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Summary
This article will describe the advantages of the new Microsoft search features as well as how to use them along with some tips, best practices and links to additional resources.
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Find what you need with Microsoft Search
Microsoft Search is personal. Other people might see different results than you, even when you both search for the same words. The search indexes the content of the files, not just the file name for instance, and gives you a powerful search experience.
Where do I find Microsoft Search?
When you’re signed in to Microsoft 365, you’ll find the new Microsoft Search box at the top of several of the apps in Microsoft 365.
Get started quickly
Start typing what you’re looking for and you'll see suggested searches and results based on your previous activity in Microsoft 365 and on content that’s trending in your organization. The suggestions change as you type.
In the apps you can even just click in the search box and you'll see suggestions. For example, the presentation you started yesterday. This is a quick way to get back to what you're working on.
If you see what you’re looking for, just select it to open it.
Get all results
If none of the suggested results are what you’re looking for, press Enter to open the search results page and explore all the results. Here’s an example of a search results page in SharePoint:
Keeps you in the flow
The results you get are relevant to the app you’re working in. For example, when you search from Outlook, you find emails, not sites in SharePoint. When you search from SharePoint, you find for example sites, pages, and files, not emails.
Quickly find information about a person
Using search in SharePoint start page or Office.com, you can quickly get a lot of information about a person just by entering their name in the search box. It works best with a full name, but if you only know part of their name, search will show the person that best matches what you entered.
Useful searches
If you’re on your SharePoint start page or Office.com, here are some useful searches:
- Search for “my files” and then press Enter. You’ll get up to 10 of the files you’ve been working on lately.
- Search for a person’s files, for example “Daisy Philips' files”, and then press Enter. You’ll get a list of the files that the person has shared with you. This is useful if you two are collaborating on files together, or you’d like to find back to files the person has shared with you.
Can others find my content?
Yes, it'll show up in their search results if they have permission to see it. Your Microsoft Search history isn't shared with others. This is known as "Security Trimming" within search.
Further Readings
Microsoft - Support
Find What You Need with Microsoft Search in Office
Search and Filter Email
Need additional help?
For assistance concerning site creation, content sharing, file synchronization, or other common SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, or Office app activities, we recommend our Microsoft 365 Learning sites:
Learn more about the great tools our Microsoft 365 Learning sites offer!
Visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request. For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.