Advanced Query Syntax

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.

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

  • File kinds: File types, such as folders, documents, presentations, pictures, and so on.
  • File stores: Specific databases and locations.
  • File properties: File metadata, such as size, date, and title.
  • File contents: Keywords like project deliverables, AQS, blue suede shoes, and so on.

Furthermore, you can combine search parameters by using search operators. The remainder of this section explains query syntax, parameters and operators, and how they can be combined to offer targeted search results. The tables describe the syntax to use with WDS, and 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. You can use these optional criteria to refine a search with the following syntax:

  • <scope name>:<value>: Location or data store in which files reside
  • <file kind>:<value>: Kinds of files
  • <property name>:<value>: Managed properties of files

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

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

Scope by location and data store

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 Microsoft Outlook, use store:outlook.

Location or data store AQS Keyword Example
Desktop desktop store:desktop
Files files store:files
Outlook outlook store:outlook
Outlook Express oe store:oe
Specific folder foldername or in foldername:MyDocuments or 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 data 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.

File kinds

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

File kind to search AQS Keyword Example
All file kinds 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

Users can combine search keywords and file properties with operators to broaden or narrow a search. The following table describes common search query operators.

Operator Example Result
NOT social NOT security Finds items that contain social, but not security.
Space 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:>11/13/21
size:>500
Finds items with a date after MM/DD/YY.
Finds items with a size greater than 500 bytes.
< date:<11/13/21
size:<500
Finds items with a date before MM/DD/YY.
Finds items with a size less than 500 bytes.
.. date:11/13/21..11/15/21 Finds items with a date beginning on MM/DD/YY and ending on MM/DD/YY.

Note

The operators NOT and OR must be in uppercase and can't be combined in the same query. For example, social OR security NOT retirement is not allowed.

Boolean properties

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

Property syntax Example Result
is:attachment report is:attachment Finds items that have attachments that contain report. Same as isattachment:true.
isonline: report isonline:true Finds items that are online and which contain report.
isrecurring: report isrecurring:true Finds items that are recurring and which contain report.
isflagged: report isflagged:true Finds items that are flagged (for example, Review, Follow up) and which contain report.
isdeleted: report isdeleted:true Finds items that are flagged as deleted (for example, moved to the Recycle Bin or deleted items) and which contain report.
iscompleted: report iscompleted:false Finds items that are not flagged as complete and which contain report.
hasattachment: report hasattachment:true Finds items that contain report and have attachments
hasflag: report hasflag:true Finds items that contain report and have flags.

Dates

In addition to being able to search on specific dates and date ranges with the operators described previously, AQS allows relative date values (like today, tomorrow, or next week), day values (such as Tuesday or Monday..Wednesday), and month values (such as February).

Date relative to: Example Result
Day date:today
date:tomorrow
date:yesterday
Finds items with today's date.
Finds items with tomorrow's date.
Finds items with yesterday's date.
Week/Month/Year date:this week
date:last week
date:next month
date:past month
date:coming year
Finds items with a date falling within the current week.
Finds items with a date falling within the previous week.
Finds items with a date falling within the upcoming week.
Finds items with a date falling within the previous 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.

Everything

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

kind:everything <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword 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
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 properties are common to all attachment file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:attachment <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword Example
People people or with people:john or with:john

Contacts

These properties are common to all contacts file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:contacts <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword Example
Job title jobtitle jobtitle:CFO
IM address imaddress imaddress:john_doe@msn.com
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.office.com
Callback phone number callbackphonenumber callbackphonenumber:555-555-2121
Car phone carphone carphone:555-555-2121
Children children children:Timmy
First name firstname firstname:John
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

Note

Phone numbers are indexed as entered. For example, if a country code or area code was omitted in a contact's phone number, users won't be able to find that contact if they search with a country code or area code in the phone number.

Communications

These properties are common to all communications file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:communications <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword 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:john_doe@outlook.com
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 properties are common to all calendar file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:calendar <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword Example
Recurring recurring or isrecurring is:recurring
Organizer organizer, by or from organizer:debbie

Documents

These properties are common to all documents file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:documents <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword 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 properties are common to all presentation file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:presentation <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword Example
Slide count slidecount slidecount:>20

Music

These properties are common to all music file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:music <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword 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 properties are common to all picture file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:picture <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword Example
Camera make cameramake cameramake:sample
Camera model cameramodel cameramodel:sample
Dimensions dimensions dimensions:8X10
Orientation orientation orientation:landscape
Date taken datetaken datetaken:yesterday
Width width width:1600
Height height height:1200

Video

These properties are common to all video file kinds. To limit a search to this type of file only, use this syntax:

kind:video <property>:<value>

where <property> is an AQS property keyword from the following table and <value> is the specified search term.

Property AQS keyword Example
Name name, subject name:"Family Vacation to the Beach 05"
Ext ext, fileext ext:.avi

See also

Perceived Types

Schema table

Calling WDS from the command line

Calling WDS from web pages