Gmail Search Operator Cheatsheet
Gmail search is powerful when you know the operators. This page is the full reference with practical examples for sales workflows.
| from:sam@example.com | Messages from a specific sender |
| to:sam@example.com | Messages sent to a specific recipient |
| subject:proposal | Subject contains the word |
| has:attachment | Has at least one attachment |
| has:drive | has:document | has:spreadsheet | has:presentation | Specific Drive attachment type |
| filename:pdf | Specific filename or extension |
| label:starred | Matches a label (built-in or custom) |
| is:unread | Unread messages |
| after:2026/01/01 before:2026/03/31 | Date range |
| older_than:30d / newer_than:7d | Relative dates |
| size:5m | Larger than 5 megabytes |
| list:announce@yourcompany.com | Messages from a mailing list |
| deliveredto:alias@yourdomain.com | Delivered to a specific address (catches forwarded mail) |
| in:anywhere | Includes spam and trash in results |
| {from:a@x.com OR from:b@x.com} | Boolean OR |
| from:sam -subject:proposal | Boolean NOT (minus prefix) |
Lists every operator (from:, to:, subject:, has:, label:, after:, before:, list:, deliveredto:, etc.) with worked examples and combination patterns.
Building a Gmail filter. Searching for that one email from 2023. Audit work for inbox-zero or list-cleanup.
FAQ
What's the most underused Gmail operator?+
`deliveredto:` — finds mail delivered to a specific address even when it's been forwarded. Useful for tracking down which alias gave your address to a spammer.
Keep going
Articles, glossary entries, and other tools on the same topic.
You know the rule. See where you sit against it.
Reference pages tell you the benchmark. Outsolvi tells you whether your team is above or below it — per-rep, per-deal, per-week — and which behavior changes move the number. From $7/user/mo yearly.
See your numberNate built Outsolvi after watching every email-tracking tool he had ever used lie to him about opens. Outsolvi runs Tier 1 to 5 confidence scoring on every open, native in Outlook and Gmail, so the number on the dashboard is one a rep can actually act on.
We update these pages when the underlying mechanics change — new mailbox-provider rules, new tracker behavior, new measurement gaps. The dates above are real revisions, not auto-touches.