X's search box accepts far more than plain keywords. The operators below let you filter by account, engagement, date, language and content type. Many of them are what X's own Advanced Search form writes behind the scenes, and all of them can be typed straight into the search field in the mobile apps.
X doesn't publish a complete, versioned list, and operators occasionally change behavior, so if something here stops working, let us know. The query builder on our home page writes most of them for you.
Words and phrases
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
word word |
All words, any order (spaces mean AND) | pricing change |
"exact phrase" |
Those words together in that order | "is down" |
OR |
Either term; must be uppercase | outage OR downtime |
-word |
Excludes posts with that word | -giveaway |
-"phrase" |
Excludes an exact phrase | -"follow back" |
( ) |
Groups terms | (cat OR dog) (cute OR funny) |
#hashtag |
Posts with that hashtag | #webdev |
$TICKER |
Cashtag for a stock or token | $TSLA |
Grouping is the one people get wrong most. acme OR acmeapp -from:acme is read as "acme" OR "acmeapp without posts from acme", so your own posts that say "acme" still show up. Write (acme OR acmeapp) -from:acme instead.
Accounts
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
from:handle |
Posts written by that account | from:nasa |
to:handle |
Replies sent to that account | to:acmesupport |
@handle |
Posts that mention the account | @acme |
-from:handle |
Hides posts from that account | -from:acme |
list:ID |
Posts from members of a list (use the number in the list's URL) | list:1234567890 |
filter:verified |
Only accounts X marks as verified | acme filter:verified |
Handles go without the @ in from: and to:. to: only matches replies, so to:acmesupport is a fast way to see everything customers sent a support account, including replies the account never answered.
Engagement
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
min_replies:N |
At least N replies | min_replies:20 |
min_faves:N |
At least N likes | min_faves:500 |
min_retweets:N |
At least N reposts | min_retweets:100 |
-min_faves:N |
Fewer than N likes | -min_faves:10 |
The operators kept their old names after the renames. For counts in the thousands, X uses approximate numbers, so treat high thresholds as rough. The negated form is useful for finding small accounts asking real questions instead of viral posts.
Dates
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
since:YYYY-MM-DD |
On or after that date | since:2026-10-01 |
until:YYYY-MM-DD |
Before that date (exclusive) | until:2026-11-01 |
until: is exclusive. To get all of October 2026, use since:2026-10-01 until:2026-11-01. Date operators need at least one other term; a search of only dates returns nothing.
Content filters
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
filter:links |
Posts containing a link | acme filter:links |
-filter:links |
Posts without links | acme -filter:links |
url:domain |
Posts linking to that domain | url:acme.com |
filter:images |
Posts with images | #sunset filter:images |
filter:native_video |
Posts with videos uploaded to X | tutorial filter:native_video |
filter:media |
Any image or video | acme filter:media |
filter:replies |
Only replies | acme filter:replies |
-filter:replies |
No replies, original posts only | acme -filter:replies |
filter:quote |
Quote posts | acme filter:quote |
include:nativeretweets |
Adds reposts, which are hidden by default | from:acme include:nativeretweets |
For url:, X expects underscores where a domain has hyphens: url:acme_tools.com. Reposts are left out of search unless you ask for them, and the repost filters only reach back a short time.
Language and place
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
lang:xx |
Posts X detected in that language (ISO 639-1 code) | lang:es |
near:place within:Nmi |
Posts tagged near a place | near:Chicago within:10mi |
Language detection works on the post text, not the account's settings, so short posts and mixed-language posts are sometimes misfiled. Location operators only find posts with location data, which most people don't share, so use them as a bonus, never as your main filter.
Search URL parameters
When you search on x.com, the address bar shows x.com/search?q=.... Two extra parameters are handy for bookmarks:
f=liveopens the Latest tab, sorted by time. Best for monitoring.f=mediaopens the Media tab. Leavefout to get Top.
The query itself must be URL-encoded (spaces become %20, quotes %22, and so on). The "Open on X" button in our builder does this for you.
Queries we use all the time
(acme OR @acme OR url:acme.com) -from:acme
Brand mentions, minus your own posts.
to:acmesupport -from:acmesupport since:2026-11-01
Everything customers sent the support account this month.
("is down" OR outage OR "not loading") (acme OR acme.com)
Users reporting an outage.
"looking for" (tool OR app) (invoicing OR invoices) -filter:links lang:en
People asking for recommendations in your category.
from:competitor min_faves:200
A competitor's posts that got real traction.
When a search breaks
Work backwards. Remove one operator at a time until results appear, and the last one you removed is the culprit. The usual suspects are a lowercase or, a missing parenthesis, since: later than until:, a handle typed with the @ inside from:, or two filters that exclude each other, like filter:replies -filter:replies. Remember that you must be signed in to see search results on X, and protected accounts never appear in search.
MoniTwitter is independent and not affiliated with X Corp.
Questions
Why does my X search return nothing?
The usual causes are a lowercase or, a since date that is later than the until date, an OR group without parentheses that swallows other conditions, or a filter combination that is too narrow. Remove operators one at a time until results appear.
Is min_faves still the operator for likes?
Yes. X renamed favorites to likes years ago and retweets to reposts more recently, but the operators kept their old names: min_faves for likes and min_retweets for reposts.
Can I search for posts older than a few weeks?
You can add since: and until: dates, and older posts do appear, but X's search is most complete for recent posts. For older date ranges expect gaps.