Filter Panel
The Filter Panel is used for making a custom list of files. It provides three tabs — Describe, Search, and Filter — each offering a different way to build filter expressions. A saved filters dropdown gives quick access to expressions you have saved previously.
Accessing the Panel
Open the Filter Panel from the panel selector dropdown in the top bar, or from the sidebar under My Drive.
Search Tab
Quick filename and label search.
- Type a search term in the text field
- Press Enter or click Filter to apply
- Click Fuzzy Search for relevance-ranked results that tolerate typos
The search term is converted into a filter expression of the form (name:contains:"term" OR label:equals:"term") and applied to the file table. This makes it easy to jump to files by name without learning filter syntax.
Describe Tab (AI)
Natural language filter generation. Describe what you are looking for in plain English (or any language), and the system generates a filter expression.
- Type a description in the prompt field (up to 500 characters)
- Click Generate or press Enter
- Review the generated expression and its explanation
- Click Apply to filter, Edit to refine in the Filter tab, or Save to store it
Example prompts appear as clickable chips when the input is empty, including multilingual examples.
AI Describe requires consent on first use — a dialog explains what data is sent. Usage quotas are displayed when remaining usage drops below 25%.
Filter Tab
The most powerful tab. It combines four tools in one view.
Text Input
Type filter expressions directly using the filter language. The syntax is field:operation:value with AND, OR, NOT, and parentheses.
size:gt:50MB AND modified_time:before:6mo AND NOT is:folderPress Enter or click Apply Filter to run it.
Visual Filter Builder
Click the Visual Filter Builder button to open an interactive dialog. Select fields from a dropdown that lists every available filter with a description of what it matches. Add conditions, group them with AND/OR logic, and negate groups with NOT.
The builder writes the expression back to the text input when you accept, so you can always see and edit the generated syntax. Learn more: Visual Filter Builder
Quick Filters
Pre-defined filter shortcuts for common queries. Click a Quick Filter to apply it directly. If a filter is already active, the Quick Filter is combined with it using AND.
Folder Scoping
Restrict filter results to a specific folder and its descendants. Select a folder scope from the dropdown to narrow your results without modifying the filter expression itself.
Saved Filters
A dropdown at the top of the Filter tab provides access to your saved filters.
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Load | Select a filter and click OK to place it in the text input |
| Apply Globally | Apply the saved expression to all files |
| Apply for Folder | Apply scoped to the current folder |
| Save Current | Click the save icon next to the text input |
| Star | Mark as a favorite for quick access |
| Edit | Change name, description, or expression |
| Delete | Remove a saved filter |
Saved filters sync across devices when Sync to Drive is enabled in Settings.
Learn More
- Filtering Overview — All the ways to filter
- Filter Language Reference — Complete syntax guide
- Visual Filter Builder — Point-and-click filter construction
- Natural Language — AI-powered filter generation