Sharepoint Online Refinablestring not allowing "queryable" property

Question

Sharepoint Online Refinablestring not allowing "queryable" property

Thiago de Freitas Ribeiro 0

In order to use PnP Search, i tried to map a crawled property into the Refinablestring managed one, however all of them does not have or allow to use the "queryable" property.

Results in Copilot and GPT prompts say it should be checked, already tried to change in the site collection and in only one site. When i tried to create a new managed property, couldn't make it "refinable" but "queryable" was available for selection.

Any ideas if i can make the Refinablestring queryable or create a new property thats refinable?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hi Thiago,

You don't need to change anything there. You can't edit the settings on the RefinableString properties in SharePoint Online, and you can't create a new custom property that is Refinable. Microsoft only allows refiners on the pre-created RefinableString, RefinableDate, RefinableInt and similar properties.

The RefinableStrings already work for querying, whatever the greyed-out checkbox shows. I use them with PnP Modern Search all the time. Here's what to do:

Map your crawled property (e.g. ows_Department) to an unused RefinableString, such as RefinableString05. Do this at the tenant level (SharePoint admin center → More features → Search → Manage Search Schema) if you need it across sites.
Reindex the site or library, then wait a few hours for the crawl to pick it up.
In PnP Search, use it in the Filters/Refiners web part by selecting RefinableString05. In the query template, filter with RefinableString05:"Finance".

If nothing comes back, the cause is almost always that the reindex hasn't completed yet, not the Queryable setting.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Liora 2,065 Independent Advisor

Dear @Thiago de Freitas Ribeiro,

I hope you’re having a good day.

Based on your description, I'm not convinced that the missing Queryable setting is necessarily the root cause of the problem.

What stands out is that you're trying to use a crawled property with one of the built-in RefinableStringXX managed properties. At the same time, you've noticed that:

RefinableStringXX properties do not expose the same configuration options as custom managed properties.
A newly created managed property allows Queryable, but cannot be made Refinable in the same way as the built-in refinable properties.

From your description, this behavior appears consistent with how SharePoint Online exposes predefined refinable managed properties versus custom managed properties.

Before focusing on the Queryable checkbox itself, I think the more important question is how you intend to use the property in PnP Search.

For example:

Are you trying to use the property in a PnP Search Filter/Refiner?
Are you trying to use the property in a KQL query?
Or are you trying to make the field searchable through a search box experience?

The reason I ask is that the required managed property characteristics differ depending on the scenario. If your goal is filtering or refinement, the built-in RefinableStringXX managed properties may already be the correct approach, and the inability to enable Queryable may not actually be preventing the solution from working.

Could you share a bit more about the specific PnP Search configuration you're building and what you're ultimately trying to achieve? That will help determine whether Queryable is truly required or whether the issue lies elsewhere in the search configuration.

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Looking forward to hearing back from you with any updates or additional details.

Warm regards,

Thiago de Freitas Ribeiro 0 Reputation points

2026-09-17T16:38:41.8033333+00:00
Hi Liora, thanks for the reply, the use of the filtering in the PnP Search would be:

One Sharepoint library with choice and text columns filled with metadata regarding PDF documents from my org, like tecnical notes, laws, etc. This one is intended to have some kind of seatch inside the doc too.

One Sharepoint list that would contain a text column with entire sections of a manual and a column with the sharepoint link to it inside a page. Expected behavior is: User types text -> Finds section -> Redirection.

This manual has lots of images and text, so it probably will be moved into more than one page shortly, the links are generated when the text webparts get some kind of "Title" on it.
Liora 2,065 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-21T09:51:17.0033333+00:00
Dear Thiago,

Thank you for the additional details.

Based on your latest description, your project appears to involve designing a broader search experience in SharePoint Online using PnP Modern Search, including both metadata-driven document discovery and searching manual content with direct navigation to relevant sections. This goes beyond a simple managed property configuration question and moves into solution architecture, search design, and PnP Search implementation.

For that reason, I would strongly recommend posting your scenario in the Microsoft Tech Community

The advantage of posting there is that the community includes SharePoint architects, Microsoft MVPs, PnP contributors, and administrators who regularly design and implement search solutions using SharePoint Search, managed properties, KQL, and PnP Modern Search. Your question is likely to benefit from the experience of people who have built similar document repositories, knowledge bases, and search portals in real-world environments.

When creating your post, I suggest including:

The PnP web parts you're using (Search Box, Search Results, Filters, etc.).

Whether you're using SharePoint Search or Microsoft Search as the data source.

The managed properties and crawled properties you've already configured.

The desired search experience for both the document library and manual-search scenarios.

Any screenshots of your current search configuration.

Providing those details will help the specialists there understand your requirements quickly and offer more targeted implementation guidance.

I believe your use case will attract valuable feedback from the SharePoint and PnP Search community, and they should be well positioned to recommend the most suitable approach for your design.

Kind regards.