Search
Ctrl + Shift + F (global-search:open) opens the Search tab in the left dock. It searches
every note in the vault, with the same query language Obsidian uses.
A query
The simplest query is a word, and several words mean all of them:
focus stacking both words, anywhere in the note
"focus stacking" that exact phrase
focus OR stacking either one
focus -stacking "focus" but not "stacking"
tag:#project notes tagged #project, or any child of it
path:archive/ notes under archive/
/colou?r/i a regular expressionThe full grammar — every operator, how precedence works, the [property] forms — is the
search syntax reference. It is worth a read: the scoped
operators (line:, block:, section:, task:) are where the grammar earns its keep,
because they let you ask for two words in the same line rather than merely in the same
note.
Reading the results
Results are grouped per file. Each file shows the matching lines with their context, and the matched text is highlighted inside them. Click a result and the note opens at that line.
Matching is case-insensitive unless you ask otherwise with match-case:. Searching runs on
a background thread across the indexed note text, so a large vault stays responsive while
you type.
Explaining a query
A query that returns the wrong thing is usually a precedence surprise — OR binds looser
than the implicit AND, so a b OR c is (a AND b) OR c. Scoria can print the parse tree
with the same labels Obsidian's Explain search terms shows, so you can see how your query
was actually read.
Searching for a tag by clicking
Clicking a tag in a note, or in the Tags pane, searches the vault for it.
Not yet
- Sort options for results (by name, by modified time, by relevance).
- Copy search results.
- Collapsing a file's results.
- Search and replace across the vault. Replace works inside one note — see find and replace.
- Saved searches.
Next
- Search syntax — the whole grammar.
- Switcher and palette — for finding a note by name instead.