diff --git a/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/bleve.go b/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/bleve.go
index 0acbc80095..41e260b81c 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/bleve.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/bleve.go
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ func (c Creator[T]) Create(qs string) (T, error) {
 		return t, err
 	}
 
+	// shared KQL lowering pass: resolve field names + expand media-type aliases
+	// once, so the compiler below sees only canonical field:value nodes.
+	builderAst = query.Normalize(builderAst, query.ResolveField)
+
 	t, err = c.compiler.Compile(builderAst)
 	if err != nil {
 		return t, err
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/compiler.go b/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/compiler.go
index 02f5c17992..944065b46d 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/compiler.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/compiler.go
@@ -16,22 +16,6 @@ import (
 // backend via search.LowercaseValueFields; every other field keeps its casing.
 var lowercaseFields = search.LowercaseValueFields()
 
-var _fields = map[string]string{
-	"rootid":    "RootID",
-	"path":      "Path",
-	"id":        "ID",
-	"name":      "Name",
-	"size":      "Size",
-	"mtime":     "Mtime",
-	"mediatype": "MimeType",
-	"type":      "Type",
-	"tag":       "Tags",
-	"tags":      "Tags",
-	"content":   "Content",
-	"hidden":    "Hidden",
-	"favorite":  "Favorites",
-}
-
 // The following quoted string enumerates the characters which may be escaped: "+-=&|><!(){}[]^\"~*?:\\/ "
 // based on bleve docs https://blevesearch.com/docs/Query-String-Query/
 // Wildcards * and ? are excluded
@@ -91,9 +75,11 @@ func walk(offset int, nodes []ast.Node) (bleveQuery.Query, int, error) {
 	for i := offset; i < len(nodes); i++ {
 		switch n := nodes[i].(type) {
 		case *ast.StringNode:
-			k := getField(n.Key)
+			// keys are resolved and media-type expanded by normalize; MimeType
+			// values are literal MIME types, so they skip the escaper.
+			k := n.Key
 			v := n.Value
-			if k != "ID" && k != "Size" {
+			if k != "ID" && k != "Size" && k != "MimeType" {
 				v = bleveEscaper.Replace(n.Value)
 			}
 
@@ -101,17 +87,7 @@ func walk(offset int, nodes []ast.Node) (bleveQuery.Query, int, error) {
 				v = strings.ToLower(v)
 			}
 
-			var q bleveQuery.Query
-			var group bool
-			switch k {
-			case "MimeType":
-				q, group = mimeType(k, v)
-				if prev == nil {
-					isGroup = group
-				}
-			default:
-				q = bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":" + v)
-			}
+			q := bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":" + v)
 
 			if prev == nil {
 				prev = q
@@ -124,7 +100,7 @@ func walk(offset int, nodes []ast.Node) (bleveQuery.Query, int, error) {
 				End:            bleveQuery.BleveQueryTime{},
 				InclusiveStart: nil,
 				InclusiveEnd:   nil,
-				FieldVal:       getField(n.Key),
+				FieldVal:       n.Key,
 			}
 
 			if n.Operator == nil {
@@ -154,16 +130,14 @@ func walk(offset int, nodes []ast.Node) (bleveQuery.Query, int, error) {
 				next = q
 			}
 		case *ast.BooleanNode:
-			q := bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(getField(n.Key) + fmt.Sprintf(":%v", n.Value))
+			q := bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(n.Key + fmt.Sprintf(":%v", n.Value))
 			if prev == nil {
 				prev = q
 			} else {
 				next = q
 			}
 		case *ast.GroupNode:
-			if n.Key != "" {
-				n = normalizeGroupingProperty(n)
-			}
+			// keys resolved and grouping property propagated in normalize
 			q, _, err := walk(0, n.Nodes)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, 0, err
@@ -271,90 +245,3 @@ func mapBinary(operator *ast.OperatorNode, ln, rn bleveQuery.Query, leftIsGroup
 		rn,
 	})
 }
-
-func getField(name string) string {
-	if name == "" {
-		return "Name"
-	}
-	if _, ok := _fields[strings.ToLower(name)]; ok {
-		return _fields[strings.ToLower(name)]
-	}
-	return name
-}
-
-func normalizeGroupingProperty(group *ast.GroupNode) *ast.GroupNode {
-	for _, n := range group.Nodes {
-		if onode, ok := n.(*ast.StringNode); ok {
-			onode.Key = group.Key
-		}
-	}
-	return group
-}
-
-func mimeType(k, v string) (bleveQuery.Query, bool) {
-	switch v {
-	case "file":
-		q := bleve.NewBooleanQuery()
-		q.AddMustNot(bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":httpd/unix-directory"))
-		return q, false
-	case "folder":
-		return bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":httpd/unix-directory"), false
-	case "document":
-		return bleveQuery.NewDisjunctionQuery(newQueryStringQueryList(k,
-			"application/msword",
-			"application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document",
-			"application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.form",
-			"application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text",
-			"text/plain",
-			"text/markdown",
-			"application/rtf",
-			"application/vnd.apple.pages",
-		)), true
-	case "spreadsheet":
-		return bleveQuery.NewDisjunctionQuery(newQueryStringQueryList(k,
-			"application/vnd.ms-excel",
-			"application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet",
-			"text/csv",
-			"application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet",
-			"application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet",
-			"application/vnd.apple.numbers",
-		)), true
-	case "presentation":
-		return bleveQuery.NewDisjunctionQuery(newQueryStringQueryList(k,
-			"application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation",
-			"application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation",
-			"application/vnd.ms-powerpoint",
-			"application/vnd.apple.keynote",
-		)), true
-	case "pdf":
-		return bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":application/pdf"), false
-	case "image":
-		return bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":image/*"), false
-	case "video":
-		return bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":video/*"), false
-	case "audio":
-		return bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":audio/*"), false
-	case "archive":
-		return bleveQuery.NewDisjunctionQuery(newQueryStringQueryList(k,
-			"application/zip",
-			"application/gzip",
-			"application/x-gzip",
-			"application/x-7z-compressed",
-			"application/x-rar-compressed",
-			"application/x-tar",
-			"application/x-bzip2",
-			"application/x-bzip",
-			"application/x-tgz",
-		)), true
-	default:
-		return bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":" + v), false
-	}
-}
-
-func newQueryStringQueryList(k string, v ...string) []bleveQuery.Query {
-	list := make([]bleveQuery.Query, len(v))
-	for i := 0; i < len(v); i++ {
-		list[i] = bleveQuery.NewQueryStringQuery(k + ":" + v[i])
-	}
-	return list
-}
diff --git a/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/compiler_test.go b/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/compiler_test.go
index ff94e88726..8057834e8a 100644
--- a/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/compiler_test.go
+++ b/services/search/pkg/query/bleve/compiler_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/blevesearch/bleve/v2/search/query"
 	"github.com/opencloud-eu/opencloud/pkg/ast"
+	searchquery "github.com/opencloud-eu/opencloud/services/search/pkg/query"
 	tAssert "github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
@@ -18,6 +19,11 @@ var timeMustParse = func(t *testing.T, ts string) time.Time {
 	return tp
 }
 
+// TODO(followup): make this a pure compiler test. Field resolution and
+// media-type expansion live in query.Normalize, so this test could feed
+// canonical ASTs (real field names, media-type already expanded) and call
+// compile() directly, dropping the query.Normalize wrapper and the mediatype
+// cases.
 func Test_compile(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name    string
@@ -531,7 +537,7 @@ func Test_compile(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			got, err := compile(tt.args)
+			got, err := compile(searchquery.Normalize(tt.args, searchquery.ResolveField))
 
 			if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
 				t.Errorf("compile() error = %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)