# Search and browse your notes

> Find notes by meaning or exact words, and see them as cards, a table, a timeline or a calendar.

Web page: https://noteclearly.com/en/help/search-your-notes/  
Help center: https://noteclearly.com/en/help/  
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Search

Type in the search box on **Notes**. By default, search is **smart**: it finds notes about the same thing, even in other words - "car trouble" finds the note where you said "the engine is making that noise again". The most relevant notes come first, each with the passage that matched.

To match the **exact words** you typed, click the sparkle button in the search box. Click it again to go back to smart search.

Search looks through the notes in the tab you're on (**All notes**, **Untagged** or a [view](https://noteclearly.com/en/help/saved-views/)) and any tags you've picked under **Tags**. **Clear** removes the filters.

> Want an answer rather than a list of notes? Type a question and click **Ask**. See [Ask your notes a question](https://noteclearly.com/en/help/ask-your-notes/).

A note you've just recorded or changed takes a moment before smart search finds it by meaning.

## Related notes

When you open a note, **Related notes** beside or below it lists your notes about similar things.

## Layouts

Pick a **Layout** on the Notes page:

- **Cards** - one card per note.
- **Table** - with columns you can sort by: title, tags, length, status and when it was recorded.
- **Timeline** - notes grouped by day.
- **List and note** - the list beside the open note, to read and edit without leaving the list (on a wide screen).
- **Calendar** - a month at a time; pick a day to see its notes.

NoteClearly remembers the layout you picked last. The address in your browser keeps the view, search, tags and layout, so you can bookmark a search you use often.