Blog Post

Microsoft OneDrive Blog
2 MIN READ

Enhanced OneDrive Search Experience: New Features to Boost Productivity

leshab's avatar
leshab
Microsoft
Oct 04, 2024

Today, users often find themselves frustrated searching for specific files across a load of documents, resulting in wasted time. Microsoft OneDrive is introducing a suite of enhancements designed to optimize the search experience enabling users to quickly locate the files they need, making the process faster and more efficient than ever before. 

 

Let's take a look at what’s new: 

 

File Type Filter Pills 

With file type filter pills you can leverage the easy-to-use filters to narrow down your search results by specific file types including documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. Simply click on the filter pills to quickly find the files that matter most, saving you from sifting through irrelevant data. 

Date Filter for Scoped Time Search 

The new date filter option adds another layer of precision to your searches. You can now define specific time frames to find files modified within a certain period. Whether you're looking for documents from last week, last month, or last year, this feature ensures that your search results are timely and relevant. 

 

GIF showing the date filter option in action, with a cursor selecting specific time frames to find files modified within a certain period, refining the search for timely and relevant results.

Additional information to help you easily identify the right search results  

Location Column for Source Origin 

Knowing where your files come from is essential, especially when collaborating with others. The enhanced OneDrive search now features a location column that shows whether a file is from a specific site or another user’s OneDrive. This transparency makes it easy to identify file sources, improving collaboration and file management.. If you want to find more files in this location, you can simply click on the location column and navigate to it directly. 

 

Created By and Modified By Metadata 

To make file identification even easier, the search results page now shows who created the file and who last updated it. This dual approach gives you immediate context about file ownership and activity, making it simpler to track changes and coordinate with your team. 

 

GIF showing OneDrive search enhancements, with a location column indicating file sources, and additional details like creator and last updater for easy identification and direct navigation.

Switching Between All Files, My Files, Current Folder, and Current Library Scope 

Flexibility in search scope is super important. Now, you can toggle between "All Files," "My Files," "Current Folder," and "Current Library" on the search results page. This feature allows for a broader search across all accessible files or a more focused search within your personal files, a specific folder, or a document library, depending on your needs at any given moment. 

 

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

We are excited for these enhancements rolling out now to the OneDrive search experience to help you work smarter and more efficiently! With powerful new tools to filter and identify your files, OneDrive is committed to supporting your productivity and collaboration needs. 

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we continue to innovate and enhance your OneDrive search experience.  

 

Join us for our event on October 8th , Microsoft OneDrive: AI Innovations for a New Era of Work and Home. 

 

Updated Oct 03, 2024
Version 1.0
  • jaysmith_91's avatar
    jaysmith_91
    Copper Contributor

    Allow me to create custom metadata columns, and allow me to create custom Views (i.e. Filters) similar to in Sharepoint.

     

    1. Listen to your community better.

    The Microsoft tech community has over 160 issues and requests related to metadata/columns under OneDrive, and they've pretty much all gone ignored by Microsoft. There were a bunch of Uservoice requests over 5 years old asking for custom metadata, which have now died, without being addressed. You've got requests from at least as far back as 2017 alluding to the need for custom metadata. The question has been asked across several forums going back years. So why are you ignoring your users?

     

    2. Prioritise better.

    It's Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, but when it comes to data storage and retrieval, metadata and custom filters comes way way way before AI gimmicks. I couldn't care less about AI features, if the metadata issue isn't addressed first.

     

    Experts have long-discussed the power of flat file storage combined with multidimensional file retrieval; just give us the custom metadata columns (and obvious UI features like resizing the column), and the ability to save and edit custom Views or custom layouts. Consider Sharepoint data types like Choice, People, Link, Number, YesNo, Single line of text, etc. You might want to think also about how photograph metadata is displayed and edited, as it's important to a lot of people. A service that helps with unique file IDs in the permalink could help also, linking new metadata with this UID.

     

    You already did it for Sharepoint. Just do it for our Onedrive or our desktop.

  • Nadiya_D's avatar
    Nadiya_D
    Copper Contributor

    I don't have an "All dates" filter in my tenant yet. However, it is possible to do so in Windows File Explorer.  Filter by file type is perfect. 

  • BMACNEIL's avatar
    BMACNEIL
    Copper Contributor

    Pls specify if this applies to OneDrive Personal or OneDrive for Business. And if the features indicated above don't appear in the online web browser what do we need to get the new enhanced features.

     

    Thx so much!

  • Beate1045's avatar
    Beate1045
    Copper Contributor

    leshab At the moment there is only the file type filter available in our tenant, no additional columns, no switching between all files, my files, etc. - when will the rest be availble?