Getting started
After installing SearchLens, open YouTube and run a search. A small floating SearchLens launcher appears on YouTube search-result pages. Click it whenever you want to open the full filter panel.
Starting a search
There are two simple ways to begin:
- Type a search term in the SearchLens extension popup and submit it.
- Search on YouTube normally, then use the floating SearchLens launcher to refine the current results.
The search field inside the full SearchLens panel can also be used to start another search without closing the panel first.
Custom date ranges
SearchLens accepts flexible date input, so you do not need to enter a complete date every time.
2010
Whole year
2010-05
Whole month
2010-05-17
Exact date
You can also use the built-in calendar. Select the month or year directly, use the year picker to jump across longer periods, and then choose the exact day you want.
Filters and sorting
Require specific words, match an exact phrase in titles, exclude unwanted terms, or apply stricter title matching.
Include or exclude channels using visible channel names, handles, and channel information available in YouTube results.
Set minimum or maximum duration and view values using metadata available on loaded video results.
Hide Shorts, shelves, playlists, mixes, channel cards, live streams, previously clicked videos, and other unwanted result types.
Sorting applies to matching videos that are currently loaded on the page. As you continue scrolling and YouTube loads additional results, SearchLens automatically applies your selected filters to the newly loaded results.
The floating launcher
The floating SearchLens launcher keeps advanced search controls nearby without permanently covering your YouTube results.
- Click SearchLens to open or close the full panel.
- Drag the launcher to reposition it on the page.
- Use the close control to dismiss it for the current search.
- Use the extension popup to control whether the floating launcher should normally appear on YouTube search pages.
SearchLens also includes display settings for choosing whether the full panel should open automatically after searches started from the extension popup or on every YouTube search.
Browser permissions
SearchLens needs permission to access YouTube pages because its core features run directly on YouTube search results. This allows SearchLens to display its launcher and read the visible result information needed for filtering and sorting.
Firefox
When SearchLens is installed from Firefox Add-ons, Firefox asks for permission to access data on www.youtube.com as part of the normal installation process.
Choose Add in Firefox's permission prompt to grant this access. Once granted, SearchLens can run automatically on YouTube search-result pages and the floating launcher can appear without you needing to click the extension each time.
If YouTube access is later removed or restricted, SearchLens may no longer appear automatically. You can restore access manually:
- Open youtube.com.
- Open Firefox's Extensions menu.
- Find SearchLens for YouTube.
- Under Extension Can Read and Change Data, choose Always Allow on www.youtube.com.
- Reload the YouTube page if necessary.
Chrome and Edge
Chrome and Microsoft Edge normally grant SearchLens the YouTube access declared by the extension during installation.
If site access has been manually restricted, open your browser's extension settings and make sure SearchLens is allowed to run on YouTube.
Troubleshooting
The floating launcher does not appear
- Make sure you are on a YouTube search-results page.
- Confirm that SearchLens has permission to run on youtube.com.
- If you are using Firefox, open the Extensions menu and confirm that Always Allow on www.youtube.com is selected for SearchLens.
- Open the SearchLens extension popup and confirm that Show floating SearchLens button is enabled.
- Refresh the YouTube tab once after installing or updating SearchLens.
Firefox only shows SearchLens after I click the extension
This usually means Firefox has SearchLens set to Only When Clicked instead of allowing it to run automatically on YouTube.
Open YouTube, open Firefox's Extensions menu, find SearchLens for YouTube, and select Always Allow on www.youtube.com under Extension Can Read and Change Data.
Once this permission is enabled, the floating launcher should appear automatically on YouTube search-result pages.
The launcher appeared before but is now hidden
If you dismissed the launcher using its close control, it may remain hidden for the current search. Start another search, refresh the results page, or open SearchLens from the browser toolbar.
Why does the loading icon appear longer with a specific channel filter?
This is expected behavior and does not usually mean SearchLens is stuck or malfunctioning.
SearchLens filters the results that YouTube provides. For example, imagine that you perform a broad search and then set Only channel containing to How-To Geek.
YouTube may initially return a batch containing videos from many different channels. SearchLens checks that batch and immediately removes the results that do not match the selected channel.
If only a few videos in that batch are from How-To Geek, you reach the bottom of the remaining visible results much sooner. YouTube then needs to fetch another batch of search results.
If the next batch also contains mostly unrelated channels, SearchLens filters those results out as well. YouTube may therefore need to load several batches before enough additional matching videos become available.
The effect is most noticeable with very specific channel, keyword, duration, or view filters. The narrower the filter, the more result batches YouTube may need to load before it finds additional matches.
Why do more videos appear as I keep scrolling?
YouTube uses infinite scrolling. It does not send every possible search result to your browser at once.
SearchLens works with the results YouTube has currently loaded. As YouTube provides more results, SearchLens checks the new batch and automatically applies your active filters again.
Do restrictive filters make SearchLens slower?
Usually, the delay you see is not SearchLens taking a long time to process the page. SearchLens filters the loaded result cards locally and quickly.
The wait usually comes from YouTube needing to fetch more search results because many of the results it already supplied did not match your selected filters.
For example, if only a small percentage of YouTube's returned results match one specific channel, several YouTube result batches may be needed before another matching video appears.
A channel filter still shows unrelated results briefly
SearchLens filters newly loaded YouTube results as they enter the page. Current versions are designed to hide non-matching results quickly so they do not remain mixed into the filtered results.
If unrelated videos consistently remain visible after loading has finished, report the search term and filter used so the particular YouTube result type can be investigated.
A filter does not seem to affect every result
Some SearchLens filters depend on metadata YouTube exposes in each loaded result card, such as channel name, duration, view count, title, or video link.
SearchLens can only filter information that is available in the loaded YouTube page.
The date search is broader than expected
SearchLens builds the requested date query, but the final selection and ordering of videos still comes from YouTube's own search system.
SearchLens stopped working after a YouTube change
YouTube regularly changes its page structure and search interface. Refresh the page and make sure you are running the latest version of SearchLens.
If the problem continues, report it with a screenshot or short screen recording and the steps needed to reproduce it.
Important notes
SearchLens is an independent browser extension and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by YouTube or Google.
SearchLens enhances the results YouTube provides. It does not replace YouTube's search engine and cannot retrieve videos that YouTube does not return.
SearchLens filters the results that are currently available in the page. YouTube controls which results are returned, their initial order, and when additional result batches are loaded.
YouTube may change its search interface, result cards, or page structure over time. SearchLens may occasionally require an update to remain compatible with those changes.
STILL STUCK?
Report the issue with useful details.
Include the browser you are using, the SearchLens feature involved, what you expected to happen, what happened instead, and a screenshot or short screen recording when possible.