Message search

It is not uncommon to want to search for older conversation content. To search the message history in a room (or in all rooms) for a specific text, the “Search” button is located in the upper right corner of the Element app.

Display of the position of the function button for the search Display of the position of the function button for the search

Searching for messages is possible in unencrypted rooms without any problem, since Element has access to all messages. The situation is different in encrypted rooms. This function is only possible using the desktop client (see Clients / Installation), because the messages must be cached for the search. The message search must be explicitly enabled under Settings -> Security & Privacy -> Message search. Afterwards, searching is also possible in encrypted rooms.

Settings section for enabling message search Settings section for enabling message search