Kari’s Tip #121: Search Smarter — Hidden Tricks to Find Files Fast in Microsoft 365

Kari’s Tip #121: Search Smarter — Know Where to Look in Microsoft 365

Last week we talked about where to save your files in Microsoft 365 — OneDrive, Teams, or SharePoint. But saving is only half the battle. The real win? Finding them fast.

Here’s the catch: where you search matters — because each tool stores files differently, and the search bar behaves differently depending on where you use it.

Let’s break it down and make searching smarter:

✅ Understand Where Files Live

• OneDrive = your personal cloud storage
• Teams = a window into SharePoint (files live in the team’s SharePoint site)
• SharePoint = shared document libraries and folders across your org

🗝️ Tip: When you open a file in Teams, click “Open in SharePoint” to see its true location — and unlock full search/filter options.

✅ Use the Global Search Bar — But Know What It’s Searching

• In Teams, it searches chats, channels, and files stored in Team’s
• In Outlook, it searches emails, attachments, and contacts
  
• In SharePoint, it depends on where you are - if you are in a SharePoint site, it searches the current site, if you click the SharePoint app, it searches ALL sites (including Teams).
  

✅ Use M365 Search to Search Everywhere 

• On M365.com or Office.com, it searches across OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, and even inside documents — this is your most powerful search option. m365.cloud.microsoft.com/search
  
• Click Search in the left bar
• Type something to search for (file contents, phrase, title anything unique)
  

Bonus: Use Ctrl + E in Outlook or Ctrl + F in Teams to jump straight to search.

✅ Filter Like a Pro
After searching, narrow results by:

• Location (OneDrive, Teams, SharePoint)
• File type (Word, Excel, PDF)
• Modified date or Author

✅ Search Inside Files
Microsoft 365 can search the actual content of documents — so even if you forgot the file name, a phrase you remember can bring it up.

💡 Why This Matters
Knowing where files live — and where your search bar is looking — helps you search smarter, share safer, and avoid the “where did I put that?” spiral.

🔜 Coming Soon: My brand-new course on cutting through Microsoft 365 file chaos — so you always know where to save and how to find it.