> For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at https://docs.flashnerd.com/llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at https://docs.flashnerd.com/llms-full.txt.

# Find cards with Search

The app's **Search** tab finds cards in your local study library. Search on this documentation website finds help articles instead; the two search boxes have different purposes.

## Find a phrase

1. Open **Search** in the bottom navigation.
2. Type into **Search cards**, for example `photosynthesis`.
3. Wait for the result count and cards to update.
4. Open a result to inspect or edit the card.

The query is a literal phrase contained in searchable card text. For example, `cell membrane` looks for that phrase, rather than two unrelated words anywhere in a card. `%` and `_` are literal characters, not wildcard commands. Use a shorter phrase if your first query finds nothing.

Text search does not transcribe audio or read text inside an image. Rich-text content is searchable, but image, audio, and image-occlusion fields do not contribute image/audio contents to keyword matching.

With no query and no filters, Search shows its introductory state rather than listing every card.

## Combine filters

1. Tap the filter control beside **Search cards** to open **Advanced Search**.
2. Configure **Deck Filter** and, if needed, **SRS Filter**.
3. Confirm selections inside each picker.
4. Tap **Apply Filter** to return to Search with the selected filters.

<figure>
  <img width="1206" height="2622" loading="eager" decoding="async" className="app-screenshot" src="https://docs.flashnerd.com/screenshots/search-filters.png" alt="Advanced Search screen with deck, tag, card side, field type, created date, and SRS state filters" />
  <figcaption>Combine filters, then use Apply Filter to return to the results.</figcaption>
</figure>

Filters can work without a text query. For example, selecting a deck and the Image field type can find cards using that field type without trying to match text inside images.

| Filter                      | What it matches                                                                                          |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Search In / Select Deck** | Cards in any selected deck. An empty selection means All Decks.                                          |
| **Tags / Select Tag**       | Cards with at least one of the selected tags. Selecting two tags means either tag, not necessarily both. |
| **Card Side**               | The template sides to search: Front, Back, Both, or Note. These are distinct selections.                 |
| **Field Type**              | Selected template field types. With a query, only matching fields contribute searchable text.            |
| **Created Date**            | Cards created within the selected inclusive calendar-date bounds.                                        |
| **Card State**              | Selected SRS states or availability categories.                                                          |
| **SRS Due Date**            | Linked SRS cards whose due date falls within the selected bounds.                                        |

Different filter categories work together. Selecting a deck, a tag, and a date range requires a card to satisfy all three categories. Within the tag selection, matching any selected tag is enough.

### Front and Both are distinct

**Both** is a template side of its own. A **Front** filter does not automatically include fields configured as Both. Select both choices if you want to search both kinds of fields.

With no query, side/type filters inspect the deck's template definitions; they do not require every matching field to contain a value. With a query, the matching text must be in a field that satisfies the selected side/type constraints.

### SRS-only filters

Selecting an SRS state or due-date bound restricts results to cards linked to SRS. It can therefore exclude a perfectly valid Home card that has never been added to a set.

State choices combine as alternatives. New, Learn, Relearn, Review, and Struggle match **active** cards. Choose **Suspended** or **Disabled** explicitly to include those availability categories. Selecting Review and Struggle means active Review cards **or** active Struggle cards; it does not mean only cards that satisfy both.

SRS due-date filtering respects the review-day configuration. Created Date is about when the card was created, not when it was reviewed.

## Clear or retain a search

To remove filters, open **Advanced Search**, tap **Clear All**, then **Apply Filter**. Clear the text query separately if you also want to remove it.

Leaving the Search bottom tab resets the current search session. Save useful filter combinations as [search presets](https://docs.flashnerd.com/guide/search/presets.md) so they are easy to apply again.

## If a card is missing

Clear the filters and search a short phrase from an ordinary text field first. Then add filters one at a time. Check whether the text is on Both rather than Front, whether an SRS-only filter excludes the card, and whether you are expecting image/audio contents to be searchable.

After editing a card, returning to Search refreshes the results. A card may leave the list because it no longer matches the current filter; that does not mean it was deleted.