Try Semantic Search

Learn how to find documents by meaning using Archivus’s powerful semantic search in the web interface.

Semantic search finds documents by meaning, not just keywords. It understands what you’re looking for even if the exact words don’t appear in the document.

Example:

  • Keyword search: Finds “tax return” only if those exact words appear
  • Semantic search: Finds documents about “tax returns”, “1040 forms”, “income tax filing”, “tax documents”, etc.

Result: 10-100x better search results!

Quick Search (Command Palette)

  1. Press Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K on Windows/Linux)
  2. Type your search query
  3. Results appear instantly
  4. Click a result to open the document

Best for: Quick searches while browsing

Search Page (Advanced)

  1. Click “Search” in the sidebar
  2. Or go to /search page
  3. Full search interface with filters and options

Best for: Complex searches with filters

Search Modes

Semantic Search (Default)

Finds documents by meaning:

  1. Select “Semantic” mode (default)
  2. Type natural language query
  3. Results ranked by relevance

Example Queries:

  • “contracts expiring soon”
  • “invoices from last month”
  • “employee benefit documents”
  • “documents about tax deductions”

Finds exact word matches:

  1. Select “Text” or “Keyword” mode
  2. Type exact keywords
  3. Results with exact matches

Use when: You know the exact words to search for

Automatically chooses best mode:

  1. Select “Auto” mode
  2. Archivus decides semantic vs keyword
  3. Best of both worlds

Best for: Most searches

Using Filters

Filter by Folder

  1. Click “Filter” in search page
  2. Select a folder
  3. Search only in that folder

Use case: “Find contracts in Legal folder”

Filter by Tag

  1. Click “Filter”
  2. Select a tag
  3. Search only tagged documents

Use case: “Find all documents tagged ‘Q4-2025’”

Filter by Date

  1. Click “Filter”
  2. Select date range
  3. Search documents from that period

Use case: “Find documents from last quarter”

Filter by Type

  1. Click “Filter”
  2. Select file type (PDF, Word, etc.)
  3. Search only that type

Use case: “Find all PDF contracts”

Understanding Results

Relevance Score

Each result shows a relevance score (0.0 to 1.0):

  • 0.9+: Highly relevant
  • 0.7-0.9: Very relevant
  • 0.5-0.7: Somewhat relevant
  • < 0.5: May not be what you’re looking for

Result Information

Each result shows:

  • Document name - Click to open
  • AI summary - Quick overview
  • Relevance score - How well it matches
  • Highlights - Matching text snippets
  • Metadata - Date, size, tags

Search Tips

Use Natural Language

Good:

  • “Find all contracts expiring in Q4 2025”
  • “Show me invoices from last month”
  • “Documents about employee benefits”

Less Effective:

  • “contract Q4”
  • “invoice”
  • “benefits”

Be Specific

Better:

  • “Q4 2025 service contracts”
  • “December 2024 invoices”
  • “Health insurance benefit documents”

Less Specific:

  • “contracts”
  • “invoices”
  • “benefits”

Combine with Filters

Example:

  1. Filter: Legal folder
  2. Query: “contracts expiring soon”
  3. Result: Only contracts in Legal folder expiring soon

Example Searches

Finding Expiring Contracts

Query: “contracts expiring soon”

Filters:

  • Folder: Contracts
  • Date: Next 90 days

Result: All contracts expiring in the next 90 days

Query: “documents similar to this contract”

How:

  1. Open a contract document
  2. Search for “similar contracts” or “related documents”
  3. Archivus finds documents with similar content

Finding by Concept

Query: “employee health insurance benefits”

Finds:

  • Health insurance plans
  • Benefit summaries
  • Coverage documents
  • Enrollment forms
  • Policy documents

Even if they don’t contain exact words!

Advanced Search Features

Saved Searches

  1. Perform a search
  2. Click “Save Search”
  3. Name your search
  4. Access anytime from saved searches

Use case: “Q4 Contracts” saved search

Search History

  • Recent searches shown in dropdown
  • Click to rerun previous searches
  • Clear history if needed

Search Suggestions

As you type, Archivus suggests:

  • Recent searches
  • Popular searches
  • Auto-complete suggestions

Troubleshooting

No Results Found

If search returns no results:

  1. Check spelling - Verify query spelling
  2. Try broader terms - Use more general words
  3. Remove filters - Filters might be too restrictive
  4. Check document processing - Documents must be processed
  5. Try semantic mode - If using keyword, try semantic

Too Many Results

If too many results:

  1. Add filters - Filter by folder, tag, or date
  2. Be more specific - Narrow your query
  3. Use date filters - Limit to specific time period
  4. Filter by type - Search specific file types

Results Not Relevant

If results aren’t what you want:

  1. Rephrase query - Try different wording
  2. Use filters - Narrow the search scope
  3. Check relevance scores - Focus on high-scoring results
  4. Try keyword mode - If semantic isn’t working

Best Practices

Before Searching

  • Organize documents - Folders and tags help
  • Let AI process - Wait for documents to be fully processed
  • Use descriptive names - Better filenames = better search

While Searching

  • Start broad - Then narrow with filters
  • Use natural language - Ask like you’re talking
  • Try different queries - If first doesn’t work, rephrase
  • Check highlights - See why documents matched

After Searching

  • Save useful searches - For quick access later
  • Review results - Check relevance scores
  • Refine if needed - Adjust query and filters
  • Open documents - Click to view full document

Next Steps

Ready to search? Open Archivus and press Cmd+K to start searching!