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Advanced Query Syntax

05/19/2020 • 9 minutes to read •
In this article
Desktop Search Syntax
Properties by File Kind
Related topics

７ Note

Windows Desktop Search 2.x is an obsolete technology that was originally available
as an add-in for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. On later releases, use
Windows Search instead.

The Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) is used by Microsoft Windows Desktop Search (WDS)
to help users and programmers better define and narrow their searches. Using AQS is
an easy way to narrow searches and deliver better result sets. Searches can be narrowed
by the following parameters:

File kinds: folders, documents, presentations, pictures and so on.

File stores: specific databases and locations.
File properties: size, date, title and so on.
File contents: keywords like "project deliverables," "AQS," "blue suede shoes," and
so on.

Furthermore, search parameters can be combined using search operators. The

remainder of this section explains the query syntax, the parameters and operators, and
how they can be combined to offer targeted search results. The tables describe the
syntax to use with WDS, as well as the properties that can be queried for each file kind
displayed in the Windows Desktop Search results window.

Desktop Search Syntax

A search query can include one or more keywords, with Boolean operators and optional
criteria. These optional criteria can narrow a search based on the following:

Scope or data store in which files reside

Kinds of files
Managed properties of files

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The optional criteria, described in greater detail following, use the following syntax:

<scope name>:<value>

<file kind>:<value>

<property name>:<value>

Suppose a user wants to search for a document containing the phrase "last quarter,"
created by John or Joanne, and that the user saved to the folder mydocuments. The
query may look like this:

"last quarter" author:(john OR joanne) foldername:mydocuments

Scope: Locations and Data Stores

Users can limit the scope of their searches to specific folder locations or data stores. For
example, if you use several email accounts and you want to limit a query to either
Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Outlook Express, you can use store:outlook or
store:oe respectively.

Restrict Search by Data Use Example

Store

Desktop desktop store:desktop

Files files store:files

Outlook outlook store:outlook

Outlook Express oe store:oe

Specific Folder foldername or foldername:MyDocuments or

in in:MyDocuments

If you have a protocol handler in place to crawl custom stores, like Lotus Notes, you can
use the name of the store or protocol handler for the store. For example, if you
implemented a protocol handler to include a Lotus Notes data store as "notes," the
query syntax would be store:notes .

Common File Kinds

Users can also limit their searches to specific types of files, called file kinds. The
following table lists the file kinds and offers examples of the syntax used to search for
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these kinds of files.

To Restrict by File Type: Use Example

All file types everything kind:everything

Communications communications kind:communications

Contacts contacts kind:contacts

E-mail email kind:email

Instant Messenger conversations im kind:im

Meetings meetings kind:meetings

Tasks tasks kind:tasks

Notes notes kind:notes

Documents docs kind:docs

Text documents text kind:text

Spreadsheets spreadsheets kind:spreadsheets

Presentations presentations kind:presentations

Music music kind:music

Pictures pics kind:pics

Videos videos kind:videos

Folders folders kind:folders

Folder name foldername or in foldername:mydocs or in:mydocs

Favorites favorites kind:favorites

Programs programs kind:programs

Boolean Operators

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Search keywords and file properties can be combined to broaden or narrow a search
with operators. The following table explains common operators used in a search query.

Keyword/Symbol Examples Function

NOT social NOT security Finds items that contain social, but not
security.

social security Finds items that contain social and

security.

OR social OR security Finds items that contain social or security.

Quotation marks "social security" Finds items that contain the exact phrase
social security.

Parentheses (social security) Finds items that contain social and

security in any order.

> date:>11/05/04 Finds items with a date after 11/05/04.

size:>500 Finds items with a size greater than 500
bytes.

< date:<11/05/04 Finds items with a date before 11/05/04.

size:<500 Finds items with a size less than 500 bytes.

.. date:11/05/04..11/10/04 Finds items with a date beginning on

11/05/04 and ending on 11/10/04.

７ Note

The operators NOT and OR must be in uppercase and cannot be combined in one
query (e.g., social OR security NOT retirement ).

Boolean Properties
Some file types let users search for files using Boolean properties, as described in the
following table.

Property Example Function

is:attachment report Finds items that have attachments that contain

is:attachment report. Same as isattachment:true .

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Property Example Function

isonline: report isonline:true Finds items that are online and which contain
report.

isrecurring: report Finds items that are recurring and which

isrecurring:true containreport.

isflagged: report Finds items that are flagged (Review, Follow up,
isflagged:true for example) and which contain report.

isdeleted: report Finds items that are flagged as deleted (Recycle

isdeleted:true Bin or Deleted Items, for example) and which
contain report.

iscompleted: report Finds items that are not flagged as complete and
iscompleted:false which contain report.

hasattachment: report Finds items containing report and having

hasattachment:true attachments

hasflag: report hasflag:true Finds items containing report and having flags.

Dates
In addition to searching on specific dates and date ranges using the operators
described earlier, AQS allows relative date values (like today , tomorrow , or next week )
and day (like Tuesday or Monday..Wednesday ) and month ( February ) values.

Relative to: Syntax Result

Example

Day date:today Finds items with today's date.

date:tomorrow Finds items with tomorrow's date.
date:yesterday Finds items with yesterday's date.

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Relative to: Syntax Result

Example

Week/Month/year date:this week Finds items with a date falling within the current
date:last week week.
date:next Finds items with a date falling within the previous
month week.
date:past Finds items with a date falling within the upcoming
month week.
date:coming Finds items with a date falling within the previous
year month.
Finds items with a date falling within the upcoming
year.

Properties by File Kind

Users can search on specific properties of different file kinds. Some properties (like file
size) are common to all files, while others are limited to a specific kind. Slide count, for
example, is specific to presentations. The following tables list these properties by file
kind.

File Kind: Everything

These are properties common to all file kinds. To include all types of files in a query, the
syntax is:

kind:everything <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

Title title, subject or about title:"Quarterly Financial"

Status status status:complete

Date date date:last week

Date modified datemodified or modified modified:last week

Importance importance or priority importance:high

Size size size:> 50

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Property Use Example

Deleted deleted or isdeleted isdeleted:true

Is attachment isattachment isattachment:true

To to or toname to:bob

Cc cc or ccname cc:john

Company company company:Microsoft

Location location location:"Conference Room 102"

Category category category:Business

Keywords keywords keywords:"sales projections"

Album album album:"Fly by Night"

File name filename or file filename:MyResume

Genre genre genre:rock

Author author or by author:"Stephen King"

People people or with with:(sonja or david)

Folder folder, under or path folder:downloads

File extension ext or fileext ext:.txt

Attachment
These are properties common to attachments. To limit the search to attachments only,
the syntax is:

kind:attachment <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

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Property Use Example

People people or with people:john or with:john

Contacts
These are properties common to contacts. To limit the search to contacts only, the
syntax is:

kind:contacts <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

Job title jobtitle jobtitle:CFO

IM address imaddress imaddress:[email protected]

Assistant's phone assistantsphone assistantsphone:555-3323

Assistant name assistantname assistantname:Paul

Profession profession profession:plumber

Nickname nickname nickname:Tex

Spouse spouse spouse:Debbie

Business city businesscity businesscity:Seattle

Business postal code businesspostalcode businesspostalcode:98006

Business home page businesshomepage businesshomepage:www.microsoft.com

Callback phone callbackphonenumber callbackphonenumber:555-555-2121

number

Car phone carphone carphone:555-555-2121

Children children children:Timmy

First name firstname firstname:John

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Property Use Example

Last name lastname lastname:Doe

Home fax homefax homefax:555-555-2121

Manager's name managersname managersname:John

Pager pager pager:555-555-2121

Business phone businessphone businessphone:555-555-2121

Home phone homephone homephone:555-555-2121

Mobile phone mobilephone mobilephone:555-555-2121

Office office office:sample

Anniversary anniversary anniversary:1/1/06

Birthday birthday birthday:1/1/06

Web page webpage webpage:www.microsoft.com

７ Note

Phone numbers are indexed as entered. For example, if a user did not include a
country or area code when entering the phone number, users will not be able to
locate a contact if searching with country or area code in the phone number.

Communications
These are properties common to communications. To limit the search to
communications only, the syntax is:

kind:communications <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

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Property Use Example

From from or organizer from:john

Received received or sent sent:yesterday

Subject subject or title subject:"Quarterly Financial"

Has attachment hasattachments, hasattachment hasattachment:true

Attachments attachments or attachment attachment:presentation.ppt

Bcc bcc, bccname or bccaddress bcc:dave

Cc address ccaddress or cc ccaddress:[email protected]

Follow-up flag followupflag followupflag:2

Due date duedate or due due:last week

Read read or isread is:read

Is completed iscompleted is:completed

Incomplete incomplete or isincomplete is:incomplete

Has flag hasflag or isflagged has:flag

Duration duration duration:> 50

Calendar
These are properties common to calendars. To limit the search to calendars only, the
syntax is:

kind:calendar <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

Recurring recurring or isrecurring is:recurring

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Property Use Example

Organizer organizer, by or from organizer:debbie

Documents
These are properties common to documents. To limit the search to documents only, the
syntax is:

kind:documents <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

Comments comments comments:"needs final review"

Last saved by lastsavedby lastsavedby:john

Document manager documentmanager documentmanager:john

Revision number revisionnumber revisionnumber:1.0.3

Document format documentformat documentformat:MIMETYPE

Date last printed datelastprinted datelastprinted:last week

Presentation
These are properties common to presentations. To limit the search to presentations
only, the syntax is:

kind:presentation <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

Slide count slidecount slidecount:>20

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Music
These are properties common to music files. To limit the search to music only, the
syntax is:

kind:music <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

Bit rate bitrate, rate bitrate:192

Artist artist, by or from artist:John Singer

Duration duration duration:3

Album album album:"greatest hits"

Genre genre genre:rock

Track track track:12

Year year year:> 1980 < 1990

Picture
These are properties common to pictures. To limit the search to pictures only, the syntax
is:

kind:picture <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

Camera make cameramake cameramake:sample

Camera model cameramodel cameramodel:sample

Dimensions dimensions dimensions:8X10

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Property Use Example

Orientation orientation orientation:landscape

Date taken datetaken datetaken:yesterday

Width width width:1600

Height height height:1200

Video
These are properties common to videos. To limit the search to videos only, the syntax is:

kind:video <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the user-specified search
term.

Property Use Example

Name name, subject name:"Family Vacation to the Beach 05"

Ext ext, fileext ext:.avi

Related topics
Reference

Perceived Types

SchemaTable

Calling WDS from the Command Line

Calling WDS from Web Pages

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