A searchable encryption method enables encrypted search of encrypted documents based on document type. In some embodiments, the searchable encryption method is implemented in a network intermediary, such as a proxy server. The network intermediary encrypts documents on behalf of a user or an enterprise destined to be stored on a cloud service provider. The searchable encryption method encodes document type information into the encrypted search index while preserving encryption security. Furthermore, the searchable encryption method enables search of encrypted documents using the same encrypted index, either for a particular document type or for all encrypted documents regardless of the document type.