# Search by meaning

> Find captures that match what you mean, not only the words you typed.

- Page: https://resurf.so/guides/meaning-search
- Section: Find
- Works on: Mac
- Last checked against the app: 2026-10-17
- Turn on: Settings → Experiments
- Status: Beta

## Turn it on

Search by meaning is a Beta on Mac, off until you turn it on.

1. When a search finds nothing, click **Search by meaning** or **Turn on**.
2. Wait while the model downloads and Resurf reads your library. The first read happens once.
3. Search as usual.

Once your library has been read, you can also turn on **Use in library search** in **Settings → Experiments → Search by meaning**. **Turn on** in the [Similar](https://resurf.so/guides/similar) tab turns it on too.

## Read the results

Captures that contain your words come first, and captures found by meaning follow. A row under the chips shows how many of each. Use its **Words** and **Meaning** switches to show only one kind.

Open a capture found by meaning to see its **Matching passage** in the Info pane. For a PDF, **Go to page** jumps there.

Video: [A library search for a description finds speakers, radios and a record player that don't contain the words, with the Words and Meaning switches.](https://resurf.so/guides/clips/clip-meaning.mp4)

Web addresses, text in quotes, single words with a number in them, and color-only searches use words only.

## What stays on your Mac

Turning it on downloads the model and the code that runs it. After that, Resurf reads and searches your captures on your Mac.

## Settings

Everything is in **Settings → Experiments**, under **AI**.

- **Model.** Text + images, the default, or Full multimodal, which also reads sampled audio and video. Switching reads your library again.
- **Your library.** Pause or resume reading. **Keep up as you capture** reads new and changed captures in the background.
- **Similarity threshold.** Higher means fewer, closer matches. The default is 0.75.
- **Remove active model**, under Advanced, frees the space. Your captures stay.

## Questions

### Does anything leave my Mac?

Only the downloads: the model and the code that runs it. Your captures are read and searched on your Mac.

### Why didn't a search with a web address or a number use meaning?

Those searches use words only, on purpose.

### Does it work in Quick Search or on iPhone?

No. Quick Search, and search on iPhone and iPad, match words only.

## More guides

- Previous: [Similar captures](https://resurf.so/guides/similar.md)
- Next: [Resurface widget](https://resurf.so/guides/resurface-widget.md)
- [Search](https://resurf.so/guides/search.md): Find any capture by typing words you remember from it.
- [Filters](https://resurf.so/guides/filters.md): Narrow the library by tag, space, type, color, date or status.
- [Sort and shuffle](https://resurf.so/guides/sort.md): Change the order of your library: newest first, recently updated, best match or random.
- [Quick Search](https://resurf.so/guides/quick-search.md): Search your library from any app on your Mac.
- [Similar captures](https://resurf.so/guides/similar.md): See captures that look or read like the one you're on, from anywhere in your library.
- [Resurface widget](https://resurf.so/guides/resurface-widget.md): A widget that brings back one capture at a time and changes every three hours.
- [Every guide](https://resurf.so/llms.txt)