Unlock the hidden power of Advanced Search! One simple setup can transform the way you use Evernote.

Evernote search was always excellent, but before the AI-Powered Search, the only way to go a step further was by using the Advanced Search, also known as Evernote Grammar. The simplest way to describe it is as a set of commands that we can combine with each other and type in the search box to filter notes in a very specific way.

The Grammar is so powerful that it serves as the backbone for the AI-Powered Search. When you perform an AI search, the AI first converts the information you typed into an Advanced Search syntax. That’s what is used to filter a group of notes that are sent to the large language model, which then generates the answer you end up seeing.

The commands, also known as terms, are not that difficult to understand, but some are pretty hard to memorize. Which means that with the introduction of the AI-Powered Search, there’s no point in using them for everyday searches. However, I see them as super useful for creating dynamic Saved Searches or Widgets.

I could, for example, use the codes below to create a Filtered Notes Widget on Evernote Home that would show me all notes in my ‘Creator’ notebook without the tag ‘Done’.

notebook:Creator -tag:done

If you type the above into the ‘Keywords’ box of the Filtered Notes Widget, you’ll create a dynamic group of notes. Every time you add the tag ‘Done’ to a note in the ‘Creator’ notebook, that note will automatically be removed from the widget.

There’s a series of videos I’m producing to help you understand and use the Advanced Search. You can check out the most recent one below about Reminders to understand how powerful it is. If you decide that the Advanced Search can help you create a better system for your Evernote, take a look at the other videos and have fun.