Search Help
How to Improve Your Results
The best way to improve your search results is to optimize the structure of your query. The more the Microsoft.com Search engine "understands" your request, the better its returns will be.
Boolean Operators
Here are the symbols and words you can use to improve your queries.
| Symbol | Function | Examples |
| " " | Finds exact terms as quoted. | "mobile device" "wireless device" |
| AND | Finds pages that contain all terms or phrases. | Windows AND Vista |
| & | Same as AND. | Windows & Vista |
| NOT | Excludes pages that contain a term or phrase. | mobile NOT wireless |
| - | Same as NOT. | mobile -wireless |
| ( ) | Group words in OR and NOT queries. | (mobile device) | (wireless device)(mobile device) NOT (wireless device) |
| + | Denotes that all search results must include this term. Also allows inclusion of words that search engines usually ignore. | mobile wireless +device Office +for Mac |
| OR | Finds either term. | (mobile device) OR (wireless device) |
| | | Same as OR. | mobile | wireless |
Search Engine Rules
Here are the rules that the search engine follows when it processes your query.
How to Set Preferences
On the Search Preferences page, you can specify:
Microsoft.com Search uses cookies to store your settings, so make sure cookies are enabled in your browser. These settings are specific to search.microsoft.com; they do not carry over to other customized searches on such Microsoft.com sites as MSDN and TechNet.
How Language Preferences Affect Results
Microsoft.com is published in many languages for many locales. When you choose which languages to search within, you're also choosing which Microsoft.com sites to search within. If you choose English, the search engine looks at pages published in English for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. If you choose French, the search engine looks at pages published in French on the Microsoft.com France site as well as the Microsoft.com Canada site. Depending on your settings, your search results may include links to several different Microsoft.com locales.
How to Change the Display Language
Every page on search.microsoft.com includes a link to change the language in which the user interface is displayed. This link opens a page that presents a list of choices. Pick one to proceed with your search.
How the Display Language Affects Results
This feature was designed for multilingual users. When you choose a different display language, the search engine automatically changes the Microsoft.com site to the corresponding locale. If you click Italian, the search engine transports your query to the Microsoft.com Italy site. Click the Search button to see results from Microsoft.com Italy displayed in Italian. By changing the display language, you can run the same query on different sites worldwide without ever having to use the Back button, manually navigate to another locale, or re-enter terms into the query text box.
How to Refine Results
The search results page allows you to further refine searches to help you find the information you need.You can change the scope of your search results to specific Web sites by using the drop-down list next to the search query box. You can select:
Some scopes may provide additional refinement options, such as the ability to filter results by product name or category.
