diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 9aecde8d..3f2dfcce 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ type Configuration struct {
 	DefaultHighlighter    *string
 	CreateIfMissing       bool
 	DefaultDateTimeFormat *string
+	DefaultField          *string
 }
 
 func (c *Configuration) BuildNewAnalyzer(charFilterNames []string, tokenizerName string, tokenFilterNames []string) (*analysis.Analyzer, error) {
@@ -349,4 +350,7 @@ func init() {
 		})
 	dateTimeOptionalName := "dateTimeOptional"
 	Config.DefaultDateTimeFormat = &dateTimeOptionalName
+
+	defaultField := "_all"
+	Config.DefaultField = &defaultField
 }
diff --git a/mapping_index.go b/mapping_index.go
index 509e1f96..0ce08217 100644
--- a/mapping_index.go
+++ b/mapping_index.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ var fALSE = false
 var DEFAULT_ID_FIELD = "_id"
 var DEFAULT_TYPE_FIELD = "_type"
 var DEFAULT_TYPE = "_default"
+var DEFAULT_FIELD = "_all"
 
 type IndexMapping struct {
 	TypeMapping     map[string]*DocumentMapping `json:"types"`
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ type IndexMapping struct {
 	TypeField       *string                     `json:"type_field"`
 	DefaultType     *string                     `json:"default_type"`
 	DefaultAnalyzer *string                     `json:"default_analyzer"`
+	DefaultField    *string                     `json:"default_field"`
 }
 
 func (im *IndexMapping) GoString() string {
@@ -46,6 +48,7 @@ func NewIndexMapping() *IndexMapping {
 		IdField:        &DEFAULT_ID_FIELD,
 		TypeField:      &DEFAULT_TYPE_FIELD,
 		DefaultType:    &DEFAULT_TYPE,
+		DefaultField:   &DEFAULT_FIELD,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -64,6 +67,11 @@ func (im *IndexMapping) SetDefaultAnalyzer(analyzer string) *IndexMapping {
 	return im
 }
 
+func (im *IndexMapping) SetDefaultField(field string) *IndexMapping {
+	im.DefaultField = &field
+	return im
+}
+
 func (im *IndexMapping) MappingForType(docType string) *DocumentMapping {
 	docMapping := im.TypeMapping[docType]
 	if docMapping == nil {
@@ -80,6 +88,7 @@ func (im *IndexMapping) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
 		TypeField       *string                     `json:"type_field"`
 		DefaultType     *string                     `json:"default_type"`
 		DefaultAnalyzer *string                     `json:"default_analyzer"`
+		DefaultField    *string                     `json:"default_field"`
 	}
 	err := json.Unmarshal(data, &tmp)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -110,6 +119,10 @@ func (im *IndexMapping) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
 		im.DefaultAnalyzer = tmp.DefaultAnalyzer
 	}
 
+	if tmp.DefaultField != nil {
+		im.DefaultField = tmp.DefaultField
+	}
+
 	im.TypeMapping = make(map[string]*DocumentMapping, len(tmp.TypeMapping))
 	for typeName, typeDocMapping := range tmp.TypeMapping {
 		im.TypeMapping[typeName] = typeDocMapping
@@ -235,7 +248,6 @@ func (im *IndexMapping) processProperty(property interface{}, path []string, con
 		propertyValueString := propertyValue.String()
 		if subDocMapping != nil {
 			// index by explicit mapping
-
 			for _, fieldMapping := range subDocMapping.Fields {
 				fieldName := getFieldName(pathString, path, fieldMapping)
 				if *fieldMapping.Type == "text" {
@@ -392,6 +404,15 @@ func (im *IndexMapping) datetimeParserForPath(path string) analysis.DateTimePars
 	return Config.Analysis.DateTimeParsers[*Config.DefaultDateTimeFormat]
 }
 
+func (im *IndexMapping) defaultField() string {
+	if im.DefaultField != nil {
+		return *im.DefaultField
+	} else if Config.DefaultField != nil {
+		return *Config.DefaultField
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 func getFieldName(pathString string, path []string, fieldMapping *FieldMapping) string {
 	fieldName := pathString
 	if fieldMapping.Name != nil && *fieldMapping.Name != "" {
diff --git a/query_date_range.go b/query_date_range.go
index 10c2e4ff..ede9c499 100644
--- a/query_date_range.go
+++ b/query_date_range.go
@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@ func (q *DateRangeQuery) Searcher(i *indexImpl, explain bool) (search.Searcher,
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no datetime parser named '%s' registered", *q.DateTimeParser)
 	}
 
+	field := q.FieldVal
+	if q.FieldVal == "" {
+		field = i.m.defaultField()
+	}
+
 	// now parse the endpoints
 	min := math.Inf(-1)
 	max := math.Inf(1)
@@ -81,7 +86,7 @@ func (q *DateRangeQuery) Searcher(i *indexImpl, explain bool) (search.Searcher,
 		max = numeric_util.Int64ToFloat64(endTime.UnixNano())
 	}
 
-	return search.NewNumericRangeSearcher(i.i, &min, &max, q.FieldVal, q.BoostVal, explain)
+	return search.NewNumericRangeSearcher(i.i, &min, &max, field, q.BoostVal, explain)
 }
 
 func (q *DateRangeQuery) Validate() error {
diff --git a/query_match.go b/query_match.go
index 9fad055f..1852d091 100644
--- a/query_match.go
+++ b/query_match.go
@@ -59,13 +59,18 @@ func (q *MatchQuery) Searcher(i *indexImpl, explain bool) (search.Searcher, erro
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no analyzer named '%s' registered", q.Analyzer)
 	}
 
+	field := q.FieldVal
+	if q.FieldVal == "" {
+		field = i.m.defaultField()
+	}
+
 	tokens := analyzer.Analyze([]byte(q.Match))
 	if len(tokens) > 0 {
 
 		tqs := make([]Query, len(tokens))
 		for i, token := range tokens {
 			tqs[i] = NewTermQuery(string(token.Term)).
-				SetField(q.FieldVal).
+				SetField(field).
 				SetBoost(q.BoostVal)
 		}
 
diff --git a/query_match_phrase.go b/query_match_phrase.go
index ad80c7b3..409ed49a 100644
--- a/query_match_phrase.go
+++ b/query_match_phrase.go
@@ -59,12 +59,17 @@ func (q *MatchPhraseQuery) Searcher(i *indexImpl, explain bool) (search.Searcher
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no analyzer named '%s' registered", q.Analyzer)
 	}
 
+	field := q.FieldVal
+	if q.FieldVal == "" {
+		field = i.m.defaultField()
+	}
+
 	tokens := analyzer.Analyze([]byte(q.MatchPhrase))
 	if len(tokens) > 0 {
 		tqs := make([]*TermQuery, len(tokens))
 		for i, token := range tokens {
 			tqs[i] = NewTermQuery(string(token.Term)).
-				SetField(q.FieldVal).
+				SetField(field).
 				SetBoost(q.BoostVal)
 		}
 
diff --git a/query_numeric_range.go b/query_numeric_range.go
index 6430fe45..980cc3cc 100644
--- a/query_numeric_range.go
+++ b/query_numeric_range.go
@@ -48,7 +48,11 @@ func (q *NumericRangeQuery) SetField(f string) *NumericRangeQuery {
 }
 
 func (q *NumericRangeQuery) Searcher(i *indexImpl, explain bool) (search.Searcher, error) {
-	return search.NewNumericRangeSearcher(i.i, q.Min, q.Max, q.FieldVal, q.BoostVal, explain)
+	field := q.FieldVal
+	if q.FieldVal == "" {
+		field = i.m.defaultField()
+	}
+	return search.NewNumericRangeSearcher(i.i, q.Min, q.Max, field, q.BoostVal, explain)
 }
 
 func (q *NumericRangeQuery) Validate() error {
diff --git a/query_syntax.go b/query_syntax.go
index 860b3115..4efba514 100644
--- a/query_syntax.go
+++ b/query_syntax.go
@@ -44,7 +44,11 @@ func (q *SyntaxQuery) SetField(f string) *SyntaxQuery {
 }
 
 func (q *SyntaxQuery) Searcher(i *indexImpl, explain bool) (search.Searcher, error) {
-	newQuery, err := ParseQuerySyntax(q.Query, i.m, q.DefaultFieldVal)
+	defaultField := q.DefaultFieldVal
+	if q.DefaultFieldVal == "" {
+		defaultField = i.m.defaultField()
+	}
+	newQuery, err := ParseQuerySyntax(q.Query, i.m, defaultField)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/query_term.go b/query_term.go
index 18fea765..f3ee99c9 100644
--- a/query_term.go
+++ b/query_term.go
@@ -44,7 +44,11 @@ func (q *TermQuery) SetField(f string) *TermQuery {
 }
 
 func (q *TermQuery) Searcher(i *indexImpl, explain bool) (search.Searcher, error) {
-	return search.NewTermSearcher(i.i, q.Term, q.FieldVal, q.BoostVal, explain)
+	field := q.FieldVal
+	if q.FieldVal == "" {
+		field = i.m.defaultField()
+	}
+	return search.NewTermSearcher(i.i, q.Term, field, q.BoostVal, explain)
 }
 
 func (q *TermQuery) Validate() error {