Use Search Operators to Filter and Analyze

Search operators let you quickly filter, sort, and group results across expenses, chats, reports, and tasks using powerful text-based queries. These operators work like advanced filters, helping you narrow results, combine conditions, and analyze data directly from the search bar.

This guide walks you through the supported syntax, available filters, and usage tips.

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Who can use search operators in Expensify

Anyone can use search operators when filtering data in features like expenses, reports, chats, and tasks. This is especially helpful for Workspace Admins, accountants, and finance teams looking to analyze or export targeted data.

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Where to enter search operators in Expensify

Enter search operators in the search bar that opens from the Search icon.

1. In the navigation tabs (on the left on web, on the bottom on mobile), select Spend.
2. Select the Search icon in the top-right corner.
3. Type your query using search operators. Start typing after : to see autocomplete suggestions.

The search bar on the Spend page filters your current results by keyword only. Anything you type there is matched as a keyword, even if it looks like an operator. To filter with operators, open the search bar from the Search icon.

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How to build a search query with search operators

Use these core rules to create your searches:

• Use field:value as the basic format.
• Use commas for OR conditions: status:drafts,outstanding.
• Combine fields for AND conditions: amount>50 status:approved.
• Use - to exclude results: -has:receipt.
• Use quotes for exact phrases: description:"team lunch".
• Wrap a value in quotes when the value itself contains a space or a comma, so it is read as one value instead of two OR conditions: workspace:"Acme, Inc".
• Relative dates are supported: date:this-week.
• Start typing after : to see autocomplete suggestions.

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How to filter results across expenses, chats, reports, and tasks

Use these operators to refine results across different types:

Syntax	Description	Example
type:	Filter by object type (expense, chat, trip, task)	type:expense
workspace:	Filter by workspace name (wrap in quotes if the name has spaces or commas)	workspace:"Acme, Inc"
from:	Filter by sender (email, phone, display name, or me)	from:alice@acme.com
to:	Filter by recipient (email, phone, display name, or me)	to:me

Note: Quotes are required when filtering by names that contain spaces or commas, such as workspace:"Sales Team" or workspace:"Acme, Inc". Because commas separate OR conditions, an unquoted name with a comma is read as two separate values instead of one.

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How to filter expenses using search operators

You can use the following operators to filter expenses:

Syntax	Description	Example
merchant:	Filter by expense merchant name	merchant:"Delta Air Lines"
category:	Filter by expense category label	category:"Travel"
tag:	Filter by one or multiple tags	tag:"Client A"
amount: / purchase-amount:	Filter by amount using =, >, <, >=, or <=	amount:>100
status:	Filter by expense status (unreported, draft, outstanding, approved, paid, done)	status:approved
date:	Filter by expense date using relative dates or comparison operators for a date range	date:this-month
has:	Filter by expenses with an attachment, receipt, category, tag, or submitted-violation	has:receipt
expense-type:	Filter by expense type (cash, card, distance, per-diem)	expense-type:card
receipt-type:	Filter by receipt type (ereceipt, itemized)	receipt-type:itemized
reimbursable:	Filter by whether an expense is reimbursable (yes or no)	reimbursable:yes
billable:	Filter by whether an expense is billable (yes or no)	billable:no
attendee:	Filter by expense attendee using an email, phone number, display name, or me	attendee:"Jason Mills"
posted:	Filter by the date a credit card expense was posted	posted:last-statement
bank-account:	Filter by the settlement bank account an expense was reimbursed from. Start typing after the colon to choose an account, shown by bank name and last four digits. Available only when you have at least one bank account.	bank-account:"Chase xx1234"

Example queries:

• type:expense merchant:Starbucks category:Meals amount>20 has:receipt
• type:expense -has:tag – find expenses that have no tag assigned

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How to filter reports using search operators

You can use the following operators to filter reports:

Syntax	Description	Example
report-id:	Filter by unique report reference	report-id:123456789
status:	Filter by report status (draft, outstanding, approved, paid, done)	status:approved
submitted: / approved: / paid: / exported:	Filter by the corresponding date using absolute or relative dates, or comparison operators for a date range	submitted>=2024-01-01 submitted<=2024-01-31
exported-to:	Filter by where reports or expenses were exported, such as a connected accounting integration	exported-to:QuickBooks
title:	Filter by report title	title:"January Expenses"
total:	Filter by report total using relative comparisons	total:>1000
amount-debited:	Filter by the amount the company was debited when a report was reimbursed across currencies, in the settlement currency. Supports =, >, <, >=, <=	amount-debited:>1000
amount-reimbursed:	Filter by the amount the member was reimbursed when a report was paid across currencies, in their deposit account’s currency. Supports =, >, <, >=, <=	amount-reimbursed:>1000
withdrawn:	Filter by ACH withdrawal date	withdrawn:2024-01-15
withdrawal-type:	Filter by withdrawal type (reimbursement, expensify-card, central-travel-invoicing)	withdrawal-type:reimbursement
paid-status:	Filter by how the report was paid (markedAsPaid, withdrawing, confirmed). Combine multiple values with commas	paid-status:markedAsPaid,confirmed
action:	Filter by blocking report action	action:approve
submitter-user-id:	Filter by the Custom field 1 value set for the report submitter	submitter-user-id:12345
submitter-payroll-id:	Filter by the Custom field 2 value set for the report submitter	submitter-payroll-id:67890
order-deal-numbers:	Filter by international reimbursement IDs on the report	order-deal-numbers:123456

Example query: status:paid exported<=2026-01-01 exported-to:xero

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How to filter chats using search operators

You can use the following operators to filter chats:

Syntax	Description	Example
in:	Filter by channel name or direct message	in:"General"
has:	Filter by chats with an attachment or link	has:attachment
is:	Filter by chat status (unread, read, pinned)	is:unread
date:	Filter by message timestamp	date:this-week

Example query: type:chat in:"Concierge" is:unread

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How to filter tasks using search operators

You can use the following operators to filter tasks:

Syntax	Description	Example
assignee:	Filter by assigned member using an email, phone number, display name, or me	assignee:me
status:	Filter by task status (outstanding, completed)	status:outstanding
description:	Filter by task description	description:"Submit expenses"
title:	Filter by task title	title:"Review report"
in:	Filter by the channel name or direct message associated with a task	in:"General"

Example query: type:task assignee:"Charlie Brown" status:outstanding

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How to group and visualize results using search operators

Use these operators to analyze and visualize your results:

• group-by: groups results by a specific dimension
• view: controls how grouped results are displayed
• group-currency: converts totals into a single currency

Normalize totals using group-currency:

Use group-currency: to convert all grouped amounts into a single currency for easier comparison. This is helpful when your data includes multiple currencies.

Supported values include standard ISO currency codes such as:

• USD
• EUR
• GBP
• CAD
• AUD

Example search:
type:expense group-by:category group-currency:USD

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Group results by dimension

Use group-by: to group results by a specific dimension.

Syntax	Description	Example
group-by:report	Group results by report	type:expense group-by:report
group-by:from	Group results by submitter	type:expense group-by:from
group-by:card	Group results by card	type:expense group-by:card
group-by:withdrawal-id	Group results by withdrawal ID	type:expense group-by:withdrawal-id
group-by:merchant	Group results by merchant	type:expense group-by:merchant
group-by:category	Group results by category	type:expense group-by:category
group-by:tag	Group results by tag	type:expense group-by:tag
group-by:month	Group results by month	type:expense group-by:month
group-by:week	Group results by week	type:expense group-by:week
group-by:quarter	Group results by quarter	type:expense group-by:quarter
group-by:year	Group results by year	type:expense group-by:year

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How to choose a chart view for grouped results

When using group-by:, you can add view: to control the visualization type.

Supported views:

• view:table - table (default)
• view:bar - bar chart
• view:pie - pie chart
• view:line - line chart

Note: The view: operator only applies when group-by: is also used. Without group-by:, the view: value is ignored.

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How to build reports using search operators

You can create report-style views similar to Insights by combining filters, grouping, date ranges, and chart views.

Here are some common examples:

• Top categories (bar chart)
  type:expense group-by:category date:last-month view:bar

• Top spenders (table)
  type:expense group-by:from date:last-month view:table

• Violations by submitter (table)
  type:expense group-by:from submitted:last-month has:submitted-violation sort-by:group-expenses sort-order:desc view:table limit:10

• Spend over time (line chart)
  type:expense group-by:month date:year-to-date view:line

• Last month category breakdown (pie chart)
  type:expense group-by:category date:last-month view:pie

• Custom date range (table)
  type:expense date>=2026-01-01 date<=2026-01-31 group-by:category view:table

These searches update in real time and can be refined further using additional filters. You can save frequently used searches to reuse them later by clicking Save in the search bar.

For more advanced dashboards and exports, learn how to use Insights in Expensify.

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FAQ

Can I combine filters from different types?

Yes, but only when they make sense together. For example, combining type:expense with merchant: and amount: works, but mixing in assignee: (a task filter) won’t return results.

What happens if I enter an invalid operator?

If the search operator isn’t recognized, the system will ignore it and return results based on any valid parts of the query.

Do I need to use quotes for everything?

Only use quotes for values that include spaces, commas, or exact phrases, like description:"client lunch", workspace:"Acme, Inc", or in:"#general".