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Searching Notes

Find any note quickly using Cleft’s powerful search capabilities.
Want to be more efficient? Learn about keyboard shortcuts for quick searching.

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On macOS

  • Press ⌘ + S to activate the search bar, or
  • Click on the search bar at the top of the notes list
  • Begin typing your search query

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On iOS and iPadOS

  • Tap the search bar at the top of the notes list
  • Start typing your search query

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Search Types

  • Full-text search through all note content
  • Title search to find notes by name
  • Tag search using # symbols
  • Date-based search for time ranges

Content Search

  • Search within transcriptions
  • Find specific phrases or quotes
  • Locate technical terms or names
  • Search across all note text

Metadata Search

  • Filter by creation date
  • Search by modification time
  • Find notes by length or duration
  • Filter by note type or format

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Search Operators

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Text Operators

  • “exact phrase” for precise matches
  • word1 AND word2 for notes containing both terms
  • word1 OR word2 for notes containing either term
  • -word to exclude notes with specific terms

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Date and Time

  • today for notes created today
  • yesterday for notes from yesterday
  • last week for recent notes
  • before:2024-01-01 for notes before a specific date

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Search Results

1

Review results

Browse through matching notes with highlighted search terms
2

Sort and filter

Organize results by relevance, date, or other criteria
3

Refine search

Narrow or broaden search terms based on results
4

Save searches

Create saved searches for frequently used queries

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Search Best Practices

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Effective Searching

  • Start broad, then narrow your search terms
  • Use specific keywords from the content you remember
  • Try different word variations if first search doesn’t work
  • Use tags and dates to supplement text searches

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Search Optimization

  • Keep consistent terminology in your notes for better findability
  • Use descriptive titles to make title searches more effective
  • Tag notes consistently for tag-based discovery
  • Include key terms in note content for full-text search
Search results are updated in real-time as you type, showing the most relevant matches first
If you cannot find a note, try searching for related concepts or synonyms