How to Utilise Gmail Search Chips and Operators
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
You’ve probably seen search chips without realising it. When you type a word into the Gmail search bar, for example, 'Invoice', a row of grey buttons appears just below. These are Search Chips.
Has attachment: Filters out everything except emails with files.
Last 7 days: Narrows it down to 'Last 7 days'
From me: Filters out those messages you didn't send
If the chips aren't specific enough, it’s time to use Gmail Search Operators. You can type these directly into the search bar to get specific results. Here are some we love:
1. File Finder (we use this a lot)
The Command: has:attachment
Combine it with a name (e.g., has:attachment from:Lauren) to find that PDF she sent last week.
2. A Specific Person
The Command: from:name@company.com
Don't just search for "Lauren." Search for her specific email address to avoid results from every other Lauren in your contact list.
3. Cleaning Up
The Command: larger:5m
Running out of Google storage? This finds every email over 5MB. Delete ten of these, and you’ve suddenly cleared 50MB of space.
You can then look at combining these, for example, I might use from:lauren.hughes@cloudshedtraining.co.uk has:attachment larger:5m
The more information you give Gmail, the more accurate your search will be.
Here are some useful search operators for you to use:
Command | What it does | We use it for |
|---|---|---|
has:attachment | Shows only emails with files. | Finding that lost PDF |
Filters by a specific sender. | Finding a specific client’s conversation | |
larger:5m | Shows emails over 5MB. | Clearing space when our storage is high |
older_than:1y | Shows emails from 1+ years ago. | Archiving and cleaning up |
is:unread | Shows only unread mail. | Separating from all our read mail makes it easier to find |
"exact phrase" | Searches for a specific sentence | Finding a specific quote or project title |
To learn more about Gmail Search Operators, book a live training session with Cloudshed.
