How to Use Search in AI Chat Importer
AI Chat Importer's search system lets you find anything across your entire conversation archive in seconds — across all platforms, folders, and dates. This guide walks through every search feature available in v1.0.2.
Basic Search
The search bar is at the top of the app. Type any keyword or phrase and results appear instantly. Each result card shows:
- The conversation title with matching keywords highlighted
- A snippet from the conversation with matching keywords highlighted
- The folder the conversation is stored in
- The platform it was imported from (ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, or Grok) shown as a badge
- The conversation date
Platform Filter
Below the search bar, filter chips let you narrow results to a specific platform. Click ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, or Grok to show only conversations from that source. Click the chip again to remove the filter. Multiple filters can be active at once.
Date Filter
Use the date filter to narrow results to a specific time period. Set a start date, an end date, or both. This is useful when you remember roughly when a conversation happened but not the exact wording.
Folder Scope
By default, search runs across your entire archive. To search within a specific folder only, select the folder from the folder list first — the search will automatically scope to that folder's conversations.
Sort Controls
Results can be sorted by:
- Relevance — closest keyword match appears first (default)
- Date (newest first) — most recent conversations at the top
- Date (oldest first) — oldest conversations at the top
Grid and List View
Toggle between grid view and list view using the view toggle in the top-right of the search results panel. Grid view shows more results at once; list view shows more detail per result including a longer snippet.
Search History
AI Chat Importer remembers your recent searches. Click the search bar to see your previous queries — click any entry to run that search again. Search history is stored locally on your device and persists between sessions.
Troubleshooting
Results appear but snippets are blank
This can happen if the search index was built before a fix was applied. Close and reopen the app — the index will rebuild automatically on startup and snippets will appear correctly.
A conversation I know exists isn't showing in results
Check your active filters — a platform filter or folder scope may be hiding it. Clear all filters and search again. If it still doesn't appear, try restarting the app to trigger a full index rebuild.
Your entire archive, one search away
Search works across all platforms simultaneously — you don't need to switch between ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, and Grok views to find something. Your entire archive is one search away.
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