Gmail search can fail to find text that's present, due to Gmail Compose littered tags

chrisjj · 1 May 2025, 08:12 PM

[title changed to help future suffers]

Ever wondered why Gmail search fails to find text you're sure is present?

Search can fail on edited forwarded text... here. Do you find the same?

1 Using Google Chrome browser, in Gmail, Compose a message containing one line e.g.

First typed line

and click Send.

2 On that message, click Forward, place the caret after the 'y', press backspace, press 'a', to get:

First taped line

and click Send.

3 In the search bar enter:

taped

Expected: message found.
Observe: message not found

4 Download the message, and inspect the text/plain part

Observed: Contains

First taped line

I guess Gmail search fails to search the plain part!

5 Decode the text/html part quoted-printable content and inspect it.

Observed: Contains:

<div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:small">First t<span class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">a</span>ped line</div>

I guess Gmail search fails to recognise words containing tags! EDIT: this problem is not confined to forwarded test. It can (possibly always does) affect pasted text with a font size unequal to Gmail's default, being HTML small.

chrisjj · 1 May 2025, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjj

I guess Gmail search fails to recognise words containing tags!

A more-obvious case is e.g. up-too-date (sic).

**CyberSmurf** · 1 May 2025, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjj

Ever wondered why Gmail search fails to find text you're sure is present?
[...]
I guess Gmail search fails to search the plain part!
[...]
I guess Gmail search fails to recognise words containing tags!

Good to know.

1 May 2025, 08:12 PM	#1
chrisjj Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 840	Gmail search can fail to find text that's present, due to Gmail Compose littered tags [title changed to help future suffers] Ever wondered why Gmail search fails to find text you're sure is present? Search can fail on edited forwarded text... here. Do you find the same? 1 Using Google Chrome browser, in Gmail, Compose a message containing one line e.g. First typed line and click Send. 2 On that message, click Forward, place the caret after the 'y', press backspace, press 'a', to get: First taped line and click Send. 3 In the search bar enter: taped Expected: message found. Observe: message not found 4 Download the message, and inspect the text/plain part Observed: Contains First taped line I guess Gmail search fails to search the plain part! 5 Decode the text/html part quoted-printable content and inspect it. Observed: Contains: <div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:small">First t<span class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">a</span>ped line</div> I guess Gmail search fails to recognise words containing tags! EDIT: this problem is not confined to forwarded test. It can (possibly always does) affect pasted text with a font size unequal to Gmail's default, being HTML small. Last edited by chrisjj : 6 May 2025 at 11:04 PM.