Publish a post on tips and tricks to search by date

content/post/sharepoint-date-search-tricks/index.md

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+---
+title: "SharePoint Search: Date Queries Search Out of the box Tricks"
+date: 2025-08-27T01:00:00.000Z
+tags: ["SharePoint", "Search", "KQL", "Date Queries", "SharePoint Online", "Search Tips"]
+author: "Reshmee Auckloo"
+githubname: reshmee011
+categories: ["Community post"]
+images:
+- images/Search_range_lib.png
+type: "regular"
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+SharePoint search is powerful, but searching by date ranges can be surprisingly tricky. Many users struggle with date-based queries, especially when trying to find documents modified or created within specific timeframes. This guide provides tips to use SharePoint/M365 search capabilities with date fields: write, LastModifiedTime, Created.
+
+## The Challenge with Date Searches
+
+Date searches in SharePoint have several gotchas that can frustrate users:
+
+- **Format requirements** - SharePoint expects specific date formats (American format UTC , i.e. yyyy-MM-dd)
+- **Property variations** - Different date properties behave differently
+- **Syntax sensitivity** - Small syntax errors can break your queries
+
+---
+
+## Date Search Properties in SharePoint
+
+SharePoint provides several date-related search properties:
+
+| Property | Description | Use Case |
+|----------|-------------|----------|
+| `LastModifiedTime` | When the item was last/file was last modified | Finding recently updated documents |
+| `write` | Alias for LastModifiedTime | Shorter syntax for modification dates |
+| `created` | When the item was created | Finding newly added content |
+
+---
+
+## Basic Date Range Syntax
+
+### 1. Date Range Queries
+
+Use the double-dot syntax for date ranges:
+
+```
+LastModifiedTime:2025-01-01..2025-08-01
+write:2025-01-01..2025-08-01
+created:2025-01-01..2025-08-01
+```
+
+**Date range search site level**
+
+![Site level design](images/Search_range.png)
+
+**Date range search library level**
+
+![Library level design](images/Search_range_lib.png)
+
+### 2. Relative Date Queries
+
+SharePoint supports natural language for relative dates:
+
+```
+write:"today"
+write:"this week"
+created:"yesterday"
+LastModifiedTime:"last week"
+write:"this month"
+created:"last month"
+write:"this year"
+```
+
+![Today Search](images/TodaySearch.png)
+
+### 3. Specific Date Formats
+
+Always use the **American date format (MM/DD/YYYY)** or **ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)**:
+
+```
+✅ Correct:
+write:01/27/2025..01/31/2025
+write:2025-01-27..2025-01-31
+
+❌ Incorrect (UK format):
+write:27/01/2025..31/01/2025
+```
+
+### 4. Using `<` and `>` Operators for Date Searches
+
+You can use `<`, `>`, `<=`, and `>=` to filter items before or after a specific date:
+
+```
+LastModifiedTime < 2025-01-01      # Items modified before Jan 1, 2025
+LastModifiedTime > 2025-01-01      # Items modified after Jan 1, 2025
+LastModifiedTime <= 2025-01-01     # Items modified on or before Jan 1, 2025
+LastModifiedTime >= 2025-01-01     # Items modified on or after Jan 1, 2025
+LastModifiedTime>=2025-03-01  AND LastModifiedTime<=2025-05-01  # Items modified between Mar 1, 2025 and May 1,2025
+```
+
+These operators work with `write`, `created`, and `LastModifiedTime` properties.
+
+![Use of < >](images/Range_dates.png)
+
+---
+
+## Working Examples
+
+### Find Documents Modified This Week
+```
+write:"this week"
+```
+
+### Find Documents Modified Between Specific Dates
+```
+LastModifiedTime:2025-01-01..2025-01-31
+```
+
+### Combine Date with Content Search
+```
+budget AND write:"last week"
+project AND created:"today"
+```
+
+### Find Documents NOT Modified Recently
+```
+-write:"last week"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Advanced Date Search Techniques
+
+### 1. Using Comparison Operators
+
+```
+# Documents modified after a specific date
+write:>2025-01-01
+
+# Documents created before a specific date
+created:<2025-06-01
+
+# Documents modified on or after a date
+LastModifiedTime:>=2025-01-15
+```
+
+### 2. Combining Multiple Date Criteria
+
+```
+# Documents created this year but modified this week
+created:"this year" AND write:"this week"
+
+# Documents created in January but not modified recently
+created:2025-01-01..2025-01-31 AND -write:"last week"
+```
+
+### 3. File Type with Date Filters
+
+```
+# PowerPoint files modified this month
+filetype:pptx AND write:"this month"
+
+# Word documents created yesterday
+filetype:docx AND created:"yesterday"
+```
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting Date Searches
+
+### Common Issues and Solutions
+
+**Problem:** Date range not returning expected results
+```
+# Try different date properties
+write:2025-01-01..2025-01-31
+LastModifiedTime:2025-01-01..2025-01-31
+```
+
+**Problem:** UK date format not working
+```
+# Always use American format or ISO format
+❌ write:31/01/2025
+✅ write:01/31/2025 or write:2025-01-31
+```
+
+**Problem:** Timezone confusion
+```
+# Remember SharePoint stores dates in UTC
+# Your local time may differ from search results
+```
+
+---
+
+## Alternative Approaches
+
+### 1. Use Column Filters
+When date search queries fail at the library level:
+- Use the Modified/Created column filters
+- Apply date ranges through the filter panel
+- More reliable for library-specific searches
+
+### 2. Search Web Parts
+Configure search web parts with:
+- Pre-defined date ranges
+- Custom KQL queries
+- User-friendly date pickers
+
+### 3. PowerShell for Complex Queries
+For advanced scenarios, use PnP PowerShell:
+
+```powershell
+# Search for documents modified in date range
+$results = Submit-PnPSearchQuery -Query "write:2025-01-01..2025-01-31" -MaxResults 500
+```
+
+![PowerShell](images/PnPPowerShell.png)
+
+---
+
+## Best Practices
+
+### 1.Date Format Consistency
+- Always use American format (MM/DD/YYYY) or ISO (YYYY-MM-DD)
+- Avoid UK format (DD/MM/YYYY)
+- Consider timezone differences
+
+### 2. Combine Strategically
+- Mix date queries with content keywords
+- Use file type filters with date ranges
+- Test combinations thoroughly
+
+---
+
+## Conclusion
+
+Mastering SharePoint date searches requires understanding the platform's quirks and limitations. While date range queries can be powerful, they work best with American date formats. When in doubt, start with relative date terms and use column filters as a backup strategy.
+
+Have you discovered other date search tricks in SharePoint? Share your experiences and workarounds in the comments!
+
+---
+
+## References
+
+![Keyword Query Language (KQL) syntax reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/general-development/keyword-query-language-kql-syntax-reference?wt.mc_id=MVP_308367)
+
+![How can I get my out of the box search to return result.only for the last 3 years](https://sharepoint.stackexchange.com/questions/238837/how-can-i-get-my-out-of-the-box-search-to-return-result-only-for-the-last-3-year)
+