Search Operators on Twitter / X: Complete Cheat Sheet for Developers (2026)

Twitter search operators (also called X advanced search commands) are special keywords and symbols you can type into the X search bar - or pass programmatically via an API - to filter the global timeline by date, engagement, author, media type, language, and more. Instead of scrolling through thousands of irrelevant results, a single well-crafted query string can surface exactly the tweets you need for brand monitoring, competitive analysis, sentiment research, or social listening at scale. This guide is the most complete reference for every working X search operator in 2026. Each operator includes a description, a ready-to-use example, and notes on edge cases. You can use these commands in the X search bar, TweetDeck, or programmatically via the Sorsa Search Tweets API by passing the operator string into the query field of a POST request.

Free Visual Query Builder

If you don’t want to assemble complex query strings by hand, use the Sorsa Search Builder. It is a free, no-login tool with a graphical interface where you toggle filters, pick operators, and preview results - and it generates the exact query string you can copy into your API request or the X search bar. It is the fastest way to prototype and test advanced search queries before integrating them into your code.

1. Basic Text Matching and Boolean Logic

These are the building blocks. Every advanced query starts here.

Operator	What It Matches	Example
`keyword keyword`	Tweets containing both terms. Spaces act as implicit AND.	`nasa esa`
`keyword OR keyword`	Tweets containing either term. OR must be uppercase.	`bitcoin OR ethereum`
`"exact phrase"`	Tweets containing the exact phrase in that order. Also prevents spelling correction.	`"state of the art"`
`-keyword`	Excludes tweets containing the term. Works with words, phrases, and other operators.	`crypto -scam`
`( )`	Groups terms for complex Boolean logic.	`(AI OR "machine learning") lang:en`
`"word * word"`	Wildcard within a quoted phrase. The `*` replaces any single word. Only works inside quotes with spaces.	`"this is the * time"`
`+word`	Forces exact match, preventing Twitter’s auto-correction and stemming.	`+radiooooo`
`#hashtag`	Matches a specific hashtag.	`#tgif`
`$cashtag`	Matches a stock/crypto symbol.	`$TSLA`

Important notes on text matching: Plurals typically match their singular form and vice versa - bulls will match bull. Twitter sometimes interprets common words as intent: searching for photo may return tweets with images even if the word “photo” is absent. Wrap such words in double quotes ("photo") to force a literal match. Words can match against the tweet text, the author’s display name, screen name, and expanded URLs within the tweet. Keep this in mind when debugging unexpected results. The maximum number of operators in a single query is approximately 22-23. If your query exceeds this, split it into multiple API calls.

2. User and Account Filters

These operators let you filter tweets by who posted them, who they are directed at, or who they mention.

Operator	Description	Example
`from:username`	Tweets sent by a specific account (without the @).	`from:elonmusk`
`to:username`	Tweets that are replies to a specific account.	`to:openai`
`@username`	Tweets that mention a specific account anywhere in the text.	`@sorsa_app`
`list:ID`	Tweets from members of a public X List. Use the numeric List ID from the URL.	`list:715919216927322112`
`filter:verified`	Only from legacy verified accounts (pre-2023 blue checkmarks).	`AI filter:verified`
`filter:blue_verified`	Only from X Premium (paid Blue) subscribers.	`crypto filter:blue_verified`
`filter:follows`	Only from accounts you follow. Works in the X UI only, not via API. Cannot be negated.	`filter:follows`
`filter:social`	From your algorithmically expanded network. Works on “Top” results, not “Latest”.	`filter:social`

Practical tip: Combine from: with -from: to build powerful brand monitoring queries. For example, "Tesla" -from:tesla finds what everyone except Tesla’s official account says about the brand.

3. Engagement Gating

Filter tweets by minimum (or maximum) engagement thresholds. These are essential for cutting through noise in high-volume keyword searches and for finding viral content, trending discussions, and influential voices.

Operator	Description	Example
`min_faves:N`	Minimum number of likes.	`AI min_faves:100`
`min_retweets:N`	Minimum number of retweets.	`crypto min_retweets:50`
`min_replies:N`	Minimum number of replies.	`"product launch" min_replies:20`
`-min_faves:N`	Maximum likes (negated form).	`bitcoin -min_faves:1000`
`-min_retweets:N`	Maximum retweets (negated form).	`news -min_retweets:500`
`-min_replies:N`	Maximum replies (negated form).	`tech -min_replies:100`
`filter:has_engagement`	Tweets with at least one interaction (like, retweet, or reply). Can be negated to find zero-engagement tweets.	`from:username filter:has_engagement`

How to use engagement filters effectively. Start with low thresholds (e.g., min_faves:10) and increase gradually. Counts become approximate for very large values (1000+). Combining engagement filters with -filter:retweets ensures you see only original content that earned its engagement organically.

4. Media and Content Type Filters

Control what kind of content appears in your results - images, videos, links, polls, GIFs, or specific tweet types like replies and quote tweets.

Media Filters

Operator	Description
`filter:media`	All media types (images, video, GIFs).
`filter:images`	All images, including third-party links (e.g., Instagram).
`filter:twimg`	Only native Twitter images (`pic.twitter.com` links).
`filter:videos`	All video types: native Twitter video, YouTube embeds, etc.
`filter:native_video`	Only Twitter-owned video (native uploads, Vine, Periscope).
`filter:consumer_video`	Twitter native video only (excludes pro/Amplify).
`filter:pro_video`	Twitter pro video (Amplify) only.
`filter:spaces`	Twitter Spaces audio content.
`filter:links`	Tweets containing any URL. Includes media URLs - use `-filter:media` to isolate non-media links.
`card_name:animated_gif`	Specifically matches GIFs.

Tweet Type Filters

Operator	Description
`filter:replies`	Only tweets that are replies to another tweet.
`-filter:replies`	Exclude replies (show only top-level original tweets).
`filter:nativeretweets`	Only native retweets (created via the retweet button).
`include:nativeretweets`	Include native retweets in results (they are excluded by default).
`filter:retweets`	Old-style RT retweets plus quote tweets.
`-filter:retweets`	Exclude retweets entirely.
`filter:quote`	Only quote tweets.
`quoted_tweet_id:ID`	Quotes of a specific tweet by its ID.
`quoted_user_id:ID`	All quotes of a specific user by their user ID.
`conversation_id:ID`	All tweets in a thread (direct replies and nested replies).

Special Content Filters

Operator	Description
`card_name:poll2choice_text_only`	Tweets containing 2-choice text polls.
`card_name:poll3choice_text_only`	3-choice text polls.
`card_name:poll4choice_text_only`	4-choice text polls.
`card_name:poll2choice_image`	2-choice image polls.
`filter:news`	Tweets linking to recognized news domains.
`filter:safe`	Excludes NSFW / potentially sensitive content. Does not guarantee SFW results in all cases.
`filter:hashtags`	Only tweets containing at least one hashtag.
`filter:mentions`	Only tweets containing any @mention.

5. Date, Time, and Snowflake ID Operators

Precise time-based filtering is critical for event analysis, campaign tracking, and historical data extraction.

Operator	Format	Description
`since:YYYY-MM-DD`	`since:2026-01-01`	Tweets posted on or after this date (inclusive).
`until:YYYY-MM-DD`	`until:2026-03-01`	Tweets posted before this date (not inclusive).
`since:YYYY-MM-DD_HH:MM:SS_UTC`	`since:2026-03-05_12:00:00_UTC`	Precision timestamp with timezone.
`since_time:UNIX`	`since_time:1142974200`	After a specific Unix timestamp (in seconds).
`until_time:UNIX`	`until_time:1142974215`	Before a specific Unix timestamp.
`within_time:Xd`	`within_time:2d`	Within the last X days. Also supports `h` (hours), `m` (minutes), `s` (seconds).
`since_id:ID`	`since_id:1234567890`	After a specific Snowflake ID (not inclusive).
`max_id:ID`	`max_id:1234567890`	At or before a specific Snowflake ID (inclusive).

Date range example: To search tweets about a product launch during a specific week:

"product name" since:2026-02-10 until:2026-02-17 lang:en min_faves:5

Snowflake ID Trick

Every tweet ID on X is a Snowflake ID that encodes its creation timestamp. You can convert between IDs and timestamps using this formula:

Millisecond Epoch = (tweet_id >> 22) + 1288834974657

This is useful for setting precise boundaries when scraping historical data via API, since since_id and max_id give you exact tweet-level control over your result window. For more on working with historical tweet data, see Historical Data.

6. Geographical and Location Filters

Very few tweets carry precise geolocation data (estimated at 1-2% of all tweets). Twitter removed precise location tagging from the main iOS/Android apps in June 2019, though users can still tag tweets with Place objects.

Operator	Description	Example
`near:"city"`	Geotagged near a named place. Supports phrases.	`near:"San Francisco"`
`near:me`	Near your current location (X UI only).	`near:me`
`within:Xkm`	Radius limit for `near:`. Accepts `km` or `mi`.	`earthquake near:Tokyo within:50km`
`geocode:lat,long,radius`	Pinpoint precision using coordinates.	`geocode:37.77,-122.41,5km`
`place:ID`	Search by X Place Object ID.	`place:96683cc9126741d1` (USA)

Practical note: If a tweet does not have precise coordinates, the API falls back to reverse-geocoding the user’s profile location. This means you may receive tweets without explicit lat/long data that match based on the author’s stated location. For a dedicated approach to mapping follower locations by country, see Audience Geography.

7. Language and Source Filters

Language

X supports 2-letter ISO 639-1 language codes. Common examples: lang:en (English), lang:es (Spanish), lang:fr (French), lang:de (German), lang:ja (Japanese), lang:ru (Russian). There are also several special language codes:

Code	Meaning
`lang:und`	Undefined language (emoji-only or media-only tweets).
`lang:qme`	Tweets with media links only (since 2022).
`lang:qst`	Very short text tweets.
`lang:qht`	Tweets with hashtags only.
`lang:qam`	Tweets with mentions only.
`lang:qct`	Tweets with cashtags only.
`lang:zxx`	Tweets with media or Twitter Card only, no additional text.

Language detection is not perfect. For critical applications, consider adding a secondary language check in your processing pipeline.

Source (Posting Client)

Operator	Description	Example
`source:client_name`	Filter by the app used to post the tweet. Use underscores for spaces.	`source:Twitter_for_iPhone`

Common source values: Twitter_for_iPhone, Twitter_for_Android, Twitter_Web_App, TweetDeck, twitter_ads. Note that source: sometimes requires another operator alongside it to return results.

8. App-Specific and Card Operators

These operators match on Twitter Card metadata - the rich previews attached to tweets containing links, media, and embedded content.

Operator	Description
`card_domain:domain`	Matches the domain name in a Twitter Card. Mostly equivalent to `url:`.
`card_url:domain`	Similar to `card_domain:` but may return different results.
`card_name:audio`	Tweets with Player Cards (Spotify, SoundCloud, etc.).
`card_name:player`	Tweets with any Player Card.
`card_name:summary`	Small-image summary cards.
`card_name:summary_large_image`	Large-image summary cards.
`card_name:promo_website`	Promoted website cards (usually posted via Ads).
`card_name:promo_image_convo`	Conversational ad cards with images.
`card_name:promo_video_convo`	Conversational ad cards with video.
`url:domain`	Matches URLs. Works well for domains and subdomains, less reliably for long URL paths. YouTube video IDs work well.

Note: The card_name: operator typically only works for tweets from the last 7-8 days.

9. Practical Query Recipes (Copy-Paste Ready)

Mastering advanced search is about combining operators into a single, precise query string. Here are high-value combinations for common scenarios.

Brand and Reputation Monitoring

Find viral original content about a brand, excluding the brand’s own posts and noisy retweets:

("Tesla" OR "Elon Musk") min_faves:500 filter:links lang:en -from:tesla -filter:nativeretweets

Competitor Analysis and Lead Generation

Find users asking questions or looking for alternatives in your niche:

("notion" OR "obsidian") "?" -filter:links -from:notionhq

Text-only tweets containing questions about Notion or Obsidian, filtering out marketing links and official handles.

Influencer Discovery

Find high-engagement original posts from verified accounts in a topic:

"machine learning" filter:blue_verified min_faves:200 -filter:replies -filter:retweets lang:en

OSINT and Breaking News

Track specific events from X Premium sources with visual evidence:

"breaking news" filter:images since:2026-03-01 filter:blue_verified

Content Curation from X Lists

Find viral videos or GIFs posted by members of a specific X List:

list:715919216927322112 (filter:videos OR card_name:animated_gif) min_retweets:50

Developer Troubleshooting

Find conversations about bugs or errors that include GitHub links:

url:github.com "error" lang:en filter:replies

Crypto and Finance Sentiment

Track sentiment-laden discussions about a token with engagement gating:

(bitcoin OR $BTC) (bullish OR bearish OR crash OR moon) min_faves:20 lang:en since:2026-01-01 -filter:retweets

Hyper-Local Monitoring

Find what people are saying near a specific location in a tight timeframe:

"traffic" near:"London" within:5km since:2026-03-05_12:00:00_UTC

Searching for Quotes of a Specific User

Find all tweets that quote someone by searching for their tweet URL pattern and excluding their own handle:

twitter.com/elonmusk/status/ -elonmusk

10. How to Use Operators with the Sorsa API

Every operator listed above works in the query field of the Sorsa /v3/search-tweets endpoint. Pass your full query string - operators included - as a POST request:

curl -X POST https://api.sorsa.io/v3/search-tweets \
  -H "ApiKey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "(AI OR \"machine learning\") min_faves:100 lang:en -filter:retweets",
    "order": "popular"
  }'

Python Example

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.sorsa.io/v3/search-tweets",
    headers={
        "ApiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    json={
        "query": '("your brand" OR "@yourbrand") -from:yourbrand min_faves:5 lang:en',
        "order": "latest",
    },
)

data = response.json()
for tweet in data.get("tweets", []):
    print(f"@{tweet['user']['username']}: {tweet['full_text'][:100]}")
    print(f"  Likes: {tweet['likes_count']} | RTs: {tweet['retweet_count']}\n")

JavaScript Example

const response = await fetch("https://api.sorsa.io/v3/search-tweets", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "ApiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    query: '("your brand" OR "@yourbrand") -from:yourbrand min_faves:5 lang:en',
    order: "latest",
  }),
});

const data = await response.json();
for (const tweet of data.tweets || []) {
  console.log(`@${tweet.user.username}: ${tweet.full_text.slice(0, 100)}`);
  console.log(`  Likes: ${tweet.likes_count} | RTs: ${tweet.retweet_count}\n`);
}

For pagination, add the next_cursor value from the response to your next request. See Pagination and Search Tweets for complete pagination examples.

Building Complex Queries: Order of Operations

When constructing your own advanced query strings, follow this sequence:

Group your core keywords in parentheses: (bitcoin OR ethereum OR $BTC)
Add content constraints: lang:en, filter:images, -filter:replies
Set engagement thresholds: min_faves:50, min_retweets:10
Exclude noise: -from:spambot, -scam, -airdrop, -filter:retweets
Add time bounds if needed: since:2026-01-01 until:2026-03-01

Remember that AND has precedence over OR. cat OR black dog is evaluated as cat OR (black dog), not (cat OR black) dog. When in doubt, use parentheses to make your intent explicit.

Known Limitations

A few edge cases and restrictions to keep in mind:

Operator limit: Queries support roughly 22-23 operators maximum.
Geo coverage is thin: Only about 1-2% of tweets carry geolocation data. Most users do not opt in to precise location sharing.
card_name: is time-limited: This operator typically only returns results from the past 7-8 days.
Private and suspended accounts are excluded from all search results.
Language detection is imperfect. Short tweets, code snippets, or emoji-heavy posts may be misclassified.
Not all tweets are indexed. Twitter’s search index may exclude tweets flagged for platform violations or anti-spam rules.
Spelling auto-correction happens silently in some cases. Use +word or "word" to force exact matching.
URL matching works well for domains and subdomains but is unreliable for long URL paths. Hyphens in domains must be replaced with underscores (e.g., url:t_mobile.com).

Source and Acknowledgments

This guide draws on the comprehensive research of the Twitter Advanced Search repository by Igor Brigadir. With over 1,500 stars on GitHub, this project is the industry-standard reference for X search logic, Snowflake ID mechanics, and undocumented operator behaviors.

Next Steps

Search Tweets - complete guide to the /search-tweets endpoint with Python and JavaScript examples, pagination, and CSV export.
Track Mentions - dedicated strategies for tracking @mentions of any account.
Search Builder - the free visual query builder where you can test any operator combination instantly.
API Reference - full specification for all Sorsa API endpoints.
Response Format - complete schema reference for Tweet and User objects.

Getting started

Core Mechanics

Solution Guides

Support & Resources

Search Operators

Search Operators on Twitter / X: Complete Cheat Sheet for Developers (2026)

Free Visual Query Builder

1. Basic Text Matching and Boolean Logic

2. User and Account Filters

3. Engagement Gating

4. Media and Content Type Filters

Media Filters

Tweet Type Filters

Special Content Filters

5. Date, Time, and Snowflake ID Operators

Snowflake ID Trick

6. Geographical and Location Filters

7. Language and Source Filters

Language

Source (Posting Client)

8. App-Specific and Card Operators

9. Practical Query Recipes (Copy-Paste Ready)

Brand and Reputation Monitoring

Competitor Analysis and Lead Generation

Influencer Discovery

OSINT and Breaking News

Content Curation from X Lists

Developer Troubleshooting

Crypto and Finance Sentiment

Hyper-Local Monitoring

Searching for Quotes of a Specific User

10. How to Use Operators with the Sorsa API

Python Example

JavaScript Example

Building Complex Queries: Order of Operations

Known Limitations

Source and Acknowledgments

Next Steps

Getting started

Core Mechanics

Solution Guides

Support & Resources

​Search Operators on Twitter / X: Complete Cheat Sheet for Developers (2026)

​Free Visual Query Builder

​1. Basic Text Matching and Boolean Logic

​2. User and Account Filters

​3. Engagement Gating

​4. Media and Content Type Filters

​Media Filters

​Tweet Type Filters

​Special Content Filters

​5. Date, Time, and Snowflake ID Operators

​Snowflake ID Trick

​6. Geographical and Location Filters

​7. Language and Source Filters

​Language

​Source (Posting Client)

​8. App-Specific and Card Operators

​9. Practical Query Recipes (Copy-Paste Ready)

​Brand and Reputation Monitoring

​Competitor Analysis and Lead Generation

​Influencer Discovery

​OSINT and Breaking News

​Content Curation from X Lists

​Developer Troubleshooting

​Crypto and Finance Sentiment

​Hyper-Local Monitoring

​Searching for Quotes of a Specific User

​10. How to Use Operators with the Sorsa API

​Python Example

​JavaScript Example

​Building Complex Queries: Order of Operations

​Known Limitations

​Source and Acknowledgments

​Next Steps

Search Operators on Twitter / X: Complete Cheat Sheet for Developers (2026)

Free Visual Query Builder

1. Basic Text Matching and Boolean Logic

2. User and Account Filters

3. Engagement Gating

4. Media and Content Type Filters

Media Filters

Tweet Type Filters

Special Content Filters

5. Date, Time, and Snowflake ID Operators

Snowflake ID Trick

6. Geographical and Location Filters

7. Language and Source Filters

Language

Source (Posting Client)

8. App-Specific and Card Operators

9. Practical Query Recipes (Copy-Paste Ready)

Brand and Reputation Monitoring

Competitor Analysis and Lead Generation

Influencer Discovery

OSINT and Breaking News

Content Curation from X Lists

Developer Troubleshooting

Crypto and Finance Sentiment

Hyper-Local Monitoring

Searching for Quotes of a Specific User

10. How to Use Operators with the Sorsa API

Python Example

JavaScript Example

Building Complex Queries: Order of Operations

Known Limitations

Source and Acknowledgments

Next Steps