> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://icij.gitbook.io/datashare/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://icij.gitbook.io/datashare/usage/search-documents.md).
# Search documents
Search with the main search bar and configure settings to display your search's results.
You must have added documents in Datashare before. Check how for [Mac](/datashare/local-mode/install-datashare-on-mac/add-documents-to-datashare-on-mac.md), [Windows](/datashare/local-mode/install-datashare-on-windows/add-documents-to-datashare-on-windows.md) and [Linux](/datashare/local-mode/install-datashare-on-linux/add-documents-to-datashare-on-linux.md).
## Search bar
Expand the menu to go to '**Search**' > '**Documents**':
Make room by closing the menu:
**Type terms** in the search bar and **press Enter**:
## Default operator is OR
If you type **several terms** separated by space, as the **default operator is OR**, Datashare will search for all documents containing at least one of the searched terms.
For instance, Datashare finds documents containing **either 'ikea' or 'paris' or both terms here**:
Switch to **AND** by changing the [results settings](https://icij.gitbook.io/datashare/usage/search-documents#results-settings).
## Linked entities
As you type a term, Datashare **suggest linked entities** - only if a task to find entities in this project was completed.
Press **Esc** on your keyboard to close the dropdown or **click on one of the entities** to replace your term in the search bar:
## Search in a field
Search within a specific field only, by using the dropdown '**All fields**':
## Search breadcrumb
To see your queries in the **search breadcrumb**, click on the icon on the left of the search bar:
If you'd like to remove all searched terms from the search bar, click '**Clear query**':
## Results settings
To change the page settings, click the **Settings icon** on the top right:
You can change **Sort by**, **Documents per page**, **Layout** and also **Properties**:
Ticking these properties will change **which document's metadata are displayed in the results**, in the document cards, in all 3 layouts (List, Grid, Table):
You can now make your search more precise [with operators or Regex (Regular Expressions)](/datashare/usage/search-with-operators.md).
## **Characters that cannot be searched**
Some characters **cannot be found** in Datashare, even if you can see them in your documents. This includes most **symbols and punctuation marks**, for instance:
> $ € £ ¥ % # @ & + = , ; ! ? ( ) « » " ' / –
This is because Datashare uses [the Standard tokenizer](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/analysis-standard-tokenizer.html). When your documents are indexed, their text is split into **terms** (mostly words and numbers), and **most symbols and punctuation are removed**. These characters are not stored in the index, so the search engine cannot find them.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Why does it work this way?** The Standard tokenizer follows [Unicode's rules for splitting text into words](https://unicode.org/reports/tr29/). It is designed to find **words**, whatever punctuation surrounds them. Thanks to this, searching for **contract** also finds "contract,", "(contract)" or "contract." without you having to think about it. It also keeps the index smaller, which helps make searches **faster**, especially on very large datasets.
{% endhint %}
A document containing "€ 2 million" is indexed as the terms **2** and **million**. The **€** is not kept.
The same thing happens to your query. If you search for:
> €
Datashare has no term to look for, and **returns no results**, even if many of your documents contain the euro sign.
**Escaping the character with a backslash (\€), using double quotes ("€") or using Regex (/€/) does not help:** the character is still not in the index.
#### **How to find these mentions anyway**
Instead of searching for the symbol, search for the **words or numbers around it**.
* Use an **exact phrase** with the amount, as the symbol is removed on both sides:
> "2 million" (this query will catch "€ 2 million", "€2 million", etc., with any currency)
* Use a **proximity search** if you don't know the exact amount:
> "million euros"\~2 (this query will catch "2 million euros", "1.5 million euros", etc.)
* Search for **other ways of writing** the same thing with OR. You need to write OR with **all letters uppercase:**
> EUR OR euro OR euros
* Use the **AND** operator to combine terms that **usually appear together** in the documents you are looking for:
> "2 million" AND contract
---
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