How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube

Searching for a specific video on YouTube can be, and usually is, a piece of cake. However, if the video was uploaded a long time ago or doesn’t have a lot of views, finding it might be a challenge. Thankfully, you can use YouTube’s advanced search options to get better search results and find obscure videos much faster.

In this article, we’ll go through the process of performing an advanced search on YouTube. We’ll also show you how to improve your search results on the YouTube mobile app.

How to Use Filters for a YouTube Search

Searching for a video on YouTube typically takes only a few seconds. All you need to do is type in the name of the video, a keyword, or the person who uploaded it, hit “Enter,” and it will probably pop up at the top of the search results page. You can even use the new microphone feature to find a video. If your video isn’t there, you have the option to scroll down until YouTube shows you the desired result.

However, this basic YouTube search might not be helpful at all. Whether you’re looking for a specific video or you only have a general idea of what you’re interested in, finding content on YouTube isn’t always easy.

This is where YouTube’s advanced search options come in. The best way to perform an advanced search on YouTube is with search filters. However, this feature is hidden, and it only appears after you search for something.

Here is how you can find YouTube search filters:

  1. Open your favorite browser and go to YouTube.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  2. Navigate to the search bar at the top of the page.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  3. Type in the name of the video or anything related to the video. For example, “jazz music.”
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  4. Click on the magnifying glass icon on the right side of the bar, or just press “Enter” on your keyboard.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  5. Go to the “Filters” tab in the top-left corner.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube

You’ll see that the filters are divided into five groups: “Upload Date,” “Type,” “Duration,” “Features,” “and Sort by.” Let’s see how these filters can help you narrow down your search.

Upload Date

The “Upload Date” filter can be very useful if you know exactly when the video in question was uploaded. It lets you choose between five different time ranges: “Last hour,” “Today,” “This week,” “This month,” and “This year.” If you want to look at videos posted during one of these time ranges, simply click on the tab under the “Upload Date” filter.

This feature is helpful if you’re searching for breaking news or a video that was just released. Unfortunately, if the video you’re looking for was uploaded more than one year ago, this filter can’t help you.

Type

The “Type” filter isn’t as useful as other filters, as it only lets you choose between videos, channels, playlists, and movies. In other words, if you’re searching for a specific video, this filter can’t help you at all.

Duration

If you know the approximate duration of the video, this filter can help narrow down your search. It offers three sub-filters: “Under 4 minutes,” “4-20 minutes,” “Over 20 minutes.”

Features

The “Features” filter allows you to customize your search results to a great extent. For example, it lets you choose between “Live,” “4K,” “HD,” “Subtitles/CC,” and similar video features. As detailed as these sub-filters may be, they’re only useful if you know exactly for which video you’re looking.

Sort By

Finally, the “Sort By” filter is perhaps the most helpful one. You can sort a video by “Relevance,” “Upload Date,” “View Count,” and “Rating.” Selecting one of these filters will surely help you locate your video much faster. YouTube performs a video search by relevance by default, but you can change this.

Note that you can select one category from each filter at the same time. For example, you can choose “This year” from the “Upload Date” group, “4-20 minutes” from the “Duration” filter, “HD” from the “Features” category, and so on. This is highly recommended, as it can make a significant change in your search results. If you want to turn off one of the sub-filers, simply click on the “X” that appears next to the chosen sub-filter.

Keep in mind that some filter combinations don’t work. For example, if you choose the “Channel” sub-filter in the “Type” group, you won’t be able to sort by “Upload Date.”

If you are looking for a video that you’ve already watched on YouTube, visit the “History” tab before performing an advanced search. It’s located on the left pane, under the “Library” tab. You even have the option to search your watch history and choose a history type (“Watch history” or “Community”).

Once you find the video you were looking for, make sure to save it for easier access in the future. You can do this by opening your video and clicking on the “+ SAVE” button in the bottom-right corner of the video. The next time you want to watch the video, simply head to the “Watch Later” tab on the left pane.

How to Get Better Search Results on YouTube

If the search filters weren’t of much use to you, there are other things you can do to make your search results more accurate. This is done through advanced search operators. Here are some options you can try.

Quotes

If you want YouTube to search for the exact words you typed in the search field, put the title or keywords in quotation marks. For example, “Top 5 Best Laptops for Students.”

Commas

Using commas in your search allows you to integrate YouTube’s filters without actually enabling them. For example, you can type in “How to make sushi, this year, 4-20 minutes, HD,” and so on. While this can improve your search results, note that sometimes, this advanced search option may not work. If no video matches your description, YouTube will offer the next best thing.

Plus/Minus

The plus operator (“+”) allows you to add a keyword, like “Best tourist attractions + New York.” The minus operator is actually the hyphen symbol (“-“), which allows you to exclude certain words. For instance, instead of typing “Best headphones for gaming,” you can just search for “Best headphones-gaming.” You can choose either of these operators, as you’ll have almost identical search results.

The Pipe Symbol

The pipe operator (“|”) is a vertical line that should be placed between two keywords, like in the example “sushi |easy recipes.”

Hashtags

Since YouTube videos frequently include hashtags, you can also use them to find your video. For example, just type in “#glutenfreerecipes” in the search field.

How to Perform an Advanced Search on the YouTube Mobile App

If you have the YouTube app on your phone, you also have the option to use the advanced search filters. Follow the steps below to find out how it’s done:

  1. Launch the YouTube app on your mobile device.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  2. Tap on the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  3. Enter the name of the video or keywords.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  4. Go to the three dots in the upper-right corner.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  5. Select “Search Filters” from the pop-up menu.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube
  6. Choose one or more filters from the “Sort by,” “Type,” “Upload date,” “Duration,” and “Features” sections.
    How To Perform An Advanced Search In YouTube

That’s about it. The only difference between the web app and mobile app is that you can choose the “Any” field for “Duration,” “Anytime” for “Upload Date,” and “All” for “Type.”

Search for YouTube Videos Like a Pro

YouTube offers plenty of ways to help you find video content. Whether you scroll down the search results page, use search filers, or type in advanced search operators, you’ll be able to find your video in no time. Just remember to save it to your “Watch Later” folder so you won’t waste time looking for it the next time you want to watch it.

Have you ever performed an advanced search on YouTube before? Which method did you choose? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sign up and earn $1000 a day ⋙

Pregnant, craving sweet is a boy or a girl? A question of many pregnant mothers!

Pregnant, craving sweet is a boy or a girl? A question of many pregnant mothers!

Having a sweet pregnancy to be a boy or a girl is the question of many pregnant mothers. According to folk experience, the taste of the pregnant mother can guess the sex of the fetus.

The fastest way to increase amniotic fluid for pregnant women with the amniotic fluid index is lower than the standard

The fastest way to increase amniotic fluid for pregnant women with the amniotic fluid index is lower than the standard

Pregnant mothers have less amniotic fluid in the first 3 months, lack amniotic fluid at 32-36 weeks, lack amniotic fluid at 37-40 weeks. So mothers already know how to increase amniotic fluid fastest?

Eat lotus seeds during pregnancy to soak up the golden benefits of this miracle!

Eat lotus seeds during pregnancy to soak up the golden benefits of this miracle!

Eat lotus seeds during pregnancy to soak up the golden benefits of this miracle! The effect of lotus seeds, some delicious dishes suggest pregnant mothers when using lotus seeds.

Nasal hygiene for newborn babies, simple but requires the right method

Nasal hygiene for newborn babies, simple but requires the right method

Young children, especially infants with weak immature resistance, are susceptible to respiratory diseases. Properly clean the newborn baby's nose to prevent maternal diseases!

How to eat black sesame during pregnancy so that a beautiful baby can easily give birth?

How to eat black sesame during pregnancy so that a beautiful baby can easily give birth?

Black sesame is very good food for both pregnant mother and fetus. So how to eat black sesame during pregnancy to get the most out of the benefits of this food?

Top mens perfume 2020 most glamorous and elegant

Top mens perfume 2020 most glamorous and elegant

As an elegant gentleman, do you know which of the top scent for men 2020 has the most favorite scent including faces? Let's find out together!

Are 2 people with the same mole position, are the spouses?

Are 2 people with the same mole position, are the spouses?

Are 2 people with the same mole position, is it predestined to heaven, spouse or not? Why will people with a spouse be more likely to become a couple?

Hard abdomen after cesarean section - What are the causes and treatment?

Hard abdomen after cesarean section - What are the causes and treatment?

What are the reasons for abdominal hardening after cesarean section? Is this phenomenon dangerous? Mother should do to avoid consequences later?

Learn the nutritious menu for children with delicious 16-month-old, fast weight gain

Learn the nutritious menu for children with delicious 16-month-old, fast weight gain

Anorexia children need to be stimulated taste buds to make them more interested in meals. Let's find out what the menu for an anorexia 16-month-old baby should note right below.

After giving birth, can we eat mangosteen? How to eat good for the birth mother and newborn baby?

After giving birth, can we eat mangosteen? How to eat good for the birth mother and newborn baby?

Can mangosteen be eaten after birth when this is a nutritious and attractive fruit? According to nutrition experts, mangosteen is very beneficial for her birth.

Should mothers drink fresh turmeric or turmeric starch after giving birth?

Should mothers drink fresh turmeric or turmeric starch after giving birth?

Turmeric is one of the foods that are very good for the health and skin of postpartum women. So is it better to drink turmeric after giving birth or with turmeric starch?

3 landmarks must be done for fetal malformation ultrasound to make the baby healthy and secure

3 landmarks must be done for fetal malformation ultrasound to make the baby healthy and secure

Every fetus is at risk for defects and an ultrasound is the earliest detection method. So at what point does fetal anomaly ultrasound to help detect defects?

Feeding a baby porridge before bed can be dangerous!

Feeding a baby porridge before bed can be dangerous!

Should children eat porridge before going to bed? The shocking answer from the doctor made women seriously consider feeding their children porridge at night.

Fetal heart rate 150 is a boy or a girl, the mother knows interesting things about the babys fetal heart?

Fetal heart rate 150 is a boy or a girl, the mother knows interesting things about the babys fetal heart?

Fetal heart rate 150 is a boy or a girl, based on fetal heart rate to know the sex of the baby is not correct? Together learn the meaning of the fetal heart numbers.

Pregnant women can eat seaweed and how to eat the best for the fetus?

Pregnant women can eat seaweed and how to eat the best for the fetus?

Pregnant women can eat seaweed? Scientific studies have shown that pregnant women should eat seaweed in a moderate amount for the best mother and fetus.

Do you miss your ex? Apply these 16 ways right away to stop the problem

Do you miss your ex? Apply these 16 ways right away to stop the problem

Are you missing your ex? If not, it was a lie. Because once a girl falls in love and then breaks up, how many people do not remember their ex?

How is fetal head circumference normal, what is abnormal?

How is fetal head circumference normal, what is abnormal?

Head circumference is an important indicator that the fetus is developing normally. However, if this indicator is abnormal, what should pregnant mothers do?

How is fetal nose bone length normal?

How is fetal nose bone length normal?

Does any mother know that measuring fetal nasal bone length plays a very important role in pregnancy, no less than other indicators?

Pregnant mother eating pickled vegetables can affect the fetus?

Pregnant mother eating pickled vegetables can affect the fetus?

Mother elected to eat pickled vegetables good or not good? Join us to learn through the article for advice and specific information on this.

How many hair whorls does your baby have? Lets see what whirlpool says about a childs personality and future

How many hair whorls does your baby have? Lets see what whirlpool says about a childs personality and future

The folk whirls on the head of a child can indicate personality, destiny and intelligence level. Let's see exactly how this is.