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zulip/templates/zerver/help/search-messages.md

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Searching

The Zulip search bar allows you to both find single messages in your streams and filter messages by various criteria. It is located at the top of your chat window.

Searching past messages

Searching content of messages & topics

  • To search for messages containing the word/phrase example, enter example as it is in the search bar. Press enter to obtain a list of results matching your search.
  • Entering multiple words will only return results containing each word.
  • The topic of a message is included in the search.

  • If you are searching from within a stream or topic, the search bar will already contain certain operators. You can now:
    • add a space and then conduct your search within the scope of the stream/topic.
    • remove the operators to conduct a normal search over all streams.

Filtering Messages

You can search for messages that match certain criteria, like the author of the message, the stream they were sent in, etc.

  • Filter your messages with so-called operators of the form operator:operand.

  • Separate multiple operators by spaces.

  • If operand contains spaces, replace them with '+'.

  • You can combine the operators with the keyword search described formerly.

  • To see a list of search operators, go to the cog (cog) in the upper right corner of the right sidebar and choose “Search help” from the drop-down menu:

Here are a few examples on how to use search operators:

  • Example 1

    Explanation: Search for all messages in the stream Scotland that contain a link.

  • Example 2

    <img *src="/static/images/help/search-messages/search-example-2.png" width="600">

    Explanation: Search for all messages from the user *iago@zulip.com in the stream errors that contain the words bug *and code.

  • Example 3

    Explanation: Search for all messages that you starred.

Features and limitations

  • Search hits include morphological variants by default (if you search for walking you’ll also get walk, walks, walked, and so on).

  • Use quotation marks (") to search for a word/phrase exactly as you type it. For instance, searching for "a happy rabbit" will only deliver results containing an exact match of a happy rabbit.

  • Searches are case insensitive.

  • Searching by date isn’t currently possible.

  • Some common words might be handled as “stop words” — the search tool will ignore them, because they appear in too many messages to be useful. This can lead to no results being found at all!

  • When pressing space in the search bar, a drop-down menu shows up. Clicking on one of its items narrows your search to the stream/topic/criterion described by the item.

  • If you are proceeding from a blank search bar, the items display your streams, allowing you to view messages from that stream only.

  • If you are proceeding from within a stream, the items display the topics of that stream, allowing you to view messages from that topic only.

  • A little x is located on the right side of the search bar. Clicking on it will clear the search bar and open the Home chat panel.

Sidebar Links

Zulip's left sidebar features links for your streams, starred messages, @-mentions, etc.

  • Clicking on one of those links will execute an implicite search, e.g. clicking the stream rabbits will search for stream:rabbits.

  • The search executed by clicking on a link is visible in the search bar.

Learning more