# Search with the Search Builder

This page shows how to [search for issues](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/concepts/searches) using the
search builder in Google Issue Tracker.

Search results are limited to issues in the components where you have **View
Issues** [permission](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/concepts/access-control).

## Search with the search builder

To search with the search builder:

1. [Open Issue Tracker](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/guides/access-ui) in your web browser.

2. Click the drop-down button on the right side of the search bar.

   The search bar is always displayed at the top of Issue Tracker.

   ![](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/images/public/search-bar.png)
3. The **Advanced search query builder** opens.

   ![](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/images/public/search-builder.png)

   Depending on the view you have selected when you access it, the search
   builder may already be populated with search criteria.
4. Choose how you want to chain together criteria when searching for issues by
   using the match selector.

   If you want to include issues only if they match all of the criteria you are
   adding to the search builder, choose **Match all (AND)** . If you want to
   include issues that match at least one of the criteria you are adding to the
   search builder, choose **Match any (OR)**.
5. Build the search criteria:

   1. In the left-most drop-down list, choose the field that your search
      criteria applies to.

   2. In the second drop-down list, choose how you want Issue Tracker to use
      search values for this criteria.

      For example, the **Status** field lets you search by **Any of** or
      **None of** , while the **Created** field lets you search by **Before** ,
      **Between** , **On**, or several other options.
   3. In the last section, enter the search values.

      For example, the **Priority** field lets you choose the values you want
      with checkboxes; the **Hotlist** field gives you hotlists to choose from
      a drop-down; the **Blocking Id** field gives you a box to enter IDs in a
      comma-separated list.

      To search for an empty field, use the value `none`. To exclude empty
      fields, use the `-` operator. See [Search Query Language](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/concepts/search-query-language) for a full
      description of the available operators.
   4. To add an additional piece of search criteria, click the button labeled
      either **AND ...** or **OR ...**, depending on how you choose to match
      your results to the criteria.

      If you want to remove a piece of criteria, you can do so by clicking the
      **X** in the upper right corner of the box that encapsulates the
      specific criteria piece.

   ![](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/images/public/search-builder-criteria.png)
6. (Optional) Save the search criteria.

   The **Save search as** field in the bottom right of the search builder lets
   you give your search a name and save it, so that you can run the same search
   in the future without having to re-enter criteria. For more information, see
   [Saved searches](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/concepts/saved-searches).

   ![](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/images/public/search-builder-save.png)
7. Click **Search** to perform the search, or the **Save search** icon to
   perform and save the search.

You can always save the search criteria *after* the search has been performed
when viewing the search results page. To do so, return to the search builder
from the results page, give the search a name, and save it.

The **Search help** link at the bottom of the search builder takes you to
information about the [Search Query Language](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/concepts/search-query-language), where you can learn more about
the syntax that is used to perform searches in Issue Tracker.

## What's next

- [Learn more about searching for issues](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/concepts/searches)
- [Learn more about search results](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/concepts/search-results)
- [Learn more about the Search Query Language](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/concepts/search-query-language)
- [Organizing search results](https://developers.google.com/issue-tracker/guides/organize-search-results)