# \`personal\_messages:username\` search filter doesn't work

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/personal-messages-username-search-filter-doesnt-work/371848
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** search
**Created:** [June 26, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/personal-messages-username-search-filter-doesnt-work/371848 "2025-06-26T16:07:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Moin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/moin/32/554653_2.png) [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2025, 4:07pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/personal-messages-username-search-filter-doesnt-work/371848/1 "2025-06-26T16:07:29Z")

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> [@Searching for content effectively](https://meta.discourse.org/t/searching-for-content-effectively/273328/1):
>
> | Syntax | Description |
> | --- | --- |
> | `personal_messages:username` | ℹ For Admins only Returns posts from personal messages of the specified user |

I tried this today and it didn’t work for me. For example I tried to find all discobot PMs and got no results.

 ![Screenshot showing a search for "personal_messages:discobot" which returned "No results found."](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/3/e/e/3ee6bc3bb41f0996a7d7ae393596ac99e68b2ff4.png)  
I also tried with other users, so I can rule out that it’s because discobot is a bot.

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### Author: ![j.jaffeux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/j.jaffeux/32/60297_2.png) [@j.jaffeux](https://meta.discourse.org/u/j.jaffeux)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/personal-messages-username-search-filter-doesnt-work/371848/2 "2025-06-26T16:49:22Z")

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I think you need to have a query for this to work:

`test personal_messages:discobot`

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Moin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/moin/32/554653_2.png) [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [June 26, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/personal-messages-username-search-filter-doesnt-work/371848/3 "2025-06-26T16:50:53Z")

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🤦‍♀️

Thanks

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### Author: ![system](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/system/32/443519_2.png) [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/personal-messages-username-search-filter-doesnt-work/371848/4 "2025-07-26T16:51:36Z")

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