Looking for a specific message or file in Discord? Discord's powerful search feature helps you quickly find conversations, media, and links across your servers—no matter how far back when they were sent.
Whether you're tracking down an important announcement, locating a shared image, or finding that perfect meme from months ago, Discord's search filters let you narrow results by user, date, channel, and content type. This guide will show you how to use Discord's search bar effectively, apply advanced filters, and find exactly what you need in seconds.
What this article covers:
What is the Search feature?
The search function incorporates a few different tools and filters to help you find what you need in the smallest, friends only server, an expansive community-wide server, or in direct messages (DM). Since Discord won't delete your messages until you decide to, you can refer to anything sent in your server as far back as when it was created.
How to Use Search
Desktop/Browser
On desktop or browser, select the search bar in the upper-right corner of the app to get started. You can also hotkey your way to search success within the currently-viewed channel by pressing CTRL + F (Win) or CMD + F (Mac).
Example of Using Search on Desktop
Mobile
On mobile, tap the search icon [] in the upper-right corner to open the search bar and start typing.
Example of Using Search on Mobile
How to Use Search Filters
Desktop/Browser
When you open search on desktop or browser, you'll see filter options to help narrow your results:
- From a specific user searches for messages sent by a particular person
- Sent in a specific channel searches within a single channel
- Mentions a specific user finds messages that @mention someone
- Includes a specific type of data searches for messages containing links, embeds, polls, files, or other content types
- More filters combines multiple search criteria for precise results
Example of Using a Search Filter on Desktop
Example of Typing from: Shortcut in Search
Tip: Use More filters to combine multiple search options or add criteria like date ranges and author type (user, bot, or webhook).
Example of Using More Filters Option
Mobile
When you open search on mobile, you'll see the following filter options:
- From a specific person searches for messages sent by a particular person
- Mention someone finds messages that @mention someone
- Has specific data searches for messages containing links, embeds, polls, files, or other content types
- In a specific channel searches within a single channel
- Sent on a date searches for messages from a specific date
- Before a date searches for messages before a specific date
- After a date searches for messages after a specific date
- By author type searches by user, bot, or webhook
Search Icon (Left) and Search Filters (Right) on Mobile
How to Sort Your Search Results
After you search, results will appear in the side menu. Select the sorting icon [] to sort by:
- Newest shows the most recent messages first
- Oldest shows the earliest messages first
- Most Relevant shows the closest matches to your search terms first
Selecting a Sorting Type in the Search Side Menu
Select any message in the results to jump directly to it in the channel.