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.

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-05-08T16:50:06+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.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-05-08T22:28:37+00:00

    Almost a year since this problem was identified. They still have not figured out how to solve it for everyone. Customer service was very kind but useless. I already migrated all my files to GDrive (it was a hassle!) and canceled my subscription to Microsoft 365. It's a pitty.

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-05-14T23:42:51+00:00

    I can confirm OneDrive does NOT search file contents.
    I just signed into a clean MS account. Went to Onedrive, created a single word doc and searched for text in the doc: finds no results.

    Tech reporters should tell the world MS dropped content-search. It's absurd to pay for storage that can't search file contents.

    And worse, my main account can't find any files in search now, nothing. search completely broken and no way to get support for a paid product.

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-05-25T13:05:38+00:00

    I can confirm OneDrive does NOT search file contents.
    I just signed into a clean MS account. Went to Onedrive, creates a sign word doc and search for text in the doc finds no results.

    Tech reporters should tell the world MS dropped content-search. It's absurd to pay for storage that can't search file contents. And worse, my main account can't find any files in search now, nothing. search completely broken and no way to get support for a paid product.

    I tried once recently.

    It works on me when my drive is not loaded with a lot of documents.

    When I have thousands and thousands of documents uploaded, it doesn't work anymore.

    Maybe the search is taking so much resources in the server that it limits the functionality of overall performance of it. I don't know.

    I hope that if I waited longer, I can view them.

    I'll give an update on it.

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-06-03T10:55:28+00:00

    So it's now June 2025 and looks like the same problem still persists. My company's IT consultant tried to troubleshoot for me yesterday and said it is a known problem for personal accounts only and nothing they can do but wait for Microsoft to fix the problem. I find it very hard to believe that Microsoft can figure out how to ensure company/business accounts remain searchable but individuals search function cannot be fixed?

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