Filters: Build Your List
At the heart of Drive Toolbox is a filtering system that lets you find a precise set of files from your Google Drive. Once you have a list, you can act on it — delete, download, move, change sharing, apply labels, or generate reports.
There are several ways to create filters, from point-and-click to a full query language. You do not need to learn any syntax to use filtering effectively.
Ways to Filter
Search Bar
The quickest way to find files. Type a search term and press Enter to filter by filename and labels. Toggle Fuzzy Search for relevance-ranked results that tolerate typos and partial matches.
The search bar lives in the Filter Panel under the Search tab. Learn more: Search Bar
Natural Language
Describe what you are looking for in plain language — in any language — and let the AI generate a filter expression for you.
"Show me PDFs larger than 10MB that I haven't opened in a year"
Review the generated expression before applying it. You can edit, save, or discard it. Learn more: Natural Language
Visual Filter Builder
Build filter expressions by selecting fields, operators, and values from dropdown menus. The builder supports conditions, groups, AND/OR logic, and negation — no syntax to memorize.
Every available filter field is listed with a description of what it matches. Learn more: Visual Filter Builder
Quick Filters
One-click presets for common queries. Quick Filters appear in the Filter Panel and apply instantly. If a filter is already active, clicking a Quick Filter combines it with your current expression using AND.
Examples include filters for large files, recently modified files, shared files, and more. Learn more: Quick Filters
Filter Language
For full control, type filter expressions directly using Drive Toolbox's query language. The syntax is field:operation:value with boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and parentheses for grouping.
size:>100MB AND type:pdf AND owner:meThe language covers 30+ metadata fields including name, size, type, dates, owner, sharing, labels, info fields, and file capabilities. Learn more: Filter Language Reference
Click-to-Filter
Many parts of the interface let you apply filters with a single click:
| Where | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Viewpoints Panel — Labels | Click a label group to filter by that label |
| Viewpoints Panel — Info Fields | Click a field name or value to filter by that metadata |
| Viewpoints Panel — Duplicates | Click a duplicate group to show all copies of that file |
| Sharing Panel | Click a person's file count to filter by that sharing relationship |
| File Table — Label column | Click a label chip to filter by that label |
| File Table — Type column | Click a file type badge to filter by MIME type |
| Explorer Panel | Click a folder to navigate into it (folder scoping) |
These clicks generate filter expressions behind the scenes — you can see and edit them in the Filter Panel.
Active Filters
When a filter is active, the file table shows only matching files. An active filter bar appears above the table showing the current expression with a clear button. The total count of matching files is displayed in the toolbar.
Filters can be scoped to a specific folder using the folder scope selector, restricting results to descendants of that folder.
Saved Filters
Save any filter expression for reuse. Saved filters are available from a dropdown in the Filter Panel. You can:
- Star frequently used filters as favorites for quick access
- Edit a saved filter's name, description, or expression
- Apply globally or scoped to a folder
- Delete filters you no longer need
Saved filters sync across devices if you have Sync to Drive enabled.
Learn More
- Search Bar — Quick filename and label search
- Natural Language — AI-powered filter generation
- Visual Filter Builder — Point-and-click filter construction
- Quick Filters — One-click filter presets
- Filter Language Reference — Complete syntax and field reference