2026 · 30+ operators · copy-ready

Every X search shortcut, in one place

X has 30+ hidden search operators (filter:videos, min_faves:1000, from:user…). They turn the search bar into a research weapon.

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Learn the syntax

Build your own custom searches

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Copy-ready examples

For Tweetdeck, Buffer, your notes

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Power combo recipes

6 ready-made research queries

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Decode a query

What does filter:blue_verified mean?

Just want to run a search? Skip the docs — fill out a visual form, get the URL.

Open Search Builder →

👤User & account

Filter posts by who wrote them, who they're to, or who they mention.

from:username

Posts written by a specific user.

Example:from:elonmusk Tesla

-from:username

Exclude a specific user from results.

Example:AI -from:spam_account

⚠ Useful when one creator dominates the niche search.

to:username

Posts that are replies to a specific user.

Example:to:nasa "thank you"

@username

Posts that mention the user anywhere in the text.

Example:@OpenAI breakthrough

list:LIST_ID

Posts from a public X List. Use the numeric ID from the list URL (the older owner/slug format is deprecated).

Example:list:1234567890 bitcoin

filter:verified

Posts from verified accounts only.

Example:AI filter:verified

⚠ Coverage is broader than blue tick — includes legacy verified too.

filter:blue_verified

Posts from Premium (blue tick) accounts only.

Example:crypto filter:blue_verified

filter:follows

Posts from accounts you follow (must be logged in).

Example:launch filter:follows

🔥Engagement & virality

The most underused operators. Filter by likes, replies, retweets — the fastest way to find viral content in any niche.

min_faves:N

Posts with at least N likes. Best operator for finding viral takes.

Example:AI agents min_faves:1000

min_retweets:N

Posts with at least N reposts.

Example:startup min_retweets:500

min_replies:N

Posts with at least N replies — finds debate threads.

Example:controversial min_replies:100

min_bookmarks:N

Posts with at least N bookmarks.

Example:AI guide min_bookmarks:500

⚠ Added 2024 when bookmarks became publicly searchable. The single best "worth saving" signal — high-bookmark posts are usually frameworks, checklists, or reference content.

min_quote_tweets:N

Posts that triggered at least N quote tweets — QT chains signal viral debate.

Example:hot take min_quote_tweets:50

-min_faves:N

Posts with fewer than N likes (find new accounts, less-seen posts).

Example:AI -min_faves:10

⚠ Note the minus sign.

📅Date range

Constrain results to a specific period. Format is YYYY-MM-DD (UTC).

since:YYYY-MM-DD

Posts on or after the date.

Example:AI since:2026-01-01

until:YYYY-MM-DD

Posts on or before the date.

Example:AI until:2026-05-30

since:YYYY-MM-DD_HH:MM:SS_UTC

Posts after a specific UTC timestamp (hour granularity).

Example:AI since:2026-05-30_09:00:00_UTC

within_time:Nh

Posts within last N hours/days (e.g. 6h, 3d, 2w).

Example:launch within_time:24h

🎬Media & content type

Find specific kinds of media — videos, images, links, polls.

filter:media

Posts with any media attached (video, GIF, or image).

Example:tutorial filter:media

filter:videos

Posts with any video — includes external links (YouTube, Vimeo).

Example:demo filter:videos

filter:native_video

Only videos uploaded directly to X (no YouTube/Vimeo links).

Example:demo filter:native_video

⚠ Higher engagement on average — the ranker boosts native uploads over external video links.

filter:images

Posts with images (excludes GIFs).

Example:design filter:images

filter:links

Posts containing a URL.

Example:article filter:links

filter:replies

Replies only (no original posts).

Example:AGI filter:replies

-filter:replies

Original posts only (no replies).

Example:AGI -filter:replies

filter:quote

Posts that are quote-tweets.

Example:crypto filter:quote

card_name:poll4choice_text_only

Posts containing polls.

Example:poll card_name:poll4choice_text_only

🧩Phrase, exclusion & matching

Standard query syntax — the bread and butter of search.

"exact phrase"

Posts containing the exact phrase.

Example:"prompt engineering"

word1 OR word2

Posts containing either term. Must be uppercase OR.

Example:GPT OR Claude OR Gemini

-keyword

Excludes posts containing the term.

Example:AI -crypto

(group)

Group terms with parentheses for logical clarity.

Example:(AI OR ML) -crypto

#hashtag

Posts containing the hashtag.

Example:#BuildInPublic

$ticker

Posts mentioning the cashtag (stock ticker).

Example:$NVDA earnings

🌍Language & location

Narrow by language code (ISO 639-1) or geographic radius.

lang:CODE

Posts in a specific language. Codes: en, tr, es, ar, ja, ko, zh, de, fr, pt, it, nl, ru, sv, etc.

Example:AI lang:tr

near:"City" within:Nmi

Posts geotagged near a location (limited coverage — most users don't geotag).

Example:coffee near:"San Francisco" within:15mi

geocode:lat,lon,radius

Posts near a coordinate (radius in mi or km).

Example:food geocode:37.78,-122.41,5km

🔗URL & domain

Find posts that link to specific sites.

url:domain.com

Posts that contain a link to the given domain.

Example:url:github.com

url:keyword

Posts that contain a URL with the keyword in it.

Example:url:openai

🎭Sentiment & misc

Lesser-known filters worth experimenting with.

filter:safe

Excludes sensitive content from results.

Example:topic filter:safe

source:"client"

Filter by posting client (X Web, iPhone, etc.).

Example:launch source:"Twitter Web App"

conversation_id:N

All posts in a conversation thread (replies + quotes).

Example:conversation_id:1815040326068666679

🧪Power combo recipes

Stack operators for real research jobs.

Find viral posts in your niche this month

YOUR_TOPIC min_faves:1000 since:2026-05-01 -filter:replies lang:en

Track a competitor's most-shared posts

from:competitor_handle min_retweets:100 since:2026-01-01

Find videos in your niche to study

YOUR_TOPIC filter:videos min_faves:500 -filter:replies

See what people are asking about a product

"product name" filter:replies min_replies:5

Find Turkish creators in a topic

YOUR_TOPIC lang:tr min_faves:200 -filter:replies

Find threads (high reply count, original posts)

YOUR_TOPIC min_replies:50 -filter:replies since:2026-01-01

Don't want to memorize syntax?

Use the visual builder — pick filters from a form, get the X URL.

Open Search Builder →

X Search Operators — FAQ

How do I use X advanced search operators?

Paste X search operators directly into the X search bar (top-right magnifying glass) and hit Enter. Operators can be chained with spaces — for example, XTapDown's cheatsheet shows that 'AI from:elonmusk min_faves:1000 since:2026-01-01' returns Elon's AI posts from January 2026 onwards with at least 1,000 likes. No tooling or login required for most queries.

Which operators are most useful for content research?

For X content research, XTapDown recommends min_faves:N (find viral takes in any niche), filter:videos (study top-performing video), min_retweets:N (track shareable posts), and date operators since:/until: for time-bound study. Combined, a query like 'your_niche min_faves:500 -filter:replies since:2026-01-01' surfaces the season's top original posts, stripped of reply noise.

Do these operators work for everyone or only logged-in users?

Most X search operators work for both logged-out and logged-in users — anyone can use phrase search, exclusions, from:, to:, and filter:media. A few require login per XTapDown's testing: filter:follows and filter:safe (which depend on account preferences), plus visibility into posts from accounts that have blocked you. Core research operators stay accessible without authentication.

Why does min_faves sometimes return zero results?

X's search index is incomplete — older posts (especially pre-2022) or posts from low-engagement accounts may not be indexed at all, so min_faves filters them out entirely. Per XTapDown's testing, the min_faves operator works most reliably on recent content from the last 12 months posted by active accounts with consistent engagement history on the platform.

Is there a UI builder for these operators?

Yes — XTapDown's /advanced-search builder at xtapdown.com generates the correct X search URL from a visual form, so users don't have to memorize operator syntax. Pick filters like minimum likes, date range, account, language, and media type from dropdowns, and the builder constructs the chained query string and opens the resulting search on X directly.

Are these operators officially documented?

Partially. X documents the basics — from, to, since, until, and filter:media — in the official Help Center. According to XTapDown's research, the engagement filters (min_faves, min_retweets, min_replies) and several other powerful operators are undocumented but widely used by power users and have worked reliably on the platform for years without deprecation notices.