# InboxQuery Full Context

> InboxQuery is a free browser-based utility for constructing Gmail search queries. The site is independent from Google and does not request access to a Gmail account, mailbox, contacts, messages, or attachments.

## Site Background

### Gmail Search Query Builder

The canonical general-purpose tool is [Gmail Search Query Builder](https://inboxquery.wiki/). Users select ordinary filters for sender, recipient, subject text, included words, an exact phrase, excluded terms, fixed dates, relative message age, read status, mailbox location, Gmail category, attachments, filename, and message size. The generated query updates in the browser and is accompanied by a plain-English explanation.

The task-focused [Gmail Search Query Builder page](https://inboxquery.wiki/tools/gmail-search-query-builder/) presents the same local builder with an advanced-search explanation, examples, validation notes, and FAQ for people who want to construct a query before opening Gmail.

The builder validates obvious conflicts. An exact Before date must be later than the After date. Relative age must be a positive whole number. When both size limits are present, the smaller-than threshold must exceed the larger-than threshold. Empty fields are ignored. Users can copy the query or open a Gmail search URL in a new tab.

InboxQuery creates query text only. It does not execute mailbox actions. Selecting, marking read, archiving, moving, deleting, recovering, or exporting messages occurs only in Gmail under the user’s control. Gmail determines the final matching result through its own index, message state, labels, categories, timestamps, and conversation behavior.

## Content Category Details

### Task-focused search tools

[Find Archived Emails in Gmail](https://inboxquery.wiki/find-archived-emails-in-gmail/) starts with `in:archive`. Gmail does not expose Archive as a normal folder; archiving removes the Inbox label while leaving the message in All Mail and search. The page explains how to add unread state, sender, dates, filenames, and attachment filters, and how to broaden a failed search with `in:anywhere`.

[Find Unread Emails in Gmail](https://inboxquery.wiki/find-unread-emails-in-gmail/) starts with `is:unread`. Unread state can be combined with Archive, categories, senders, dates, and files. Searching does not itself mark messages read. Any bulk Mark as read action is performed in Gmail after the user reviews the query and result scope.

[Gmail Search by Date](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-search-by-date/) supports fixed `after:YYYY/MM/DD` and `before:YYYY/MM/DD` boundaries as well as rolling `older_than:` and `newer_than:` filters. The page notes that `before:` is an exclusive upper boundary and that time zones or timestamps near midnight can require a wider range.

[Gmail Search by Sender](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-search-by-sender/) uses `from:` for incoming sender identity and `to:` for recipient searches. Comma-separated senders are represented as alternatives because one message normally cannot come from several independent addresses simultaneously. An actual email address is more precise than a display name.

[Find Large Emails in Gmail](https://inboxquery.wiki/find-large-emails-in-gmail/) starts with `larger:10M`. Gmail evaluates the complete encoded message rather than only the visible attachment. Size filters can be combined with age, sender, attachment, and filename filters to produce a review list. The page does not recommend automatic deletion and explains that Trash and delayed storage reporting can affect cleanup results.

[Gmail Search Attachments](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-search-attachments/) starts with `has:attachment` and supports `filename:` for an extension or remembered name. Conventional uploaded attachments may behave differently from inline images or Google Drive links. Sender, date, and size filters help narrow common extensions such as PDF or XLSX.

[Find Old Emails in Gmail](https://inboxquery.wiki/find-old-emails-in-gmail/) starts with `older_than:1y`. Relative age queries move with the current date, while `before:` creates a fixed historical cutoff. The page emphasizes reviewing financial, legal, identity, account-recovery, and personal records before applying deletion or bulk changes.

[Find Emails Anywhere in Gmail](https://inboxquery.wiki/find-emails-anywhere-in-gmail/) starts with `in:anywhere`, which expands search to Spam and Trash. It does not search across separate Google accounts and cannot recreate permanently deleted messages or repair a delivery failure. A sender, quoted phrase, subject, date, or filename keeps the broad scope useful.

[Gmail Search Operators](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-search-operators/) is an interactive operator guide. It covers people operators such as `from:` and `to:`, content syntax such as `subject:`, exact phrases and exclusions, time operators, state and location operators, categories, attachments, filenames, and size. Separate terms normally combine as required conditions. Braces or uppercase `OR` express alternatives.

[Gmail Search by Subject](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-search-by-subject/) focuses the Gmail query on the subject field with `subject:`. It starts with `subject:invoice` and lets users add sender, recipient, dates, status, mailbox location, category, attachments, filename, and size filters. The page explains that `subject:` is not a full subject-line equality test, that quoted phrases can focus a subject phrase, and that starts-with or wildcard expectations should be tested as ordinary Gmail search behavior rather than assumed from SQL-style syntax.

[Gmail Rules](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-rules/) explains Gmail's filter-based equivalent of inbox rules. The working builder creates and validates the search criteria that define which messages a rule should match. Users can test that query in Gmail before choosing actions such as applying a label, skipping the Inbox, marking as read, starring, forwarding, or deleting. The page distinguishes labels from folders, explains how to edit existing filters, and includes troubleshooting for rules that do not match or process older messages.

[Gmail Search Options](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-search-options/) explains where Gmail's advanced Search options control fits into the main search field and how its structured fields map to operators such as from:, after:, before:, has:attachment, filename:, and larger:. The page includes the working InboxQuery builder so readers can select conditions, inspect the generated query, review examples, and open the visible search in Gmail. It distinguishes the desktop search-options form from the operator syntax and explains why a query can be too broad or too narrow without accessing the user's mailbox.

[Gmail Search Exact Phrase](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-search-exact-phrase/) explains how quotation marks focus a Gmail search on a phrase such as "quarterly report". The page includes a working quoted-phrase preset, subject, sender, date, and in:anywhere examples, troubleshooting for wording and punctuation variants, and a review-before-action workflow. It clarifies that quotation marks focus phrase intent but do not guarantee a character-for-character comparison, and that InboxQuery does not access the user's mailbox.

[Gmail Search Not Working](https://inboxquery.wiki/gmail-search-not-working/) is a troubleshooting guide for empty or missing Gmail search results. It starts with a known-good word or sender, removes uncertain filters one at a time, checks account and mailbox scope, compares fixed and relative dates, separates browser/app problems from query syntax, and reviews labels, categories, and existing filters. A decision table maps visible symptoms to low-risk next checks. The guide explains that InboxQuery creates query text locally and cannot inspect a Gmail mailbox.

[Recover Deleted Emails in Gmail](https://inboxquery.wiki/recover-deleted-emails-in-gmail/) explains the difference between finding a message that is still in Trash and trying to retrieve a message that Gmail has permanently removed. It starts with the correct account and Trash, uses `in:trash` for retained messages, checks other locations and copies, describes the 30-day recovery boundary, and separates personal Gmail controls from Google Workspace administrator recovery. InboxQuery can create readable search text but cannot restore, read, or export mailbox content.

### Query construction principles

Start with the smallest reliable query and add one condition at a time. This makes a failed condition easy to identify. Use the sender’s actual address when possible. Prefer four-digit years. Remember that Gmail categories are classifications and may not match a user’s expectation. Use `in:anywhere` only when the ordinary scope could be excluding the target. Treat message size as the total stored message size.

Example queries include `in:archive is:unread` for unread archived mail, `from:billing@company.test has:attachment filename:pdf` for PDFs from one sender, `after:2026/01/01 before:2026/02/01` for a January 2026 window, `older_than:2y larger:10M` for old large mail, and `in:anywhere "confirmation number"` for a missing message with a distinctive phrase.

Generated queries are not guarantees. Gmail may group conversations, classify categories, interpret words, retain Spam or Trash for limited periods, and apply account-specific behavior. When a target is absent, remove the least certain filter first, inspect the actual sender address, widen the date window, shorten a filename or phrase, and broaden the location if appropriate.

## User Value

[About InboxQuery](https://inboxquery.wiki/about/) describes the product’s purpose and principles. Every core task page includes a real builder rather than a link back to the homepage. The site prioritizes readable output, local processing, visible validation, and links to authoritative documentation.

[Privacy Policy](https://inboxquery.wiki/privacy-policy/) explains that query form values are processed in the browser. InboxQuery does not require Google login or Gmail OAuth permission. A user who opens a query in Gmail makes a request to Google, which is governed by Google’s policies. Hosting infrastructure can process standard technical logs, and Google Fonts can receive ordinary connection information.

[Terms of Service](https://inboxquery.wiki/terms-of-service/) states that users control their queries and Gmail actions. The service is provided without a guarantee of a specific result or uninterrupted availability. InboxQuery is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Google. Gmail and Google are trademarks of Google LLC.

Support is available at support@inboxquery.wiki for corrections and product issues. Users should not email passwords, recovery codes, private message content, or sensitive attachments. [Google’s official Gmail search documentation](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7190?hl=en) is the authoritative third-party reference for current operator syntax.

## Latest Update Content

- 2026-08-22: Added a multilingual Gmail deleted-email recovery guide with Trash-first steps, `in:trash` examples, permanent-deletion limits, Workspace administrator guidance, FAQ, official Gmail Help reference, and an editorial recovery timeline.
- 2026-08-01: Added a multilingual Gmail Search Options guide with a working builder, structured-field explanation, operator comparison, examples, limitations, FAQ, official search documentation, and a non-screenshot editorial diagram.
- 2026-08-07: Added a multilingual Gmail exact phrase search page with a working quoted-phrase preset, operator examples, limitations, FAQ, official search documentation, and a non-screenshot editorial diagram.
- 2026-08-10: Added a multilingual Gmail search troubleshooting guide with a simple-query diagnostic flow, filter/date/account checks, browser and app comparisons, FAQ, official search documentation, and an editorial flow diagram.
- 2026-07-30: Added a multilingual Gmail Rules page with a filter-criteria builder, action workflow, examples, limitations, FAQ, hreflang routes, and sitemap coverage.
- 2026-07-26: Rebuilt the site for inboxquery.wiki with a working English Gmail Search Query Builder.
- 2026-07-26: Added nine independent task pages covering Archive, unread mail, dates, senders, large messages, attachments, old mail, missing mail, and operator syntax.
- 2026-07-26: Added live results, query explanations, recipe presets, date and size validation, copy controls, direct Gmail links, responsive layouts, canonical URLs, structured data, legal pages, sitemap entries, and AI-readable site context.