Searching the wiki

This page shows how to quickly find pages, files, and categories on the wiki, plus tips for narrowing results.

Quick start

Use the search box at the top of any page.
Type a few keywords. Press Enter.
Click a result, or use the filters on the results page (namespaces, file pages, etc.).

Tips

Use specific words (e.g., “access token Discord” instead of “login”).
Try alternative spellings and abbreviations.
If you know the page name starts with something, start typing it—MediaWiki suggests page titles automatically.

Exact phrases & excluding words (works everywhere)

Exact phrase: put words in quotes

 : "open source intelligence"

Exclude a word: add a minus sign

 : discord -bot

Either word (OR): use capital OR

 : oauth OR "single sign-on"

Combine them:

 : "mediawiki login" -legacy OR oauth

Limiting by page type (namespaces)

Many wikis separate content into “namespaces” like **Main**, **Help**, **File**, **Template**, etc.

On the results page, you can:

Click **Advanced** (or **Search in** / **Namespaces**) and check only the spaces you care about (e.g., **Main** + **Help**).
Or start your query by clicking a namespace in the filter bar (if visible).

Common namespaces:

**Main (no prefix)** – articles and normal pages
**Help:** – help docs (like this page)
**File:** – images and uploads
**Template:** – reusable snippets/layouts
**Category:** – category pages that list related pages

Finding pages by title vs. content

If you think you know the title, start typing it—use the autocomplete suggestions.
If you’re searching for text that appears inside pages, just type the words; results will include pages containing those words.

Files & images

To find uploads:

Search normally; then filter by the **File** namespace on the results page.
Or go to Special:NewFiles to see recent uploads.

Common pitfalls

Plural/singular: Try both (e.g., template / templates).
Typos & variants: Try alternate spellings, hyphenation, or acronyms.
Too broad: Add one or two precise terms to narrow down.
Too narrow: Remove quotes or minus terms if you get no results.

Advanced search (if enabled)

The features below require the **Advanced Search** interface and/or the **CirrusSearch/ElasticSearch** extension. If your wiki hasn’t enabled them yet, you’ll see basic results only.

Helpful operators

intitle: finds words in the page title: intitle:Discord intitle:"OAuth setup"

incategory: finds pages in a given category: incategory:OSINT incategory:"Open Source Tools"

deepcategory: includes subcategories too: deepcategory:"Open Source Tools"

hastemplate: pages that transclude a template: hastemplate:Infobox

prefix: pages whose titles start with this path (great for organized trees): prefix:Help/ prefix:Guides/MediaWiki/

filetype: narrow files by type (on File pages): filetype:pdf filetype:png "logo"

insource: text in the raw wikitext (not just rendered page): insource:"{{Infobox"; Regex (if enabled): insource:/\boauth2?\b/

Phrases, wildcards, fuzziness

Phrase proximity: words within N words – "discord login"~5
Wildcard: trailing star – auth* matches auth, authn, authz, authentication…
Fuzzy: allow minor typos – disocrd~

Examples

Pages about Discord login setup guides:

 intitle:Discord intitle:login prefix:Help/ OR prefix:Guides/

Everything in and under a category:

 deepcategory:"OSINT Tools"

Pages that use a specific template:

 hastemplate:"Notice"

Files that are PDFs mentioning a keyword:

 filetype:pdf "mediawiki"

Find a template parameter in source:

 insource:/\|\s*Status\s*=\s*(Active|Beta)/

Namespaces via query (advanced)

If your wiki shows a namespace picker, prefer that. Otherwise, some setups allow an inline form like:

namespace:Help "search tips" (or use the filter UI)
Multiple namespaces are usually chosen from the filter UI on the results page.

Power user tools

Special:Search – full search interface (filters, namespaces, advanced options)
Special:AllPages – browse all page titles
Special:WhatLinksHere – see pages that link to the current page
Special:RecentChanges – scan the latest edits
Special:NewFiles – newest uploads
Special:Categories – list of categories
Special:PrefixIndex – list pages by a common prefix (helpful for hierarchies)

Troubleshooting

I can’t find a page I know exists.: Check spelling/wording, remove quotes/minus terms, or search by title keywords only. Browse via Special:AllPages or Special:PrefixIndex.

My results are too broad.: Add a unique keyword, put a phrase in quotes, or use a namespace/category filter.

I need to search inside code/parameters.: Use insource: (if available) or open the page and use the browser’s find (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F).

Advanced operators do nothing.: Your wiki might not have Advanced Search/CirrusSearch enabled. Basic search still works; ask an admin if you need the advanced features.

Help:Search