Search Notes
Need to find a note? Search lets you jump to any note instantly — just start typing.
Opening the Search Dialog
- Click the search icon in the hub
- Press Ctrl+Alt+S from anywhere (global shortcut)
Filtering Notes
Type in the filter field to narrow down your notes. The search updates as you type — no need to press Enter.
- Default: searches both note content and titles
- Title only: check the "Title only" box to search only note titles
Screenshot coming soon
The search dialog with a search term entered and filtered results showing 3 matching notes
Results Table
Each row shows a preview of the note:
| Column | Shows |
|---|---|
| Content | First two non-empty lines of the note |
| Title | The note's title, or "—" if none |
| Modified | When the note was last edited |
Sorting
Click any column header to sort. Click again to reverse the order. By default, notes are sorted by most recently modified first — so the note you were just working on appears at the top.
Date Format
The Modified column uses relative dates for recent notes:
- Today 14:30 — edited today
- Yesterday 09:15 — edited yesterday
- 3 days ago — edited within the last week
- 01/08 10:30 — older notes show month/day and time
Hover over the date to see the full modified and created timestamps in a tooltip.
Screenshot coming soon
A tooltip showing "Modified: March 23, 2026 at 02:15 PM" and "Created: January 8, 2026 at 10:30 AM"
Opening a Note
Three ways to open a note from search:
- Double-click the row
- Select a row and press Enter
- Select a row and click the Open button
The search dialog closes automatically and the note is brought to focus. If the note was hidden, it becomes visible.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Alt+S | Open search dialog (global) |
| Enter | Open selected note |
| Escape | Close the dialog |
| Up/Down arrows | Navigate between notes |
Multiple Desktops (KDE Activities)
If you use KDE Plasma's Activities feature to organize your desktop into separate workspaces, BetterStickies works with it. Opening a note from search automatically switches to the desktop activity where that note lives — so you can find notes across all your workspaces from one search.
See Also
- Getting Started — overview of notes and the hub
- Keyboard Shortcuts — Ctrl+Alt+S and other shortcuts
- Reminders — set reminders on notes so you don't forget them
- Troubleshooting — help with common issues