Searching Transactions
Overview
The Search transactions bar helps you quickly find exactly what you’re looking for—whether you’re doing a quick lookup or building a more detailed search.
You can:
Type a simple keyword to find a transaction fast
Add filters like amount, date, or category
Combine multiple criteria for more precise results
Start simple, then add more detail as needed—Search is designed to work for both everyday use and more advanced filtering.
Where to Find Search
Select Transactions from the left navigation to view all transactions across accounts, or open any individual account.
The Search transactions field appears at the top of the transaction list.
Start Simple (Recommended)
You don’t need to learn advanced search to get value right away.
Start with:
Typing a name (like Amazon or groceries)
Adding one filter (like
amount>100)Combining two filters
Most people find what they need with just these basics.
Quick Examples
Try these to get started:
Find a recent purchase
amazonFind large expenses
expense>100See what you spent last month
date=last monthFind transactions you haven’t reviewed
not:reviewed
When to Use Search
Search is best when you’re trying to locate something specific or answer a focused question.
For example:
What did I spend at Amazon this year?
Show me expenses over $500 that are still pending
Find that transaction for about $100 last June
Which transactions haven’t I reviewed yet?
For many tasks, searching is faster than running a report.
Basic Search
Start with Keywords
Type any word to search across visible columns:
groceries
Use Quotes for Phrases
"Walmart Store"
Combine Terms
Multiple terms are combined automatically:
groceries walmart
Search by Field
Use field filters to narrow your results.
Payee
payee:walmart
Category
category:food
Exact match
payee=Walmart
Use:
:for contains=for exact matches
Search by Amount
Over $100
amount>100
Between $50 and $200
amount:50..200
Around $100
amount=100ish
By default, amount searches match both income and expenses.
To narrow further:
expense>100
income>500
Search by Date
date>=2024-01-01
date:2024-01-01..2024-03-31
date=last month
date>-30d
You can use:
Exact dates
Date ranges
Relative dates like today, last month, or this year
Search by Status
is:pending
not:reviewed
is:pending,cleared
Use commas to match multiple values.
Combine Searches
You can combine filters to get more precise results:
payee:walmart amount>100
category:food date>=2024-01-01
date>=this year not:reviewed
Example: Simple → More Precise
Find Amazon purchases
Simple:
amazon
More precise:
payee:amazon date=this year amount>50
Advanced Search Options
If you want more control, you can use additional search features.
Match Specific Transaction Types
amount=-50 (exact expense)
amount=+50 (exact income)
Search Across Ranges
amount:-50..+100
Approximate Matches
amount~100
date~2024-06-15
Use this when you don’t remember the exact value.
Use OR Conditions
payee:walmart,target,costco
category=Food,Entertainment
How Search Works (Advanced)
If you want more control—or want to better understand your results—these details can help.
Why some amount searches show both income and expenses
When you search:
amount=50
Quicken finds both:
a $50 expense
a $50 deposit
This is because amount searches use the absolute value by default.
To narrow it down:
amount=-50 (expenses only)
amount=+50 (income only)
Search across income and expenses in one range
You can search across both money in and money out using a signed range:
amount:-50..+100
This finds any transaction between -$50 and +$100, including both expenses and income.
Use this when you want to see activity within a range, regardless of direction.
Use relative dates to stay current
Instead of entering exact dates, you can use relative terms:
date=last month
date=this year
date>-30d
These update automatically, so your search always reflects the current timeframe.
Find values when you don’t remember the exact amount or date
Use approximate (fuzzy) matching:
amount~100
date~2024-06-15
This helps you find transactions that are close to what you remember.
Combine filters to answer specific questions
You can mix multiple filters to create more precise searches:
expense>500 date=last month not:reviewed
Example: Find unreviewed expenses over $500 from last month.
Investment Searches
For investment accounts, you can search additional fields:
action:buy
qty>100
price>50
fee>5
Tips
Search is not case-sensitive
Use quotes for multi-word names
Combine filters to refine results
Relative dates update automatically (for example, “last month”)
Start simple, then add more detail as needed
Common Searches (Copy and Try)
Goal | Search |
|---|---|
Large expenses |
|
Amazon purchases this year |
|
Unreviewed transactions |
|
Expenses last month over $100 |
|
Income this year |
|
Cleared but not reconciled |
|
Around $50 |
|
Last 30 days |
|
Power Example
Find unreviewed expenses over $500 from last quarter
expense>500 date:last quarter not:reviewed