Why can I no longer search file contents on Onedrive?

Anonymous
2024-10-01T16:41:33+00:00

Once upon a time, the Onedrive search feature allowed you to search file contents, as well as file names.

Now it appears that Onedrive only allows you to search file names.

When did this change, and why? Content searches were a very practical feature.

Microsoft will lose users to better services (such as Google Drive) if it continues to make regressive changes like this. Being able to search file contents is a very low bar in 2024.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-06-03T11:32:13+00:00

    I tested a few search queries and obtained the same results on web (PC) and on mobile (iOS and Android).

    So it's definitely a server/cloud switch somewhere. I guess they are fixing it in waves because every now and then someone tells us that the search function came back after being missing for some months.

    I just wish they had treated this issue properly. We should have been informed appropriately.

    Unfortunately, I need to update this post.

    After noticing that the search function had returned, I decided to upload all my work files to OneDrive again.

    Imagine my surprise when those new files weren’t showing up in the search -- neither by file name nor, of course, by file content. Only two things could have happened.

    First, OneDrive takes an absurd amount of time to index uploaded files.

    Or second, the function that used to work simply decided to stop working for me.

    That’s it, folks. I'm still without a basic feature in an online storage system.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-06-30T09:47:53+00:00

    I have lost all access to search within onedrive for around a month now. Microsoft has been useless on this issue, and its at the stage now I need to take my business elsewhere. The bigger the company it seems, the worse it is at customer servive, or resolving the basics. I would happily forego CoPilot to be able to search my own files.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-06-30T09:49:18+00:00

    About to do the same

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-07-21T01:10:02+00:00

    The problem is not fixed

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