Obsidian Search
Canonical version: Obsidian Search.
Obsidian search (backed by the Search core plugin for Obsidian) is full-text search across the whole vault, with operators that most users never discover. Learning a handful of them is the difference between scrolling through results and getting exactly the notes you meant.
Operators
| Operator | What it matches |
|---|---|
file: |
File name (e.g., file:.png finds all images) |
path: |
File path (e.g., path:"33.02 Content") |
content: |
Note content only |
tag: |
Tag, including nested ones (e.g., tag:#obsidian/features) |
line:(...) |
Terms appearing on the same line |
block:(...) |
Terms appearing in the same block |
section:(...) |
Terms appearing under the same heading |
task: / task-todo: / task-done: |
Text inside tasks / open tasks / completed tasks |
["property":value] |
Property value (e.g., ["public_note":true]) |
match-case: / ignore-case: |
Force case sensitivity either way |
Combine them with quotes for exact phrases, OR for alternatives, - to exclude, (...) to group, and /regex/ for regular expressions:
tag:#obsidian -path:"60 Archives" /URI|deeplink/
Embedded queries
Any search can live inside a note as a ```query code block, rendering live results (see Obsidian Embeds). That's a zero-plugin dynamic index.
Good to know
- Toggle Explain search term in the search pane to see how Obsidian parsed your query; it kills most "why doesn't this match" confusion.
- Search covers file content and properties, not the content of embedded attachments.
- For fuzzy or typo-tolerant search across the vault, the Omnisearch plugin for Obsidian complements the core engine; for semantic search, I use qmd via the Obsidian CLI.
- External apps can trigger a search via
obsidian://search(see Obsidian URI).
References
- Search: https://help.obsidian.md/Plugins/Search
- Search properties: https://help.obsidian.md/Editing+and+formatting/Properties#Search+properties
Related
- Obsidian
- Search core plugin for Obsidian
- Obsidian Embeds
- Obsidian Tags
- Obsidian Properties
- Obsidian Quick Switcher
- Omnisearch plugin for Obsidian
- Obsidian URI
- Obsidian CLI
- Search vs organization
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