Are you going to use your Gmail search bar to search for messages, recipients etc.? Then advanced search operators will help you refine your search. Advanced search operators or shortcuts are query words or symbols that perform special actions in Gmail search. These operators allow you to find what you’re looking for quickly and accurately. They can also be used to set up filters so you can organize your inbox automatically. Some of the most useful Gmail search operators are listed below.
Advanced Search Operators or Shortcuts For Gmail
However, there are lots of advanced search operators are used for Gmail but here I listed only the most frequently used and needy Gmail search operators for you.
| Operator/Shortcut | Action/Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| from: | Used to specify the sender | Example: from:amy Meaning: Messages from Amy |
| to: | Used to specify a recipient | Example: to:david Meaning: All messages that were sent to David (by you or someone else) |
| subject: | Search for words in the subject line | Example: subject:dinner Meaning: Messages that have the word "dinner" in the subject |
| OR | Search for messages matching term A or term B* *OR must be in all caps | Example: from:amy OR from:david Meaning: Messages from Amy or from David |
| - (hyphen) | Used to exclude messages from your search | Example: dinner -movie Meaning: Messages that contain the word "dinner" but do not contain the word "movie" |
| label: | Search for messages by label | Example: from:amy label:friends Meaning: Messages from Amy that have the label "friends" |
| has:attachment | Search for messages with an attachment | Example: from:david has:attachment Meaning: Messages from David that have an attachment |
| filename: | Search for an attachment by name or type | Example: filename:physicshomework.txt Meaning: Messages with an attachment named "physicshomework.txt" |
| " " (quotes) | Used to search for an exact phrase* *Capitalization isn't taken into consideration | Example: "i'm feeling lucky" Meaning: Messages containing the phrase "i'm feeling lucky" or "I'm feeling lucky" Example: subject:"dinner and a movie" Meaning: Messages containing the phrase "dinner and a movie" in the subject |
| in:anywhere | Search for messages anywhere in Gmail* *Messages in Spam and Trash are excluded from searches by default | Example: in:anywhere movie Meaning: Messages in All Mail, Spam, and Trash that contain the word "movie" |
| in:inbox in:trash in:spam | Search for messages in Inbox, Trash, or Spam | Example: in:trash from:amy Meaning: Messages from Amy that are in Trash |
| is:important label:important | Search within messages that Priority Inbox considers important. | Example: is:important from:janet Meaning: Messages from Janet that were marked as important by Priority Inbox |
| is:starred is:unread is:read | Search for messages that are starred, unread, or read | Example: is:read is:starred from:David Meaning: Messages from David that have been read and are marked with a star |
| has:yellow-star has:red-star has:orange-star has:green-star has:blue-star has:purple-star | Search for messages with a particular star | Example: has:purple-star from:David Meaning: Messages from David that are marked with a purple star |
| after: before: older: newer: | Search for messages sent or received during a certain period of time (using the date format yyyy/mm/dd) | Example: after:2004/04/16 before:2004/04/18 Meaning: Messages sent between April 16, 2004 and April 18, 2004.* |
| category: | Search for messages within a category | Example: category:updates Meaning: All messages in the Updates category. |
Recommended Reading:
- How to Turn on Optional Keyboard Shortcuts in Gmail
- All Useful Keyboard Shortcuts For Your Gmail Account
So guys, these are some very important and frequently used search operators for your Gmail account. I will keep this table updating by adding new operators along with time.
Thanks for these operators.
Very useful search operators gor Gmail. Thanks