5 Important Google Drive Search Tips for Teachers

Several teachers overlook Google Drive's built-in search functionality. This is a great way to help you get quick access to your files.  You can search for folders, PDFs, images, and other content you have stored on Google Drive using advanced search features. In today's post we are re-sharing with you this handy visual guide to introduce you to 5 important search features on Google Drive . Using these features will enable you  to  conduct targeted searches using criteria such as  by type, by date modified, by item names,  by words contained in the file, and by ownership . All of these features can be accessed from Google Drive's homepage by clicking on  the advanced search settings button on the right hand side of the search box. December 11, 2015

1- Search for specific file types
To search for a specific file type, change the value in front of Type from 'Any' to any other type you want. You can, for instance, conduct a Drive search for audio files by choosing ‘Audio’. Likewise you can search for PDFs, Images, presentations, spreadsheets, text documents, and drawings by choosing their corresponding values from the list.

2- Search for recently modified files
This hack enables you to narrow down your search query to include only files that have been modified in a particular period of time. For instance, you can search for files that were modified yesterday, last week/month…etc.

3- Search files using item names
If you are not sure what the exact name of your Drive file, you can type in a term that matches part of the file name.

4- Search for files using words found in the file
If you can’t remember file name or part of it you can still search for the targeted file using words that might be found in it.

5- Search for files using ownership criteria
You can filter your Drive search using ownership criteria. In this way, you can search for files owned by you, owned by someone else or by a specific person.