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In Windows 11 file searches, the 'NOT' operator does not work anymore like I was used to. (The 'AND' operator seems fine).

Elardus Mare 30 Reputation points
2025-07-21T07:23:34.8933333+00:00

At tax time, I am used to searching for my outstanding tax files as follows: "file:tax" (as I add 'tax' to relevant filenames throughout the year).

Then, as I finish them one by one, I simply add "done" into each filename. By then searching "file:tax NOT done", I call up just those that still need to be attended to. But now (after W11), all that still works is "file:tax AND done" but "file:tax NOT done" comes up empty....

This is very frustrating. Mr Gates, what have you done this time to destroy my productivity??????

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage
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  1. John O'Meara 5 Reputation points
    2026-05-16T17:09:34.94+00:00

    I now find that NONE of the operators are working. OR seems to be the default, so I have no way of fine-tuning a search. I use proper formatting (and have tried all the alternate operators) and have reindexed my files.

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  2. Thibaut 0 Reputation points
    2025-09-08T20:45:19.4833333+00:00

    Bonjour,

    Je rencontre un problème similaire — je l’ai documenté dans ce fil de discussion !

    Depuis une mise à jour récente de Windows 11, l’opérateur NOT dans la barre de recherche de l’Explorateur de fichiers ne fonctionne plus comme prévu.

    Par exemple, la requête suivante fonctionnait parfaitement jusqu’en août 2025 :

    • *.jpg ET 2010 ET couleur NOT blanc

    Elle permettait de rechercher des fichiers .jpg :

    • pris en 2010
    • contenant le mot-clé « couleur »
    • tout en excluant ceux associés au mot-clé « blanc »

    Comportement actuel

    Aujourd’hui, cette syntaxe ne filtre plus correctement les résultats, même lorsque :

    • les fichiers existent
    • les métadonnées sont bien renseignées
    • l’indexation est active et complète

    Malheureusement, l’astuce trouvée par Jument Elardus ne fonctionne pas sur mon système :

    • Windows 11 Insider Preview 10.0.26120.5770.

    Tests effectués :

    • Reconstruction complète de l’index
    • Changement de version de Windows
    • Désactivation de l’index (qui permet de filtrer correctement, mais ce n’est pas une solution envisageable)

    💡

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  3. Elardus Mare 30 Reputation points
    2025-07-23T01:42:12.6133333+00:00

    Hi Sumit, thanks for your reply but it did not provide anything I do not already know, including CAPITALS only for the two operators AND and NOT.

    In the meantime, I've found a solution, even though it is not what I was hoping for:

    Instead of just typing "file:tax NOT done", I have found that adding the wildcard (*) makes it work as it used to, ie "file:tax NOT (wildcard character)done" works, whereas in the past I never needed to add the wildcard. (PS: I cannot add * directly above without getting a strange result).

    And the wildcard is (still) not necessary with AND, just with NOT..... Why the difference??

    PS: As for rebuilding the index, that is the last thing I need or want to force. I have recently complained about it rebuilding itself continuously as soon as it's complete. At the moment the current indexing rebuild is holding steady, but I won't be surprised if for no known reason it suddenly starts the long indexing process from scratch again.

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  4. Sumit D - IA 168.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-07-21T08:03:01.66+00:00

    Hi,

    I'm Sumit, here to help with your query in the Microsoft Q&A.

    Apologies for any inconvenience you are experiencing. I am happy to help you today.

    The NOT operator in File Explorer search should work, but it is now case-sensitive. You must use NOT in uppercase (not "not" or "Not").

    If the query still returns no results, check these steps:

    Ensure your files are indexed. Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows, and enable Enhanced mode if needed.

    Try rebuilding the index: Open “Indexing Options” (search in Start menu), click Advanced, then Rebuild.

    Make sure the folder you are searching in is included in the index and not excluded.

    If searching network locations or non-indexed folders, search may be less reliable.

    • Boolean search operators (AND, OR, NOT) in Windows 11 are supported but must be uppercase.

    If you need steps to Rebuild the Index, let me know.

    I look forward to your response and am happy to work with you until we find a solution. Please keep me updated.

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