# Twitter (X) Advanced Search Operators: Every Operator That Works in 2026

Twitter (X) advanced search operators are commands you type into the X search bar to filter posts by account, date, words, engagement and media.

[![apidojo](/blog/authors/apidojo.png)**Apidojo** *15+ years of experience in data retrieval.*](/blog/authors/apidojo/)

**30 September 2026** Published

**9 min** Read

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**Twitter (X) advanced search operators are commands you type into the X search bar to filter posts by account, date, words, engagement and media.** For example, `from:NASA since:2024-01-01 until:2024-06-01` returns NASA’s posts from the first five months of 2024. Operators combine freely, separated by spaces.

This reference lists every operator by what it filters, shows how to combine them, and explains why a query returns nothing. Each group links to a guide that covers one task in depth, starting with [how to search tweets by date](/blog/twitter-search/search-tweets-by-date/).

## How Do You Use Twitter Advanced Search Operators?

**You use Twitter advanced search operators by typing them into the X search bar, or by filling in the Advanced search form that writes them for you.** X’s advanced search works only when you are logged in to X.com ([X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/x-advanced-search)).

Listed below are the 2 ways to run an operator search on X.

1.  **Type** the operators straight into the search bar on x.com or in the X app, then press Enter. This is the fastest route and works on mobile.
2.  **Open** the form: run any search, then click **Advanced search** under Search filters on the results page, or click **More options** and then **Advanced search**. Fill in the Words, People, Places and Dates fields and click **Search** ([X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/x-advanced-search)).

After the search runs, the **Top** tab ranks posts with engagement first, and the **Latest** tab lists the newest posts first ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)). Use Latest when you need every matching post in time order.

## Which Twitter Search Operators Should You Learn First?

**The Twitter search operators worth learning first are `from:`, quotes, `-`, `OR`, `since:`, `until:`, `min_faves:` and `filter:`, because together they answer most search questions.** Listed below are the 8 operators and the job each one does.

-   `from:username` returns posts written by one account.
-   `"exact phrase"` returns posts containing those words in that order.
-   `-word` removes posts containing a word.
-   `word1 OR word2` returns posts containing either word; OR must be uppercase.
-   `since:YYYY-MM-DD` returns posts on or after a date.
-   `until:YYYY-MM-DD` returns posts before a date.
-   `min_faves:100` returns posts with at least 100 likes.
-   `filter:media` returns posts with a photo or video; `-filter:replies` removes replies.

The difference between `from:`, `to:` and `@username` confuses most people, so it has its own guide: [from: vs to: vs @username on X search](/blog/twitter-search/from-to-mention-operators/).

## Twitter Search Operators for Words and Phrases

**Twitter word operators control which terms a post must contain, may contain, or must not contain.** Spaces between words mean AND, so `nasa esa` returns posts containing both words ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)).

| Operator | Finds posts | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| word1 word2 | Containing both words, in any order | nasa esa |
| word1 OR word2 | Containing either word (uppercase OR) | nasa OR esa |
| "exact phrase" | Containing the phrase in that order; quotes also stop spelling correction | "state of the art" |
| "phrase * phrase" | The phrase with one wildcard word; * works only inside quotes | "this is the * time" |
| +word | Containing the word exactly as typed | +radiooooo |
| -word or -"phrase" | Not containing the word or phrase | bears -chicagobears |
| #hashtag | Using a hashtag | #buildinpublic |
| $cashtag | Using a stock or crypto ticker | $TSLA |
| ? | Containing a question mark | (who OR what OR how) ? |
| url:domain | Linking to a domain | url:github.com |
| lang:xx | Written in a language, by ISO code | bonjour lang:fr |

The keyword guides go deeper: how to search tweets by keyword, exact phrases, `OR`, exclusions, hashtags, cashtags, domains and languages each have a page in that section.

## Twitter Search Operators for Accounts

**Twitter account operators filter posts by who wrote them, who they reply to, and who they mention.** Listed below are the 7 account operators.

| Operator | Finds posts | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| from:username | Written by the account | dogs from:NASA |
| to:username | Replying to the account | to:NASA |
| @username | Mentioning the account | @cern -from:cern |
| list:ID | Written by members of a public list | list:715919216927322112 |
| filter:verified | Written by verified accounts | launch filter:verified |
| filter:blue_verified | Written by accounts with paid verification | launch filter:blue_verified |
| filter:follows | Written by accounts you follow (cannot be negated) | ai filter:follows |

Pair `@username` with `-from:username` to see what others say about an account without its own posts ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)). The full workflow for one account is in [how to search tweets from a specific user](/blog/twitter-search/search-tweets-from-user/).

## Twitter Search Operators for Dates and Time

**Twitter date operators limit results to a time window, and `since:` includes its date while `until:` excludes its date.** So `since:2026-01-01 until:2026-02-01` covers all of January 2026 ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)).

| Operator | Finds posts | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| since:YYYY-MM-DD | On or after the date | since:2026-01-01 |
| until:YYYY-MM-DD | Before the date | until:2026-02-01 |
| since:YYYY-MM-DD_HH:MM:SS_UTC | On or after a date and time | since:2026-01-15_14:30:00_UTC |
| until:YYYY-MM-DD_HH:MM:SS_UTC | Before a date and time | until:2026-01-15_18:00:00_UTC |
| since_time:UNIX / until_time:UNIX | Around a Unix timestamp in seconds | since_time:1561720321 |
| since_id:ID / max_id:ID | After, or at and before, a post ID | since_id:1138872932887924737 |
| within_time:2d | Within the last days, hours, minutes or seconds | nasa within_time:3h |

Time operators need at least one other term in the query to work. Every variant, including how a post ID encodes its own timestamp, is explained in [since: and until: explained](/blog/twitter-search/since-until-operators/).

## Twitter Search Operators for Engagement

**Twitter engagement operators keep only posts above, or below, a number of likes, reposts or replies.** On the X web search bar, the like filter is `min_faves:`, the old internal name for a like.

| Operator | Finds posts | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| min_faves:N | With at least N likes | nasa min_faves:10000 |
| min_retweets:N | With at least N reposts | nasa min_retweets:5000 |
| min_replies:N | With at least N replies | nasa min_replies:1000 |
| -min_faves:N | With fewer than N likes | nasa -min_faves:500 |
| filter:has_engagement | With any likes, replies or reposts | breaking -filter:has_engagement |

Counts above about 1,000 are approximate ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)). Worked examples for each threshold are in [how to search tweets by likes, reposts and replies](/blog/twitter-search/search-by-engagement/).

## Twitter Search Operators for Media and Links

**Twitter media operators keep only posts carrying a photo, a video, a link or a news article, and a leading `-` removes them instead.** Listed below are the 9 media and link filters.

| Operator | Finds posts | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| filter:media | With any media | cat filter:media |
| filter:images | With images | sunset filter:images |
| filter:twimg | With images uploaded to X | cat filter:twimg |
| filter:videos | With any video, including YouTube | tutorial filter:videos |
| filter:native_video | With video hosted by X | launch filter:native_video |
| filter:links | With any URL, media included | news filter:links -filter:media |
| filter:news | Linking to a news site | ai filter:news |
| filter:hashtags | With at least one hashtag | from:NASA filter:hashtags |
| filter:safe | Without content marked sensitive | #followfriday filter:safe |

Use `filter:links -filter:media` for posts with a web link but no attached media ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)).

## Twitter Search Operators for Replies, Quotes and Reposts

**Twitter post-type operators separate original posts from replies, threads, quotes and reposts.** Listed below are the 7 post-type operators.

| Operator | Finds posts | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| filter:replies | That are replies (-filter:replies removes them) | from:NASA -filter:replies |
| filter:self_threads | That are self-replies in the author’s own thread | from:NASA filter:self_threads |
| conversation_id:ID | In one conversation, all reply levels | conversation_id:1140437409710116865 |
| filter:quote | That quote another post | from:NASA filter:quote |
| quoted_tweet_id:ID | That quote one specific post | quoted_tweet_id:1138631847783608321 |
| filter:nativeretweets | That are reposts (recent days only) | from:NASA filter:nativeretweets |
| include:nativeretweets | Including reposts in the results (recent days only) | from:NASA include:nativeretweets |

`conversation_id:` is the operator behind full thread collection, covered in how to search Twitter replies.

## Twitter Search Operators for Location

**Twitter location operators still exist, but they return few posts, because very few posts carry exact coordinates.** X phased out exact coordinates for ordinary posts and kept them only for photos ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)).

| Operator | Finds posts | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| near:place | Geotagged in a place | near:"The Hague" |
| within:radius | Within a radius of near: | fire near:san-francisco within:10km |
| geocode:lat,long,radius | Within a radius of coordinates | geocode:37.7764685,-122.4172004,10km |
| place:ID | Tagged with a place ID | place:96683cc9126741d1 |

Searching the place name as a plain keyword usually finds more posts than any location operator. The operators that no longer return results are listed in Twitter search operators that no longer work.

## How Do You Combine Twitter Search Operators?

**You combine Twitter search operators by separating them with spaces, grouping alternatives in parentheses, and negating any part with a minus sign.** Listed below are the 5 rules that decide how a combined query behaves.

1.  **Spaces** mean AND: `nasa mars` needs both words.
2.  **OR** must be uppercase; lowercase `or` is searched as a word.
3.  **Parentheses** group alternatives: `(puppy OR kitten) (sweet OR cute)`.
4.  **A minus sign** negates words, phrases and most filters: `-filter:retweets`.
5.  **Underscores** replace hyphens and spaces inside operator values: `url:t_mobile.com`.

A single query holds about 22 operators before X stops applying them ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)). Longer, nested queries are built step by step in how to build complex Twitter search queries.

## Twitter Search Recipes for Common Tasks

**These Twitter search recipes combine operators for the searches people run most often.** Replace the handles, words and dates with your own.

| Task | Query |
| --- | --- |
| One account’s post about a topic in a given year | from:username keyword since:2019-01-01 until:2020-01-01 |
| An account’s most liked posts | from:username min_faves:5000 |
| Mentions of a brand, without its own posts or reposts | ("brand name" OR @brand) -from:brand -filter:retweets |
| Questions people ask about a topic | topic ? -filter:retweets min_replies:5 |
| Viral posts about a topic this year | topic min_faves:500 -filter:retweets since:2026-01-01 |
| One side of a conversation between two accounts | from:user1 to:user2 |
| Posts linking to your site | url:yourdomain.com -from:yourbrand |
| Every reply in one thread | conversation_id:POST_ID |

Finding high-engagement posts by topic is covered in [how to find viral tweets about any topic](/blog/twitter-search/find-viral-tweets/).

## Why Does a Twitter Search Operator Return No Results?

**A Twitter search operator returns no results when it is misspelled, stacked too tightly with other filters, used while logged out, or aimed at posts X does not index.** Private and suspended accounts are not in the search index ([twitter-advanced-search reference](https://github.com/igorbrigadir/twitter-advanced-search)). Listed below are the 6 checks to run in order.

1.  **Log in**: X shows advanced search only to logged-in accounts.
2.  **Remove spaces** after colons: `from:nasa` works, `from: nasa` does not.
3.  **Check the date format**: `YYYY-MM-DD`, with `until:` set one day after the last day you want.
4.  **Uppercase OR**.
5.  **Remove one filter at a time** until results return.
6.  **Widen the window** for old posts, then narrow it; a bare keyword in Latest mostly shows recent posts.

When an old post still will not appear, work through [why X search can’t find an old tweet](/blog/twitter-search/old-tweet-not-showing/).

## Do Twitter Search Operators Work in the X API?

**Most Twitter web search operators do not work in the X API, which has its own operator set and its own limits.** The X API uses operators such as `is:retweet`, `has:links` and `is:verified`, and its recent search endpoint covers only the last 7 days ([X API docs](https://docs.x.com/x-api/posts/search)).

Full-archive search reaches back to March 2006 and is available to pay-per-use and Enterprise customers. Post reads cost $0.005 each, with a cap of 3 million post reads per monthly billing cycle on pay-per-use plans ([X API pricing](https://docs.x.com/x-api/getting-started/pricing)). The trade-offs between the official API and a scraper are compared in the [Twitter search API guide](/blog/twitter-api/search-api/).

## How to Run Twitter Search Operators at Scale With apidojo

**apidojo’s [Tweet Scraper V2](https://apify.com/apidojo/tweet-scraper) on Apify runs the same web search operators you type on X and returns every matching post as structured data.** You paste a query into the `searchTerms` input exactly as you would type it on X, and the actor fetches what that search shows ([Apify](https://apify.com/apidojo/tweet-scraper)).

```
{
  "searchTerms": ["from:NASA since:2024-01-01 until:2024-06-01"],
  "sort": "Latest"
}
```

Tweet Scraper V2 costs $0.40 per 1,000 tweets, and each query must return at least 50 tweets. Queries that return fewer, single posts and reply threads run on [Twitter Scraper Unlimited](https://apify.com/apidojo/twitter-scraper-lite), which charges per query and per item. The full workflow is in how to scrape Twitter search results, and both actors are part of the [apidojo Twitter Scraper](/scrapers/twitter-scraper/).

## The scrapers behind this

-   [Tweet Scraper V2 Tweets from searches, profiles, Lists and URLs; 49–64 tweets/sec; minimum 50 per query $0.40 / 1K tweets](/scrapers/twitter-scraper/)

## Questions people ask

### Do Twitter search operators work in the X mobile app?

Yes, Twitter search operators work when typed into the search bar of the X app on iOS and Android. The Advanced search form is easiest to reach on the web.

### Is the Twitter like filter min\_faves or min\_likes?

The like filter on X web search is `min_faves:`. Use `min_faves:100` for posts with at least 100 likes.

### Can Twitter search operators find deleted posts?

No, Twitter search operators only return posts that are still public. Methods for deleted posts are covered in how to find deleted tweets.

### How far back do Twitter search operators go?

Twitter search operators reach back to the first public post in 2006; X's advanced search lets you search posts from any date since then ([X Help Center](https://help.x.com/en/using-x/x-advanced-search)). The full method is in [how to find old tweets on X](/blog/twitter-search/find-old-tweets/).

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## More in this cluster

-   [X (Twitter) search operators and how to use them Every X search operator that works, with the date, account, keyword and reply guides that show what each one does in practice.](/blog/twitter-search/)
-   [from: vs to: vs @username on X Search On X search, from:username finds posts an account wrote, to:username finds replies sent to that account, and @username finds any post that mentions it.](/blog/twitter-search/from-to-mention-operators/)
-   [How to Find Old Tweets on X To find old tweets on X, search a keyword with a date window, for example "world cup" since:2014-06-12 until:2014-07-14, then open the Latest tab.](/blog/twitter-search/find-old-tweets/)
-   [How to Find Viral Tweets About Any Topic To find viral tweets about a topic, search the topic with a high like threshold and no reposts, for example "remote work" min\_faves:5000 -filter:retweets.](/blog/twitter-search/find-viral-tweets/)
-   [How to Search Tweets by Date on X (Twitter) To search tweets by date on X, type your keyword followed by since:YYYY-MM-DD and until:YYYY-MM-DD into the search bar, then open the Latest tab.](/blog/twitter-search/search-tweets-by-date/)
-   [How to Search Tweets by Likes, Reposts and Replies To search tweets by likes on X, add min\_faves: and a number to your query, for example bitcoin min\_faves:1000 for posts with at least 1,000 likes.](/blog/twitter-search/search-by-engagement/)
-   [How to Search Tweets From a Specific User To search tweets from a specific user on X, type from:username into the search bar, followed by any keyword you remember.](/blog/twitter-search/search-tweets-from-user/)
-   [since: and until: Explained: X Date and Time Operators since: returns posts on or after a date, and until: returns posts before a date, so since:2026-01-01 until:2026-02-01 covers exactly January 2026.](/blog/twitter-search/since-until-operators/)
-   [Why X Search Can't Find an Old Tweet (and What to Try) X search can't find an old tweet when the post was deleted, sits on a protected, suspended or deactivated account, or when your query's words or dates don't.](/blog/twitter-search/old-tweet-not-showing/)