Media library
Search and filters
How to search and filter files in Media by tags, people, file type, upload date, and more.
Use this article to search and filter files in Media, combine multiple filters, and understand what each filter type does.
Search runs in the current gallery only. Switch galleries with the gallery picker before searching if you need a different scope.
Opening Media search
Open Media from the sidebar. Click the search bar labeled "Search any file, tag and more...", or Press ⌘K on Mac or "Ctrl+K" on Windows.
Typing shows suggestions. Pick a suggestion or drill into a category to apply a filter. Each applied filter appears as a chip below the search bar. Remove a chip to drop that filter. When you remove the last chip, search closes and Media returns to the normal gallery view.
Filter types you can apply in Media search
The table below lists the main filter categories available on the admin Media page.
| Category | What it finds |
|---|---|
| "Visual" | Images that match a text description of what is in the photo |
| People → Name | Files containing a recognized person |
| People → Count | Files with a specific number of people (None, 1, 2, 3-5, 5-10, 10+, or Custom) |
| "People tags" | People tagged with a specific option on a People form field |
| "File tags" | Files tagged with a specific option on a file form field |
| "File name" | Files whose name exactly matches what you enter |
| "File type" | Images, videos, or documents, or a specific extension such as JPG or MP4 |
| "File orientation" | Landscape, portrait, or square images |
| "Uploaded at" | Files uploaded today, yesterday, this week, this month, this year, or a custom date range |
| "Uploader" | Files uploaded by a specific person |
Click Filter to browse categories when you are not sure what to type. Drill from a form name into its fields and options to filter by a specific tag.
Multiple filters combine with "AND" logic: a file must match every active filter to appear in results.
Visual search and People search requirements
"Visual" search is enabled by default on the admin Media page. Type a description in the "Visual" panel, such as the placeholder example "A dog on a scooter with sunglasses on...", then Click Search. Visual search works on images and accepts up to "1024" characters per query.
"People" search requires the People Recognition add-on and an admin to turn it on under Settings → People recognition. Without it, People filters do not appear in search suggestions.
Sorting, search, and the Filtered button
"Sorting" controls browse order in the normal gallery view: "Newest uploads", "Oldest uploads", "Name A–Z", or "Name Z–A". The "Sorting" dropdown is hidden while search filters are active.
The "Filtered" button next to the gallery picker is not a search control. It shows the sync rules on galleries whose names include "(filtered)". Use the search bar to filter files yourself.
In the "Trash" gallery, sorting adds "Recently archived" and "Oldest archived".
Keyboard shortcuts for Media search
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| "⌘K" / "Ctrl+K" | Open search |
| "↑" / "↓" | Move through suggestions |
| "Enter" | Apply the highlighted suggestion |
| "Esc" | Close a sub-panel or step back |
Search filters are not saved in the URL. Refreshing the page clears active filters.
If Media search returns no results
When no files match, Media shows "No search results" and "Try a different search". Remove one filter at a time, switch to a gallery that contains the files you expect, or try a broader tag or date range.