link a Google file to another Google file. For example, someone writing in a Google Doc can create a chart that's linked to data contained in a Google Sheet. Whenever the spreadsheet is updated, the chart in the document is also updated.
When you search files in Drive, Vault returns only the files that match your search criteria. If those files include linked files that fall outside of your query, the linked files aren't included in your results.
No. Currently you can search only the most recent version of a file. However, you can enter a version date during search. This retrieves a snapshot of each file that shows changes made as of the end of the day on the given date. Versioning is supported only in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and Drawings.
A file's version history doesn't include changes to:
- the title
- who it was shared with
- comments (only the most recent version of unresolved comments is included)
Vault can search up to 5,000 users (individual users or members of organizational units).
Search for files in Drive
- Create a new matter or click on an existing matter.
- Click Search in the left pane, and then click Drive as the type of data to search.
- Choose a Source:
- All data—Search all data in your organization.
- Held data—Search all data on hold for the matter.
- Select a Search method:
- Specific accounts—Enter one or more accounts and search up to 5,000 Vault users in the domain. The search fails if you attempt to search more than 5,000 users or don't include at least one user. You can also check the box to Include results from shared drives.
- Organizational unit—Search within a specific organizational unit. If you choose one with sub-organizational units, all of the sub-organizational units will be searched.The organizational unit must have fewer than 5,000 members. You can also check the box to Include results from shared drives.
- Shared drives—Click Find shared drives:
- Add a shared drive member's email address.
- Start typing the name of the shared drive you're looking for, then click the one you want. You can choose multiple shared drives.
- (Optional) Enter a date range and choose a time zone.
- If you enter a start date, Vault returns all files modified on or after the date you entered.
- If you enter an end date, Vault returns all files modified on or before the date you entered.
- (Optional) Use Terms to specify one or more search terms. Use search operators for complex searches.
- Vault searches only the latest version of a file. However, you can enter a version date to view and export Google files as they existed on that date. Learn more about what's included in a file's version history.
- Click one of the following:
- Search—to perform a search.
- Export—to skip preview and immediately export the search results.
- (Optional) Click the Search down arrow to:
- Reset—to clear the search form.
- Duplicate search form—to open another search form under the current form, pre-populated with the information you've already entered.
Preview search results
After you search for files, your results include the title, owner, and last modified date of each document.
This table shows how Vault handles different file types.
| Search | Preview | Export | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Files |
Title Content |
Docs Old Sheets Slides Drawings Forms |
Yes |
| User-uploaded files |
Title Content (text-based file types only) |
Most common file types | Yes |
| Comments | Partial | No |
Docs New Sheets Old Sheets |
| Suggested edits | No | No | No |
| Revision history | No | No | No |