> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.affinity.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tutorial 3: Search and Discovery — Find Anything in Seconds

> Master global search (Cmd+K / Alt+K), filter results, and navigate Affinity 3–5× faster.

***

## Immediate Value

After this tutorial, you'll use global search for instant navigation, understand the search-result tabs, distinguish CRM records from enriched data, and know what search can and can't find.

## Prerequisites

* Tutorial 1: Your First List

## Quick-Start Roadmap

1. Use global search for instant navigation
2. Filter results by tab (People, Organizations, etc.)
3. Handle multiple results (CRM vs. enrichment data)
4. Practice search-based navigation
5. Understand what search finds and what it doesn't
6. Know about the search indexing delay
7. Save search results to a list
8. Try AI-Powered Semantic Search (Beta)

***

## What Search Does in Affinity

Global search is one keyboard shortcut from anywhere in the app. It indexes profiles, lists, notes, and enriched company records, so a single query can reach any entity in your account without menu navigation.

***

## Task 1: Use Global Search

### Context

Global search opens with one keyboard shortcut and resolves to a profile, list, or note in a single click.

### 🎬 Watch

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lX0Phx9t3hI" allowfullscreen width="100%" height="400" />

### Action

1. Press **Cmd+K** (Mac) or **Alt+K** (Windows/Linux).
2. Type a name, company, or list name.
3. Results appear as you type.
4. Click a result or press **Enter** to navigate.

### Expected Outcome

You jump directly to any profile, list, or note in a couple of seconds.

### 📚 Help Center

* [Conducting searches in Affinity](/s/article/Conducting-searches-in-Affinity)

***

## Task 2: Filter Results by Tab

### Context

Search results are organized into tabs by entity type. When a query returns many matches, the tabs narrow them.

### Action

After searching, the results group into tabs:

1. **Top Matches** — best overall results (shown first)
2. **People** — person profiles
3. **Organizations** — company profiles
4. **Opportunities** — deal records
5. **Lists** — your lists
6. **Notes** — note content
   Click any tab to see only that type, then click an entry to open it.

<Tip>
  Use the **Lists** tab when you want to jump to a specific list quickly. Use the **Notes** tab to find a meeting note by keyword.
</Tip>

### Expected Outcome

You can narrow search results to a specific entity type with one click.

***

## Task 3: Handle Multiple Results

### Context

A search like "TechCorp" can return multiple results because Affinity includes both your CRM records and enriched company data from Crunchbase / Dealroom.

### Action

When you see multiple results for the same name:

* **Your CRM record** shows "Last Contact: \[date]" if your team has interacted with the entity.
* **Enriched records** are companies from Crunchbase / Dealroom that aren't in any of your lists yet.
* Click the **Lists** tab to see only entities that exist in your lists.

### Expected Outcome

You can distinguish between your CRM records and enriched data in search results.

***

## Task 4: Practice Search Navigation

### Context

Repetition builds the habit of search-first navigation.

### Action

Try this three times:

1. Press **Cmd+K** / **Alt+K**.
2. Type a list name.
3. Press **Enter**.
4. Repeat with a company name, then a person name.

### Expected Outcome

You've used search to navigate three different entity types.

***

## Task 5: What Search Finds (and What It Doesn't)

### Context

Knowing search boundaries helps you choose the right tool — search for entity discovery, filters for field-level analysis.

### Action

| **✅ CAN find**          | **❌ CAN'T find**                                       |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Names, emails, domains  | Custom field values (use List Filters instead)         |
| Titles, industries      | File / attachment content                              |
| Note titles and content | Email body text (search by sender / recipient instead) |
| List names              | Formula field results                                  |

<Tip>
  For custom field queries, use **List Filters** (covered in Tutorial 7). Search is for entity-level discovery; Filters are for field-level analysis.
</Tip>

### Expected Outcome

You know when to use search vs. filters for finding data.

***

## Task 6: Search Indexing Delay

### Context

Newly created records take a few minutes to appear in search results — they need to be indexed first.

### Action

If you just created a record and can't find it via search:

1. Wait a few minutes for indexing to complete.
2. Try searching again.
3. If still not found, navigate to the list directly and find the entry there.

<Warning>
  **New records are not instantly searchable.** If you create a company and immediately search for it, you may get no results. The record will appear in search once indexing completes.
</Warning>

### Expected Outcome

You understand the indexing delay and won't panic when a new record doesn't appear immediately.

***

## Task 7: Save Search Results to a List

### Context

When you find entities through search that should be tracked, you can add them to a list without leaving the result.

### Action

1. Search for a company or person.
2. Open their profile from the search results.
3. Click **"Add to List"** on the profile.
4. Select the target list → Confirm.

<Tip>
  Useful for sourcing — search for companies in a target sector, review profiles, and add promising ones directly to your pipeline list.
</Tip>

### Expected Outcome

You've added an entity to a list directly from a search-driven discovery flow.

***

## Task 8: AI-Powered Semantic Search (Beta)

### Context

AI-Powered Semantic Search lets you describe what you're looking for in natural language instead of typing exact names — useful for discovering companies that match a thesis ("seed-stage climate startups in Europe", "B2B SaaS with 50–200 employees", etc.). Currently available for **Companies** in Beta.

### Action

1. Open global search (**Cmd+K** / **Alt+K**).
2. Switch to the **Semantic Search** mode (where available — Beta access varies by plan).
3. Type a descriptive query — full sentences are fine.
4. Review results and open profiles directly.

### Expected Outcome

You can find companies that match a description, even if you don't know the company name.

### 📚 Help Center

* [AI-Powered Semantic Search Reference (Companies)](/s/article/Using-Semantic-Search)

***

## Common Questions

<Accordion title="Why does Alt+K work on Windows but not Ctrl+K?">
  Affinity uses **Alt+K** on Windows / Linux (not Ctrl+K) and **Cmd+K** on Mac. This is the registered shortcut in the keyboard config.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Can I search within a specific list?">
  Global search searches everything. To find entries within a specific list, open the list first and use the **Filters** feature (covered in Tutorial 7).
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Does search find note content?">
  Yes. Search indexes note titles and content. Use the **Notes** tab in search results to find notes by keyword.
</Accordion>

***

## See It In Action

<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jKnqtgWE1do" allowfullscreen width="100%" height="400" />

***

## Where to Go Next

* **Next tutorial:** Tutorial 4: Notes and Research Workflows
* **Learning Paths:** Deal Sourcing (Step 2)
* **Help Center:** [Conducting searches in Affinity](/s/article/Conducting-searches-in-Affinity)