Accessing search
Open the search interface from multiple locations:- In-note search: Click the search icon in the top-right corner of any open note
- Global search: Use the search bar from your dashboard or notes list
- Keyboard shortcut: Press the search shortcut (if available) to open search from anywhere
Full-text search
Search across all your note content:Enter search terms
Type your search query in the search field. Search begins as you type, showing real-time results.
Review results
Search results appear instantly, showing matching notes with context snippets highlighting where your search terms appear.
What gets searched
Full-text search looks through:- Note titles: Your search terms match against note titles
- Note content: All text content within notes is searchable
- Tags: Search finds notes with matching tags
- Categories: Match notes by category or subcategory names
Search only returns notes you have access to. This includes notes you own, notes shared with you, and public notes.
Search syntax
Use special syntax for more precise searches:Basic search
- Single word:
meeting- Finds all notes containing “meeting” - Multiple words:
project status update- Finds notes containing all these words - Partial matches: Search matches partial words automatically
Advanced operators
Use search operators for precise results:- Exact phrases:
"project status"- Finds notes with this exact phrase - Exclude terms:
meeting -cancelled- Finds notes with “meeting” but not “cancelled” - OR searches:
budget OR financial- Finds notes with either term
Search is case-insensitive. Searching for “Meeting”, “meeting”, or “MEETING” returns the same results.
In-note search
When searching within a specific note:- Open the note you want to search
- Click the search icon in the top toolbar
- Enter your search term
- Matching text is highlighted throughout the note
- Navigate between matches with next/previous buttons
Filtering results
Narrow down search results with filters:Filter by ownership
- My notes: Show only notes you created
- Shared with me: Show only notes others have shared with you
- Public notes: Show only public notes
Filter by category
- Apply a category filter to your search results
- Choose a specific category or subcategory
- Results update to show only matches within that category
Filter by tags
- Add tag filters to your search
- Select one or more tags
- Results show notes matching your search terms AND the selected tags
Filter by date
Refine results based on time:- Created date: Find notes created within a date range
- Modified date: Find recently updated notes matching your search
- Date shortcuts: Use options like “Last 7 days” or “Last month”
Combine multiple filters for very specific searches. For example, search for “proposal” in the “Work” category with the “client-name” tag from the last 30 days.
Accessing search history
Review and reuse your previous searches:Viewing search history
- Open the search interface
- Click into the search field
- Your recent searches appear as suggestions
- Click any previous search to run it again
Benefits of search history
- Quick access: Repeat common searches with one click
- Search patterns: See what you search for most often
- Time-saving: No need to retype frequent queries
- Consistent results: Reuse exact search terms for consistent filtering
Search results
Understand your search results:Result information
Each search result shows:- Note title: The full title of the matching note
- Context snippet: A preview of where your search terms appear
- Highlighted terms: Your search terms are highlighted in the snippet
- Metadata: Category, tags, and last modified date
- Owner info: Who created the note (especially useful for shared notes)
Sorting results
Sort your search results by:- Relevance: Best matches appear first (default)
- Recently updated: Most recently modified notes first
- Title: Alphabetical sorting
- Creation date: Newest or oldest notes first
Relevance sorting considers multiple factors including where search terms appear (title vs content), frequency of terms, and how recently the note was updated.
Search tips and tricks
Finding notes faster
- Start specific: Use specific terms rather than generic words
- Use titles: Include distinctive words from note titles
- Leverage tags: Search for tag names to filter by topic
- Try variations: If you don’t find what you want, try related terms
Effective search strategies
Common search scenarios
Finding a specific note you know exists:- Search for distinctive words from the title
- Add the category if you remember it
- Filter by approximate date if you recall when you created it
- Search for the topic keyword
- Don’t filter initially - see all related notes
- Use tag filters to focus on specific aspects
- Use a general term related to your recent work
- Sort by “Recently updated”
- Filter for “Last 7 days” or “Last month”
Search scope
Understand what search can and cannot find:Included in search
- All notes you own (any visibility level)
- Notes shared with you (View or Edit permission)
- All public notes
- Full note content and metadata
Not included in search
- Notes you don’t have access to
- Private notes owned by others (unless shared with you)
- Deleted notes
- Comments (use comment search within notes instead)
When you share a note with someone, it becomes searchable for them immediately. When you remove their access, it disappears from their search results.