---
url: https://talkjs.com/docs/Features/Conversations/Search
---

# Search

Let users search their conversations and messages.

Ask a question Copy for LLM [View as Markdown](/docs/Features/Conversations/Search.md)

The search feature is available on the [Growth plan](/pricing/) or higher.

Search lets users quickly find specific conversations or messages in their inbox.

In the [Inbox](/docs/Features/Chat_UIs/#inbox) pre-built UI, users can search conversations and messages directly from the search box at the top of the conversation list.

## Enable search

To enable the search feature, go to the **Settings** page of your [dashboard](/dashboard/). In the **Search** section, check the **Enable search** checkbox.

By default, only messages sent after enabling the search feature are searchable. To enable searching all messages, tap the **Index all messages** button.

Indexing may take several hours, depending on the number of messages and conversations. You can close the dashboard while indexing is in progress.

## Search results

TalkJS returns results for both messages and conversations.

A message is included in search results when:

- Its text contains the search term
- The sender name contains the search term
- Its `custom.search` property contains the search term
A conversation is included in search results when:

- The `subject` contains the search term
- Its `custom.search` property contains the search term
Setting the `custom.search` property lets you specify custom search terms for the conversation or message. For example, a conversation with

```
"custom": {
  "search": "tshirt"
}
```

is included when you search "shirt", even if that word isn't used in the conversation subject or any of the conversation's messages.

## Turn off search

To turn off the search feature, clear the **Enable search** checkbox.

Note that turning off search also wipes the search index. If at a later point you'd like to enable search again, you have to re-index all the messages.