Advanced search based on key phrases

[rthrech]

I seriously need advanced searching. 

Dropbox used to have these features (like search exact phrase) in 2015, but somehow removed them. 

So how can I do advanced searching in dropbox?
Like:

List files with age between x and y
Contain the phrase "a b c"
are of type *.pdf

...

[rjsbtg]

I have the exact same problem and it is become frustrating enough that I am consider moving our company to another provider. 

[bmabax]

It's insane that there's no advanced search anymore. I found a blog post where the "search team" brags that the new engine improved index time! Here are some ideas for improvement: don't index anything, return all documents for all searches. Index time drops to zero. Index size also drops to zero. Number of documents returned for each search shots through the roof. Everybody's happy! Except users of course, but who cares about those?

[FrankGaz]

Just replying to hopefully bump this. 

The search features are completely useless. No exact phrases. No excluding certain terms. No logical operators. Nothing. Dropbox search is horrible. It needs to be fixed.

[Jay]

Hi @FrankGaz, if you're interested, you can comment and vote on this idea in the forum for boolean operators in the search bar.

[Nerf Nordlinger]

I might as well add my voice to this. I have the exact same problem. I'm looking for a file with the name, "Information_Protection_Program_2020.docx." There is only 1 file with that name, but the search returns every file with the words "information," "protection," "program," or "2020" in the name. The search function is terrible. 

[willsacks]

Dropbox team, can you please respond to this issue? 

[Nancy]

Hey @willsacks, I hope you’re doing great. 

This has already been recorded as feedback with our developers. 

However, if you haven’t done so already, I’d also encourage you to vote for the idea that @Jay listed above, since this will increase the chances of having this implemented in the future.

[rthrech]

Nancy, the "Idea" is not really what this discussion is about. 
All we want is a proper "state of the art" search feature. Do we really have to start voting for this?

You shouldn't need your customers and wait until they vote for any "idea" to implement a proper search engine. 
That's like saying "He... let's fu%/& up our search, and keep it like that until enough customers complain and vote for reverting this decision".  Is this how you make your design decisions?  Don't take me wrong: I like your "Ideas" section, but it should not hold you back from making your own sensible product decisions. 

[FrankGaz]

Nancy makes a very good point. 

Dropbox promotes their "full text search" but it's a dishonest bait and switch. Dropbox is trying to sell their product by promoting their "full text search" feature while knowing that it isn't useful -- and it's especially not useful for the audience they're targeting: people who need to store / sync / work with a large number of files. What's even worse is that they used to have advanced search features and removed them. I'm going to start looking for an alternative service. I don't want to support a company that is dishonest and intentionally makes their service worse for the people who pay for it. I encourage everyone else to do the same. 

[thibautbenkei]

Hey, hello Dropbox!

It's 2022, not 1998!

Don't tell us that "having boolean operators" for search might sound like a good idea... We are tech-savvy paying customers,  not grandmas sharing pics from their grandchildren.

If you're not able to provide such functionalities because your search engine is too crappy, or because you are too cheap to afford for CPU resources, please let us know.

In the meantime, could you please, at least, implement booleans in file names? I don't think it might be too difficult, as I was able to do so on Windows 95 in 1998 with a PC having the computing power of a 2022 washing machine.

Thanks!