> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/obsidianmd/obsidian-help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Search

> The Search plugin lets you find notes and content across your vault using keywords, search operators, boolean logic, and regular expressions.

Search is a core plugin that helps you find data in your Obsidian vault. You can combine keywords, operators, and regular expressions to narrow results precisely.

## Open search

* Press `Ctrl+Shift+F` (Windows/Linux) or `Cmd+Shift+F` (macOS).
* Click the search icon in the left sidebar.

<Tip>
  Select text in the editor before opening Search, and Obsidian will pre-fill the search field with your selection.
</Tip>

Open Search with an empty field to see your recent search terms and reuse them.

<Info>
  Files matching your **Settings → Excluded files** patterns will not appear in search results.
</Info>

## Basic search

Type a word or phrase into the search field. By default, Obsidian searches the contents of notes and canvases.

* Each word is matched independently: `meeting work` returns files containing both words.
* Wrap a phrase in quotes for an exact match: `"stand-up meeting"`.
* Escape quotes inside a phrase with a backslash: `"they said \"hello\" to each other"`.

## Boolean operators

Combine words and phrases with boolean logic:

```
meeting OR work
meeting work OR meetup personal
meeting (work OR meetup) personal
meeting -work
meeting -work -meetup
meeting -(work meetup)
```

* Use `OR` to match either term.
* Use `-` (hyphen) before a word to exclude it.
* Use parentheses to group expressions and control evaluation order.

## Search operators

Operators let you target specific parts of a note or file:

| Operator       | Description                                          | Example                      |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| `file:`        | Search in filenames.                                 | `file:.jpg`                  |
| `path:`        | Search in file paths.                                | `path:"Daily notes/2022-07"` |
| `content:`     | Search in file content.                              | `content:"happy cat"`        |
| `tag:`         | Find files with a specific tag.                      | `tag:#work`                  |
| `line:`        | Match files where a single line contains all terms.  | `line:(mix flour)`           |
| `block:`       | Match files where a single block contains all terms. | `block:(dog cat)`            |
| `section:`     | Match files where a section contains all terms.      | `section:(dog cat)`          |
| `task:`        | Match text in a task item.                           | `task:call`                  |
| `task-todo:`   | Match text in an uncompleted task.                   | `task-todo:call`             |
| `task-done:`   | Match text in a completed task.                      | `task-done:call`             |
| `match-case:`  | Case-sensitive match.                                | `match-case:HappyCat`        |
| `ignore-case:` | Case-insensitive match.                              | `ignore-case:ikea`           |

Some operators accept a nested search term in parentheses: `task:(call OR email)`.

## Search properties

Search across [note properties](/editing/properties) using bracket syntax:

```
[aliases]                    — files that have an aliases property
[aliases:Name]               — files where aliases equals "Name"
[aliases:null]               — files where aliases exists but has no value
[status:Draft OR Published]  — files where status is Draft or Published
```

Both the property name and value support sub-queries including `OR`, parentheses, exact quotes, and regex.

## Regular expressions

Surround a regular expression with forward slashes to use it in a search:

```
/\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}/
```

This matches any ISO 8601 date such as `2022-01-01`. You can combine regex with operators:

```
path:/\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}/
```

This returns files with a date in the file path.

<Info>
  Obsidian uses JavaScript-flavored regular expressions.
</Info>

## Change case sensitivity

By default, search is case-insensitive. Click the **Match case** icon inside the search bar to enable case-sensitive matching. The icon is highlighted when case-sensitive mode is active.

## Sort results

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enter a search term">
    Type your query in the search field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the sort dropdown">
    Select the dropdown on the right side below the search field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a sort order">
    Options include file name (A–Z or Z–A), modified time, and created time.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Copy search results

<Steps>
  <Step title="Run a search">
    Enter your search term.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the results menu">
    Click the three-dots icon next to the result count below the search field.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy results">
    Select **Copy search results**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Embed search results in a note

You can embed a live search query inside any note using a `query` code block:

````md theme={null}
```query
tag:#project status:active
```
````

The results update dynamically as your vault changes.

## Search settings

Click the sliders icon on the right side of the search bar to access additional settings:

| Setting                 | Description                                                  |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Explain search term** | Breaks down your query and explains it in plain language.    |
| **Collapse results**    | Toggle whether search context is shown below each result.    |
| **Show more context**   | Expand results to show more surrounding text for each match. |