If you use Google Drive frequently, there’s a good chance the included search tool has not been helpful to you at times. Simply typing in what you might think will lead you to the file you’re looking for can instead generate overly broad results that don’t go anywhere. Drawing inspiration from Gmail, Google hopes to fix that problem by introducing a new set of filters below the search bar that allow users to quickly and easily refine any query. As you can see from the GIF the company shared, you can limit results by file type, modification date, location and more.
Google Drive already offers a way to filter files, but the company has hidden that feature behind a sub-menu you access by tapping the right-most icon on the search bar. So it’s safe to say most people probably don’t know it even exists. By contrast, the new “search chips” are impossible to miss. If you want to check them out in their beta form, there’s a sign-up form. When the search chips are ready, they’ll be available to all Workspace users.