Skip to content
Zulip help center

Searching for messages

It’s easy to find the right conversation with Zulip’s powerful search. When you find the message you were looking for, go directly to its topic for full context.

Whenever you need a reminder of the search filters that Zulip offers, check out the convenient search filters reference in the Zulip web and desktop apps.

Search for messages

Section titled “Search for messages”
  1. Click the search (Search) icon in the top bar to open the search box.
  2. Type your query, and press Enter.
Section titled “Keyword search”

Zulip lets you search messages and topics by keyword. For example:

  • new logo: Search for messages with both new and logo in the message or its topic.
  • "new logo": Search for messages with the phrase “new logo” in the message or its topic.

Some details to keep in mind:

  • Keywords are case-insensitive, so wave will also match Wave.
  • Zulip will find messages containing similar keywords (keywords with the same stem), so, e.g., wave will match waves and waving.
  • Zulip search ignores very common words like a, the, and about 100 others.
  • Emoji in messages (but not emoji reactions) are included in searches, so if you search for thumbs_up, your results will include messages with the :thumbs_up: emoji (👍).

Search filters

Section titled “Search filters”

Zulip also offers a wide array of search filters, which can be used on their own, or in combination with keywords. For example:

  • channel:design: Navigate to #design.
  • channel:design logo: Search for the keyword logo within #design.
  • channel:design has:image new logo: Search for messages in #design that include an image and contain the keywords new and logo. The keywords can appear in the message itself or its topic.

Search by location

Section titled “Search by location”

Sometimes you know approximately where the message you are looking for was sent. Zulip offers the following filters based on the location of the message.

  • channel:design: Search within the channel #design.
  • channel:design topic:new+logo: Search within the topic “new logo” in #design.
  • is:dm: Search all your direct messages.
  • dm:Bo Lin: Search 1-on-1 direct messages between you and Bo.
  • dm:Bo Lin, Elena García: Search group direct messages between you, Bo, and Elena.
  • dm-including:Bo Lin: Search all direct message conversations (1-on-1 and group) that include you and Bo, as well as any other users.

Search shared history

Section titled “Search shared history”

To avoid cluttering your search results, by default, Zulip searches just the messages you received. You can use channels: or channel: filters to search additional messages.

  • channels:public: Search messages in all public and web-public channels.
  • channels:web-public: Search messages in all web-public channels in the organization, including channels you are not subscribed to.
  • channel:design: Search all messages in #design, including messages sent before you were a subscriber.

Search by sender

Section titled “Search by sender”
  • sender:Elena García: Search messages sent by Elena.
  • sender:me: Search messages you’ve sent.
Section titled “Search for attachments or links”
  • has:link: Search messages that contain URLs.
  • has:attachment: Search messages that contain an uploaded file.
  • has:image: Search messages that contain uploaded or linked images or videos.

Search your important messages

Section titled “Search your important messages”
  • is:alerted: Search messages that contain your alert words. Messages are included in the search results based on the alerts you had configured when you received the message.
  • is:mentioned: Search messages where you were mentioned.
  • is:starred: Search your starred messages.

Search by message status

Section titled “Search by message status”
  • is:followed: Search messages in followed topics.
  • is:resolved: Search messages in resolved topics.
  • -is:resolved: Search messages in unresolved topics.
  • is:unread: Search your unread messages.
  • is:muted: Search muted messages.
  • -is:muted: Search only unmuted messages. By default, both muted and unmuted messages are included in keyword search results.
  • has:reaction: Search messages with emoji reactions.

Search by message ID

Section titled “Search by message ID”

Each message in Zulip has a unique ID, which is used for linking to a specific message. You can use the search bar to navigate to a message by its ID.

  • near:12345: Show messages around the message with ID 12345.
  • id:12345: Show only message 12345.
  • channel:design near:1 Show the oldest messages in the #design channel.

Exclude filters

Section titled “Exclude filters”

All of Zulip’s search filters can be negated to exclude messages matching the specified rule. For example:

  • channel:design -is:resolved -has:image: Search messages in unresolved topics in the #design channel that don’t contain images.

Linking to search results

Section titled “Linking to search results”

When you search Zulip, the URL shown in the address bar of the Zulip web app is a permanent link to your search. You can share this link with others, and they will see their own search results for your query.

Search filters reference

Section titled “Search filters reference”

A summary of the search filters above is available in the Zulip app.

  1. Click on the Help menu () icon in the upper right corner of the app.
  2. Select Search filters.
Section titled “Related articles”