Twitter's search bar is more powerful than most people realize. Behind it is a full query language with 50+ operators that let you find almost anything — if you know the syntax.
This is the complete cheat sheet. Bookmark it. Every operator is tested and working on X as of April 2026.
If you don't want to memorize any of this, TweetFinder builds these queries for you using a visual form with 20+ filters.
The basics
| Syntax | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
word1 word2 | AND — both words must appear | startup funding |
word1 OR word2 | Either word (OR must be UPPERCASE) | startup OR founder |
"exact phrase" | Exact phrase match | "looking for a tool" |
-word | Exclude a word | startup -hiring -job |
#hashtag | Hashtag search | #buildinpublic |
$TICKER | Cashtag (stock symbol) | $AAPL |
? | Tweets containing a question | recommend a CRM ? |
User operators
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
from:username | Tweets by a specific user | from:naval |
to:username | Replies to a specific user | to:elonmusk |
@username | Tweets mentioning a user | @stripe |
filter:verified | Only verified accounts | AI filter:verified |
filter:follows | Only accounts you follow | startup filter:follows |
list:listID | Tweets from a public list | list:108534289 |
Date & time operators
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
since:YYYY-MM-DD | On or after this date | since:2025-01-01 |
until:YYYY-MM-DD | Before this date (exclusive) | until:2025-02-01 |
within_time:2d | Within the last 2 days | AI within_time:24h |
since_id:tweetID | After a specific tweet ID | since_id:1138872932887924737 |
Important: Date format must be YYYY-MM-DD. Write since:2025-06-15, not since:June 15 or since:06/15/2025. See our guide on how to search tweets by date for more.
Engagement operators
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
min_faves:N | Minimum likes | min_faves:100 |
min_retweets:N | Minimum retweets | min_retweets:50 |
min_replies:N | Minimum replies | min_replies:10 |
-min_faves:N | Maximum likes (negate for cap) | -min_faves:500 |
The negated versions (-min_faves:500) act as a maximum cap — useful for finding underrated tweets with low engagement.
Media operators
| Operator | What it does |
|---|---|
filter:media | Any media (images, video, GIFs) |
filter:images | Images only |
filter:twimg | Native Twitter images only |
filter:videos | All videos |
filter:native_video | Twitter-hosted video only |
filter:links | Contains any URL |
filter:spaces | Twitter Spaces |
Negate any of these with - to exclude. For example, -filter:retweets removes all retweets from results.
Tweet type operators
| Operator | What it does |
|---|---|
filter:replies | Only replies |
filter:nativeretweets | Only retweets |
filter:quote | Only quote tweets |
conversation_id:tweetID | All tweets in a thread |
filter:safe | Exclude NSFW content |
Location operators
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
near:city | Tweets geotagged near a location | near:London |
within:10km | Radius (use with near:) | near:NYC within:5mi |
geocode:lat,long,radius | Exact coordinates | geocode:37.78,-122.41,10km |
Note: Only about 1-2% of tweets are geotagged, so location search results will always be incomplete.
Other useful operators
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
lang:en | Filter by language (ISO code) | lang:ja (Japanese) |
url:domain.com | Tweets containing a URL | url:github.com |
source:app | Tweets from a specific client | source:tweetdeck |
filter:hashtags | Contains any hashtag | |
filter:mentions | Contains any @mention |
Combining operators — real examples
The real power comes from combining operators. Here are practical queries you can copy and paste:
Find people looking for tool recommendations
("looking for a tool" OR "need recommendation" OR "anyone recommend") lang:en -filter:retweetsFind frustrated users of a competitor
("frustrated with" OR "hate" OR "terrible") competitor-name min_faves:5 lang:enSearch someone's tweets from a specific month
from:username since:2025-06-01 until:2025-07-01Find popular tweets about a topic (no retweets)
"artificial intelligence" min_faves:100 -filter:retweets lang:enMonitor brand mentions (excluding your own tweets)
"your-brand" -from:youraccount -filter:retweetsCommon mistakes
- Space after colon.
from: usernamedoesn't work. Writefrom:username - Lowercase OR.
cat or dogsearches for all three words. Writecat OR dog - Wrong date format. Use
YYYY-MM-DDonly. NotMM/DD/YYYYor month names - Too many operators. X limits queries to ~22 operators. Keep it under 10 for reliable results
- Expecting complete results. X's search index is incomplete, especially for old tweets. Narrow your date range for better coverage
Skip the operators — use TweetFinder
If memorizing syntax isn't your thing, TweetFinder lets you build all of these queries using a visual form. Select your filters, click search, and it opens the results on X. All 20+ operators are available — no memorization needed.
You can also save your best queries and re-run them from the Chrome extension.
Frequently asked questions
How many search operators can you use at once?
X supports a maximum of about 22-23 operators in a single query. In practice, keep it under 10 for reliable results — complex queries sometimes return incomplete data.
Do search operators work on mobile?
Yes. You can type operators directly into the X app's search bar on iPhone and Android. The Advanced Search form is desktop-only, but the operators themselves work everywhere.
Do these operators work with the Twitter API?
Most of them work with X's web search and TweetDeck, but the v1.1 and v2 Search APIs support a different (smaller) subset. Check the official API documentation for the API-specific list.
Can I save a search with operators?
X lets you save searches natively, but the interface is limited. TweetFinder lets you save unlimited searches with a name and description, and re-run them from the Chrome extension.