# Twitter search operators: search by date

Every X search operator worth knowing, with copyable examples, a full section on searching Twitter by date, and a form that builds the query for you.

Published: 2026-10-04 · Updated: 2026-10-14 · 13 min read
Page: https://twitterviewer.app/blog/x-advanced-search-operators

Twitter search operators are short commands you type into the X search box to narrow a search by account, date, language, popularity or media type, and they are the difference between scrolling through noise and finding the one post you remember. This guide covers the operators that matter, shows how to search Twitter by date with exact examples, lists ready-made combinations, and explains how the form on the [Advanced Search](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-advanced-search) page builds the same syntax without any typing.

## What are Twitter search operators?

A search operator is a keyword followed by a colon and a value, such as `from:NASA` or `min_faves:1000`. You type it into the search box next to ordinary words, separate everything with spaces, and X treats each part as a condition that a post must meet. Every extra condition narrows the result list.

There are two kinds. Some operators change how words are matched: quotes for an exact phrase, `OR` for either word, a minus sign to exclude a word. Others filter on a property of the post: who wrote it, when, in which language, how many likes it has, and whether it carries a photo or video. Almost all of them combine freely.

The platform is now called X, but most people still say Twitter search operators or Twitter advanced search operators, and the operators below keep working under the new name. X does not publish one complete, versioned reference, and the platform does adjust its search from time to time, so treat the list here as the set that is well established and test an operator on a small query before you rely on it.

## Where to type search operators

You can type operators anywhere X gives you a search box.

- **On x.com.** Paste the whole query into the search bar at the top of the page and press Enter. The result page has tabs such as Top and Latest, and for date searches Latest is usually what you want.
- **In the X app.** The search box accepts the same syntax. Typing is the reliable route on a phone, because the app does not offer the website's full advanced form.
- **In X's own Advanced Search form.** X has a form at `x.com/search-advanced` that fills in the same operators for you.
- **On this site.** The [Advanced Search](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-advanced-search) page has a form with a field for each idea and shows your query as chips. It is part of Pro and runs on the X account you connect, because X only serves search to signed-in users.

The syntax is the same in all four places, so a query that works in one works in the others.

## Words, phrases, OR and exclusions

These are the building blocks. They do not need a colon.

| You type | What it finds |
| --- | --- |
| `cats dogs` | Posts containing both words, in any order |
| `"cats and dogs"` | The exact phrase, words in that order |
| `cats OR dogs` | Posts containing either word |
| `cats -dogs` | Posts with "cats" but not "dogs" |
| `-"cats and dogs"` | Excludes an exact phrase |
| `(cats OR dogs) -birds` | Grouping: either word, and not "birds" |
| `#launch` | A hashtag |

A few details trip people up. `OR` must be written in capital letters, otherwise X reads it as an ordinary word. The minus sign must touch the word it excludes, with no space after it. Parentheses group terms so that `OR` applies only to the words inside them, which is the only way to combine an `OR` with other conditions without ambiguity. Quotes make the match literal, so `"supply chain"` will not match a post that only has "chain supply".

> **Tip: Use quotes for names and slogans**
> A person's full name, a product name or a slogan behaves much better in quotes. Without them X matches each word independently and the results get noisy.

## Search by account: from, to and mentions

Three operators connect a search to accounts, and they answer different questions.

- `from:NASA` finds posts written by NASA. This is also what people mean by "Twitter search from user".
- `to:NASA` finds replies sent to NASA, which is the quickest way to see what people are asking an account.
- `@NASA` finds posts that mention NASA anywhere, including replies and quotes.

You leave the at sign off for `from:` and `to:`, and the handle is not case-sensitive. To search two accounts at once, group them: `(from:NASA OR from:ESA)`. To search one account for a topic, add words: `from:NASA artemis`. To exclude an account, put a minus sign in front of the operator: `artemis -from:NASA`.

### Search from user: useful patterns

- **Everything a user posted about a word:** `from:username keyword`.
- **A user's popular posts only:** `from:username min_faves:1000`.
- **A user's original posts, no replies:** `from:username -filter:replies`.
- **A conversation between two accounts:** `(from:alice to:bob) OR (from:bob to:alice)`.

For a user's posts without a search, the [profile viewer](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-profile-viewer) opens a public timeline directly, with no operators needed.

## How to search Twitter by date

Twitter search by date is the most requested use of operators, and it takes just two of them. `since:` is the start of the window and `until:` is the end of it, both written as `YYYY-MM-DD`.

- `since:2026-03-01` finds posts on or after 1 March 2026.
- `until:2026-04-01` finds posts before 1 April 2026.

Together they define a window: `since:2026-03-01 until:2026-04-01` is all of March 2026. Remember that `until:` stops at the start of the day you name, so the end date itself is not included. To look at a single day, use the day after as the end: `since:2026-03-15 until:2026-03-16`.

### Date search examples you can copy

| Goal | Query |
| --- | --- |
| Posts from one account in one month | `from:NASA since:2026-03-01 until:2026-04-01` |
| Posts about a topic on a single day | `eclipse since:2026-03-15 until:2026-03-16` |
| What was said around a launch week | `"product launch" since:2026-05-04 until:2026-05-11` |
| Popular posts from last year on a topic | `climate min_faves:2000 since:2025-01-01 until:2026-01-01` |
| Posts in one language before a date | `lang:ja 桜 until:2026-04-01` |
| Photos from one account in a quarter | `from:NASA filter:media since:2026-01-01 until:2026-04-01` |

### Tips for searching by date

1. **Switch to Latest.** Top ranks by what X thinks matters; Latest lists posts newest first. For a date window, Latest gives you a chronological walk through it.
2. **Combine dates with a popularity threshold.** An old, busy topic can hold thousands of posts in a window. Adding `min_faves:100` shows the ones that mattered.
3. **Narrow the window when you get nothing.** If a long window returns a thin result, split it: one search per month, or per week. Smaller windows are more complete than one huge one.
4. **Expect time zones.** Dates are generally read in UTC, so a post that went out late in the evening in a western time zone can fall on the next UTC day.
5. **Use exact days for events.** For a game, a keynote or an outage, search one day at a time rather than a range.

There are also operators that take a time of day. `since_time:` and `until_time:` accept a Unix timestamp in seconds, and a date can carry a time as `since:2026-03-15_14:00:00_UTC`. They are handy for minute-level windows, but they are not part of the form on this site and they behave less predictably, so confirm them on a small query first.

### How to search tweets by date on a phone

Open the search box in the X app, type the full query, including `since:` and `until:`, and run it. The app does not give you the website's full advanced form, so typing the operators is the dependable way to do it. If typing a long query on a phone is a nuisance, build it with the [Advanced Search](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-advanced-search) form and copy it.

## Filter by popularity: likes, reposts and replies

Popularity thresholds are the fastest way to find posts that mattered.

- `min_faves:1000` posts with at least 1,000 likes.
- `min_retweets:200` posts reposted at least 200 times.
- `min_replies:50` posts with at least 50 replies.

Likes and reposts are different signals. Likes show approval, reposts show reach, and replies show discussion, which can also mean disagreement. A post with many replies and few likes is often a post that people argued about.

> **Tip: Start high, then lower**
> If a query returns nothing, lower the threshold. If it returns too much, raise it. The right number varies a lot between topics and between years: 500 likes is a lot for a niche topic and very little for a global event.

## Filter by media, links, replies and language

These filters describe what a post looks like.

| Operator | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `filter:media` | Posts that contain a photo, a video or a GIF |
| `filter:images` | Posts with images |
| `filter:videos` | Posts with video |
| `filter:links` | Posts that contain a link |
| `filter:blue_verified` | Posts from verified accounts |
| `-filter:replies` | Hides replies, so you only see original posts and reposts |
| `filter:replies` | Only replies |
| `include:nativeretweets` | Adds reposts to the results, which search leaves out by default |
| `lang:ja` | Posts written in Japanese; use the two-letter code for the language you want |

Two cautions. `lang:` relies on the language X detected for the post, so very short posts and posts that are only links or emoji may not be tagged correctly. And a result without a language tag will not match a `lang:` filter even when you can read it.

If you want the media from a search or from one account saved, the [media viewer](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-media-viewer) shows an account's photos and videos in one gallery, and the [video downloader](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-video-downloader) saves a video you found.

## Combinations to copy

Operators are most useful when you stack them. Each line below is a query you can paste as it is.

- **Original, popular posts from an account in 2026:** `from:NASA since:2026-01-01 -filter:replies min_faves:5000`
- **Photos about a topic, in Japanese:** `lang:ja filter:media 桜`
- **A phrase, but not from one account:** `"supply chain" -from:example`
- **Who replied to an account about a product, with traction:** `to:NASA "launch" min_faves:50`
- **Links shared by one account last month:** `from:NASA filter:links since:2026-09-01 until:2026-10-01`
- **A topic from two accounts, no replies:** `(from:NASA OR from:ESA) artemis -filter:replies`
- **Videos about a topic that people reposted a lot:** `filter:videos "rocket launch" min_retweets:500`

A good habit is to build in steps: start with the phrase, add the account, add the date window, then add thresholds only if the list is still too long.

## Build the query with a form

You do not have to memorise any of this. The [Advanced Search](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-advanced-search) page on this site is a form that writes the syntax for you, and it uses the same operators described above.

| Form field | Operator it writes |
| --- | --- |
| All of these words | the words, separated by spaces |
| This exact phrase | `"phrase"` |
| Any of these words | `(word1 OR word2)` |
| None of these words | `-word` for each one |
| These hashtags | `#tag` |
| From these accounts | `from:handle`, grouped with `OR` for several |
| Replying to these accounts | `to:handle` |
| Mentioning these accounts | `@handle` |
| Since / Until | `since:` and `until:` with the date |
| Language | `lang:code` |
| Minimum replies, likes, reposts | `min_replies:`, `min_faves:`, `min_retweets:` |
| Only posts with media | `filter:media` |
| Only verified accounts | `filter:blue_verified` |
| Replies off | `-filter:replies` |
| Reposts | `include:nativeretweets` |

As you fill the form in, a summary shows your search as chips, and removing a chip removes that condition. You can sort the results by Top or Latest, and load more results page by page.

### What you need to use it

Search is part of Pro and uses your own X account. X only serves search to signed-in users, so you connect your account once in Account, under X account, by pasting the `auth_token` and `ct0` cookies of your logged-in x.com session. The site validates them with X, stores them encrypted, uses them only for searches and exports you start, and deletes them when you disconnect. [Pricing](https://twitterviewer.app/pricing) lists the plan: $5 a month, or $48 a year. You do not need a developer key.

If you do not want to use Pro, you can still type every query above into X's own search while you are signed in. The operators are X's, not this site's.

> **Build a search with the form** — [Open Advanced Search](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-advanced-search)
> Accounts, dates, language, popularity and media filters in one place. Pro, with your own X account.

## When a search returns nothing

Empty or odd results are common and usually have a simple cause.

- **Too many conditions.** Remove them one at a time, starting with the most restrictive, such as a high `min_faves` or a narrow date window.
- **A typo in an operator.** `min_fave:100` or `since: 2026-03-01` with a space after the colon will not do what you expect. Keep operator and value together.
- **A lowercase `or`.** It has to be `OR`.
- **A date in the wrong format.** Use `YYYY-MM-DD`, with four digits for the year.
- **The account is protected, suspended or deleted.** Posts from protected accounts do not show up in search, and suspended or deleted accounts leave no results. Our [explainer on what a viewer can see](https://twitterviewer.app/blog/what-a-no-login-viewer-can-see) covers the cases.
- **The result set is capped.** Search returns a limited number of posts per page, so for a very busy topic split the window into days.

If something you expect is missing, try loosening a single condition at a time until it appears.

## Twitter search operators FAQs

### What are Twitter search operators?

Twitter search operators are keywords with a value, such as `from:`, `since:` and `min_faves:`, that you type into the X search box to filter results by account, date, popularity, language or media. They combine freely with plain words, quotes and `OR`. They are X's own syntax, so they work on x.com and in the app.

### How do I search Twitter by date?

Add `since:YYYY-MM-DD` and `until:YYYY-MM-DD` to your query. For example, `from:NASA since:2026-03-01 until:2026-04-01` returns NASA's posts from March 2026. `since:` includes the day you name and `until:` stops before it, so for one day use the day after as the end. Switch to the Latest tab for chronological order.

### How do I search tweets by date on my phone?

Type the same query into the search box of the X app, with `since:` and `until:` included. Typing the operators is the dependable way on a phone. If you do not want to type it, build it in the [Advanced Search](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-advanced-search) form on this site and copy the query it shows.

### How do I search Twitter from a specific user?

Use `from:username`, without the at sign. `from:NASA artemis` returns NASA's posts that contain "artemis". Add `-filter:replies` to hide replies, and a `since:` and `until:` window to limit the dates. For replies sent to a user instead, use `to:username`.

### How do I find posts with a minimum number of likes?

Use `min_faves:` followed by the number, for example `min_faves:1000`. Similar operators are `min_retweets:` for reposts and `min_replies:` for replies. They combine with everything else, so `from:NASA min_faves:5000 since:2026-01-01` finds that account's most-liked posts this year.

### What is the difference between since and until?

`since:` is the start of the window and `until:` is the end. `since:` includes the date you name, while `until:` stops at the start of that date, so the end date itself is not included. Use both together to define a window.

### Can I search for an exact phrase?

Yes, put the phrase in double quotes, such as `"supply chain"`. X then matches the words in that order. You can exclude a phrase with a minus sign in front of the quotes, and you can combine several phrases with `OR`.

### Can I exclude words or accounts?

Yes, put a minus sign directly before the word, phrase or operator: `cats -dogs`, `-"giveaway"`, or `artemis -from:NASA`. There is no space after the minus sign. You can exclude replies with `-filter:replies` and exclude media with `-filter:media`.

### Do search operators work without an X account?

No, X only serves search to signed-in users, so you need an X account to run any query. On this site, [Advanced Search](https://twitterviewer.app/twitter-advanced-search) is a Pro feature and runs on the X account you connect. Viewing posts and profiles does not need an account.

### What is the Advanced Search form on this site?

It is a form that turns your choices into the operators described above. You fill in accounts, words, dates, language, minimum engagement and media options, and the page writes the query, shows it as chips and runs it. It is part of Pro and uses your own connected X account.

### Do these operators still work after the rename to X?

Yes, the operators work the same way on X as they did on Twitter. X does not publish a complete reference and it adjusts search from time to time, so test a new operator on a small query before relying on it.

### Why does my date search return fewer posts than I expect?

Search returns a limited number of posts per query and may not include every post on a very busy day. Narrow the window to one day or one week, add the account or phrase, and search one window at a time. Protected, deleted and suspended accounts do not appear.

### Can I search by time of day?

Yes, with `since_time:` and `until_time:` using Unix timestamps in seconds, or with a date that carries a time such as `since:2026-03-15_14:00:00_UTC`. These are not part of the form on this site and can behave less predictably than plain dates, so confirm them with a small query first.