How do I turn off Google drive search's default to filter only within the current folder?

[ian_rae]

No idea what's going on here. I'm looking for a place to ask a question about google drive, which may end up being a feature request. The "Google Workspace Feature Ideas Community" is restricted though. Hopefully, I'm posting in the correct place.

There's a new feature in google drive when you're searching for a file, where it now has a new default. By default, it only searches in the current folder. I *never* want to do this. At best, I need to click the X every time, a new, completely unnecessary step. At worst, knowing me, I'll perpetually forget to click the X, and have the experience of being confused why it can't find what I'm searching for, and only then do I click the X, after being annoyed by this for the 30th time that day.

Hopefully, there's already a way to permanently default to "all of google drive", but if there's not, I would like that to be a feature request. I'm sure this new feature is great for disorganized people, who don't organize their folders, but for people who *are* organized, you've only added a hinderance.

Thanks!

[StephenHind]

@ian_rae I'm not sure why you think this is the case but it's not: when you search in Drive it searches everywhere.  As you can see in the test below I'm in "test subfolder" of My Drive with no files in.  When I do a search it finds files from everywhere.:

• Demo Search in Drive.

Can you provide a screen recording or screenshot to show what you're seeing?

[ian_rae]

I must have a new feature that's only partially being rolled out. (I'm not a part of labs.) Below is a screenshot in a folder called "Images".

[StephenHind]

@ian_rae they are called search chips and everyone has them: you have to manually choose to use them or you have to manually choose to search in a paerticular folder.  As @LionelGuyot has already show you have to manually choose to search in only that folder: if you simply use the search bar at the top to search none of these search chips will be in use.

Can you provide a screen recording to show the steps you're taking to initiate the search and that will most likely show where you're going wrong.  If you follow the demo I gave you does it work in the same way for you?  E.g. where are you doing the search as your screenshot doesn't look like Google Drive on the web.

[LionelGuyot]

Hi @ian_rae 
not sure it is exactly what you want but I often clic on the folder name (on the top) > folder info > Search within...

*Right clic on a folder should works too

From that point on, the search bar's scope is limited to the chosen folder.

[jsk21]

I am having this same problem and it's driving me insane! I found this post by attempting to search for a fix for this, but I guess it's not happening to everyone? I have the exact same issue @ian_rae is describing and it started a couple of days ago.

1. I search in google drive for a folder (there are no filter chips present at this point).

2. I locate the folder and open it. Now, a filter chip has been added to the Google Drive search bar prompting me to search within this folder. 

3. I fail to notice said filter chip and type in a new folder name in the search bar wanting to search all of Drive, but I am now searching within the folder I am currently in. 

4. I have to click the X to remove the filter chip so I can search all of Drive. 

It's a small thing, but it's very annoying when you're used to using the search bar to search through everything. Is there a way to change this?

[StephenHind]

@jsk21 thanks for the steps you take to make this happen: @ian_rae are you following the same steps?

As you can see in this screen recording I follow your steps and I don't get the same result:

• Searching for a folder then another.webm

Please watch the screen recording to confirm I have correctly followed the steps you take, or simply provide a screen recording of what you do.  If you are experiencing this and I have followed your exact steps I suggest you Create a support case:

• Google Cloud | Support Portal

I cannot find any way to replicate what you're getting so I am very intrigued to see what happens at your end.

[sweap06]

@StephenHind  I'm having the same issues that the previous posters are having. It looks like possibly you haven't been updated to the new feature yet? Everyone I work with (200 person company) is having the same issue these guys are bringing up as well.

If anyone finds a way around this to disable the setting it would make a bunch of headaches go away, ha!

[StephenHind]

@sweap06 show me the update on the Google Workspace Updates that suggests there is a new feature in the mix.

What you can do is provide a screen recording of the steps you're taking so someone here can reproduce the issue and if it's not reproducible then you need to Create a support case.

I don't believe that Google will every introduce this as a feature so it's either a bug or your users are taking some weird steps to get these results (which sounds unrealistic, so I'm favouring a bug).

[JeffStandard]

Hi Stephen,

I work at a completely different organization and have the same issue as others. A change definitely occurred, though it's possible it was unintended.
For me, as with others, to reproduce I do the following:

1. Go to Drive. Look at the search bar which says "Search in Drive". It is currently a "Global" search context and will search anywhere in Drive.

2. Click into any folder.

3. The search bar changes to "Search in <Folder Name>". If you click in the search bar, an additional dropdown chip is added with the current folder selected. If you search, it will search within that folder.

Expected behavior: Clicking into a folder does not change the search context and it remains "Global" by default. I can search for files from anywhere.

The expected behavior is how search used to be. I found it much more useful that way. The updated behavior is giving far inferior results and typically not finding what I'm looking for.

Something I've noticed, the change only appears on my work account. My personal google account still has the expected behavior where the search context is not automatically changed by clicking into a folder.

One note about screen recording, I'm hesitant to create a recording to avoid any potential confidentiality issues since it occurs on my work account.

I appreciate the response by the way. I hope this is a bug and not a deliberate change as it adds an extra click everytime I want to search for something. When I'm searching for files, it's quite rare that I'm searching for it in the current folder or subfolders. If I knew the file was there, I probably didn't need to search for it in the first place.

[StephenHind · Accepted solution]

I suggest everyone on this thread to Create a support case as this forum is user-to-user and you won't get any help from Google support here.

[jatkin]

Interesting, as Google Support always directs me here for answers and to request feature suggestions.

[StephenHind]

@jatkin this is definitely not a feature request: it's a bug.  If you can reliably reproduce it then you need to report this to Google as no one from Google Support is in this user-to-user forum.  The people on this thread all say it happens all the time for them, so if that's the case replicate and report top Google.  

This never happens to me and I cannot find a way to make it happen unless I deliberately go through the multiple steps to search in a specific folder.  This suggests that it's a bug affecting some users and not all.  No one wants this so I definitely believe it's a bug.  if I could replicate it I'd report it, but I can't, so those who are in this thread that can reliably replicate it should report it.

[icrew]

This community is largely composed of your fellow Google Workspace administrators from around the world. There is the occasional Googler around, but it’s by and large the community helping itself. (Greetings from the University of California, Berkeley!)

There is a private Feature Ideas section here where you can submit and upvote ideas for product improvements. See https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/custom/page/page-id/Workspace-Feature-Ideas-FAQ for more information and how to get access. That said, it’s a little unclear how much attention Google pays to that Feature Ideas section—they’re not great about following up with things like “this will be implemented,” or “this won’t be.”

[jsk21]

Thank you for your suggestion. I looked into creating a support case, but my Google account is a business one, and I did not have permission to create a case. I guess I would need to reach out to our admin, but I put that off for a few days, and the issue has resolved itself luckily. Hopefully, that's the case for everyone with this issue!

[loundy_mark]

As Lionel Guyot posted a couple of weeks ago, right-click on the folder, select "Folder information" and click on "Search within [folder name]."

[StephenHind]

@loundy_mark you've missed the point: the people in this thread are saying they are searching within a folder without taking these steps; they DO NOT want to search within a folder and say it's automatically restricting them to a folder search, hence why I'm telling them to report it as a bug.