# Searchable user custom fields and bad advice from ask.discourse.org

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/searchable-user-custom-fields-and-bad-advice-from-ask-discourse-org/369173
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** ask-discourse
**Created:** [June 6, 2025, 8:33pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/searchable-user-custom-fields-and-bad-advice-from-ask-discourse-org/369173 "2025-06-06T20:33:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 2

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### Author: ![JammyDodger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jammydodger/32/254611_2.png) [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/searchable-user-custom-fields-and-bad-advice-from-ask-discourse-org/369173/2 "2025-06-06T21:07:22Z")

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> [@pfaffman](#):
>
> You can check the “searchable” option in the user settings (just how long has this been true?):

Aah, not that long. 🙂

> [@2.7.0.beta8: Share Topic Modal Improvements, Searchable User Fields, Pause Animated Images, and more](https://meta.discourse.org/t/2-7-0-beta8-share-topic-modal-improvements-searchable-user-fields-pause-animated-images-and-more/188564/1):
>
> ### Searchable user fields
> 
> Staff can now configure user fields to be searchable, allowing users to find others by custom fields.
> 
> ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/0/c/0c898122bc3302ca5be40b79c51a65b1e0a5b221.png)

I think the perfect solution would be a change to core to get the inbuilt user fields to also be searchable. It is a bit of an oddity that custom ones have more functionality than the default ones.

Though the new config pages format might work well for their inclusion. Having the ability to show/hide/disable as well as optionally making them searchable, etc would be a nice improvement.

You should be able to pull this info out using the [data explorer](https://meta.discourse.org/t/32566?silent=true) though? But I’m assuming this is for their user base to use rather than an admin report?

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