Every Gmail search operator, as a form. Fill in what you are looking for and the search string builds as you type — copy it into the Gmail search box, or open it in Gmail directly.
The operators, if you would rather learn them
Gmail's search box takes the same operators the builder writes. These are the ones worth memorising:
| Operator | Does | Example |
|---|---|---|
from: | Sender | from:maya@example.com |
to: | Recipient | to:me |
subject: | Words in the subject | subject:invoice |
has:attachment | Only mail with files | has:attachment |
larger: | Size, for clearing space | larger:10M |
older_than: | Age — d, m, y | older_than:1y |
newer_than: | Recent only | newer_than:7d |
label: | A label you made | label:clients |
is:unread | Unread only | is:unread |
in:anywhere | Includes spam and trash | in:anywhere |
cc: bcc: | Copied recipients | cc:finance@example.com |
deliveredto: | The address it actually reached | deliveredto:you+r@example.com |
list: | A mailing list | list:team@example.com |
filename: | Attachment name or extension | filename:pdf |
has:drive | Also document, spreadsheet, presentation, youtube | has:spreadsheet |
smaller: | The other end of size | smaller:1M |
after: before: | Fixed dates, YYYY/MM/DD | after:2026/01/15 |
category: | An inbox tab | category:promotions |
is: | read, important, snoozed, muted, starred | is:important |
has:userlabels | Labelled, or has:nouserlabels | has:nouserlabels |
has:red-bang | A specific star or marker | has:blue-star |
rfc822msgid: | One exact message | rfc822msgid:200503@example.com |
header: | A custom header | header:X-Mailer:MyApp |
- | Excludes the next term | -unsubscribe |
+ | Exact word, no synonyms | +invoiced |
The four the form cannot build for you
Everything above is a dropdown in the builder. These four are not, because they combine terms rather than describe one:
OR matches either side and must be capitals — from:maya OR from:sam. Braces do the same thing: {from:maya from:sam}. AND is the default, so you rarely type it.
( ) groups terms, which is what makes OR useful: subject:invoice (from:maya OR from:sam).
AROUND finds words near each other — invoice AROUND 5 overdue matches the two within five words.
" " is an exact phrase. The builder adds these automatically whenever a field you fill in contains a space.
Build the bones in the form, copy it out, then add an OR group by hand if you need one.
Three searches worth saving
Reclaim storage: has:attachment larger:10M older_than:1y — big old files, the fastest way back under quota.
Find a thread you half-remember: from:someone@example.com has:attachment newer_than:6m — narrowing by sender and recency beats scrolling.
What did I never answer: is:unread -in:spam older_than:7d — imperfect, but it surfaces the pile faster than the inbox does.
That last one is a workaround rather than an answer. Gmail can tell you what is unread; it cannot tell you which conversations are waiting on you, or that someone you speak to every week has gone quiet for a month.
That is the job Simple CRM for Gmail does — notes, follow-ups and tasks attached to the person who emailed you, in the sidebar, without another tab. Free for fourteen days, no card.