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When using the search function, searching either an invoice or purchases or anything, the search tool is not very smart and too defined making even a space as a defining character. For example If you search for A B Consulting but you type AB Consulting, it won't show up.

It would be good if the search tool can be smarter and use the widely available and established fuzzy search and ignore these minor characters (space, period, commas, typos etc).

It would also be better if it is smart and able to give you results even if you have a typo.

Please create a search category for words, SKU's, invoice values. Currently the search bar only tracks Names, Invoices and Quotes. If we could search particular words or SKU's amongst the whole invoice and quote system. It would be really easy for the manual users who runs a small business without any automated inventory system.

For example. If I have manually created a product code ITA-1046 in an invoice, after 6 months I have no way to search, in which particular invoice "ITA-1046" went to. I have to manually open all the invoices to find that product code.

Or if there is already a way, please let me know.

The search function on xero is not very intelligent.
If I have a customer saved as "Wife and Husband LastName", but I search for "Wife LastName", nothing will show up, because it doesn't have EXACTLY the same characters as what the customer was entered as.

If I have a customer saved as A&G but I type in A & G (with spaces around the ampersand), nothing will show up because it's not entered EXACTLY the same.

I use a language learning website where you can enter in 3 letters in the middle of the title of the video you're looking for, and the video you wanted will show up. Example: searching for "Nor" will pull up a video called "My Trip To Norway".
On Xero I would have had to remember exactly what the video was called to find it, instead of just remembering that it had something to do with Norway.

So I know it's possible to build useful search functions.

I have thousands of customers and can't remember exactly how I entered them. I often have to search for someone two or three times, or look up their address or phone number in a separate spreadsheet and search for them that way instead. It's a time waster and it's frustrating.

Would love to see the ability to make use of boolean operators within the search bar.

An example would be something like using the '|' character for an "OR" search where you can search for multiple terms and items match either term are returned.

Another example would be '&' (or another character that's not as commonly used in references/descriptions) for an "AND" search, where all terms entered must match - less useful but a nice-to-have.

Lastly, the ability to use "!" to do a "NOT" search and only display results that don't match the search term (useful for filtering out items).

It would be really helpful if the Global Search Bar would also look at all fields held with the the 'Contact details' ie

- Account number
- Company registration number

Quick referencing these detials directly from the Global Search Bar would save me loads of time and fustration

I would love to be able to search any word in the description of any bill or invoice.

Global Search - is broken.

If I am searching for a customer, say EE Limited, even if I type in the full name, it won't show me the contact, but it will show me transactions.
How about always show contacts at the top?

I find searching for contacts woeful as well - I can set the search to look for contacts but it used to bring up contacts first and then transactions after. If you could allow us to choose which items we want as a default search or at least put it back the way it used to be that would be helpful.

Here's a screenshot of a search I did within a client's accounts today. I was trying to open the contact, and no matter how much of the contact's name I entered, it wouldn't give me the contact (only bills and transactions), and then after I had entered a significant portion of the contact's name, it refused to give me any results at all. So I opened up one of those bills so I could show you just how ridiculous it is.

I too am recently struggling with the search bar. When you search for a contact (supplier/customer) using the search bar, no contacts come up. Instead it lists unrelated invoices or bills and e.g. spend moneys. It would be fantastic if the search bar would start showing contacts that match the search criteria again!

Today I was searching for a particular search term ("ACT Payroll Tax" except all lower case because it won't let me enter capitals), and you can see the result in my screenshot. I am in a contact, with the exact search terms listed as the first three words of the reference of every transaction in that contact. But not a single one shows up as a result of the search, nor does a different contact whose name includes those three words in the name ("ACT Revenue Office - Payroll Tax").

This is very suboptimal.

I think this is a new issue- it's been bugging me too. For instance, I might have regular invoices from a supplier, but if I use the search bar to search for this supplier, I get a tonne of hits- but most of them from 2018. It's woefully unhelpful.

Many of my clients complain that they 'can't find what they are looking for' when using the top search bar facility. I too often struggle to find things unless I am specific and know the exact detail of a posting. A search return of more options would be very beneficial listing all transactions in relation to any word or value typed into the search bar.

I say that about entering a space after the exact term because I believe that enabling part-matches as an option when exact matches cannot be found would mean that the exact matches that currently cannot be found for whatever reason will come under the category of part-matches and will be found.

I often find that the only way to get the Contact I'm looking for - even if I know the exact name - is to add a space on the end. You can see in the attached screenshots from multiple different clients that searching couldn't find the Contact, only the bills, and while I can get to the Contact via the bills, I'd much rather click straight to the Contact that was the reason I'm searching.