OneDrive Search API no longer returns results based on "tags" metadata

Andrew Chart 30 Reputation points
2024-10-09T20:22:05.92+00:00

Until recently OneDrive search would search metadata including "Tags" (hashtags) applied to images and return DriveItems which had a tag matching the search query.

For example:

  • Find a jpg photograph in OneDrive
  • Edit Tags > apply a tag e.g. foobar
  • Execute a search query on the Drive containing the image e.g. https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/drive/root/search(q='foobar')
  • Previously: the tagged image would be returned in the search result
  • Now: the tagged image is not returned in the search result

I have an application that searched tagged images that was previously returning results and no longer does. This is appears to be a recent change. I cannot find any documentation describing the expected search behaviour.

The OneDrive web application search also used to search tags and return the expected results. It no longer does (i.e. it exhibits the same issue as the API). See below screenshots.

MS Onedrive Search Issue

The search API documentation says:

Values may be matched across several fields including filename, metadata, and file content.

The OneDrive web application strongly hints that metadata tags will be searched. https://photos.onedrive.com has the following hint text in the search input:

Find photos by date, tags, location and more

Will the OneDrive search be changed back so that it continues to search photo tags?

Microsoft Graph
Microsoft Graph
A Microsoft programmability model that exposes REST APIs and client libraries to access data on Microsoft 365 services.
12,422 questions
OneDrive
OneDrive
A Microsoft file hosting and synchronization service.
1,174 questions
0 comments No comments
{count} votes

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
  1. Thomas Steiner 0 Reputation points
    2024-11-23T15:32:44.2733333+00:00

    It is so very disappointing that MS just removes such important features without any notice.
    I really want to stick to onedrive - but its hard to not switch to google-drive since the can do everything including face tagging.

    0 comments No comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as Accepted Answers by the question author, which helps users to know the answer solved the author's problem.