Can Confluence search the content of attachments in Confluence and return it in search results?

[Steph Lau]

A large number of our Confluence pages contain attachments or Google documents that are embedded using the G-drive macro.

Is there the ability for searching in Confluence to also search the contents within attachments e.g. PDF, Google Docs to return search results? 

For example, we have a Google doc glossary of terms that is embedded into one of the team's Confluence pages. If we go to search a key term (that's within the Google doc), Confluence doesn't return any results. 

Thanks!

[Brant Schroeder · Accepted solution]

@Steph Lau That functionality does not exist.  It does not index attachment content nor does it index google documents.  It can however find attachments by name as it searches page content and other page meta data.  https://support.atlassian.com/confluence-cloud/docs/search-for-pages-and-posts/

[Steph Lau]

Thanks for the quick reply Brant! 

I'd love if Atlassian could consider Confluence search capability to incorporate this. Would make discoverability of content in Confluence next level! 

[Brant Schroeder]

@Steph Lau you can submit a feature request here: https://jira.atlassian.com/secure/Dashboard.jspa

[Kim Trask]

@Brant Schroeder - While I can confirm that my tests to search within PDF and JPG files have failed to yield search hits. I can successfully search within a MS Excel file (as a Confluence page attachment). I presume searching within a MS Word (again as a Confluence page attachment) would be similar to searching within a MS Excel file, but I have not tested that file type. Maybe this is feature that has been added since 2022?