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How can I search through my tags using wildcards?

  • 8 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 10 views
  • Last reply by curls

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I've got a lot of unsorted tags. I'd like to search for all urls that are marked with a particular tag, but I can't necessarily remember exactly what tag I used. Rather than opening bookmarks and looking down the tags column, I'd like to search for all urls with a given tag. Or search tags for a tagname using wildcards so I can figure out what I used.

Are there any add-ons to help? Thanks!

I've got a lot of unsorted tags. I'd like to search for all urls that are marked with a particular tag, but I can't necessarily remember exactly what tag I used. Rather than opening bookmarks and looking down the tags column, I'd like to search for all urls with a given tag. Or search tags for a tagname using wildcards so I can figure out what I used. Are there any add-ons to help? Thanks!

All Replies (8)

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You could open the Library.

Instead of looking at just the columns in the right hand Pane, look in the left hand pane. Open the <strike>Tabs</strike> Tags section. That lists all your tags in alpha numeric order, with each tag being selectable to display all bookmarks that bear that tag.

Also note you can search from the location bar in a fairly complex way see

... Changing results on the fly

If you are looking for a specific type of result, like a bookmark or tag, you can speed up the process of finding it by typing in special characters after each search term in the location bar separated by spaces:
  • Add ^ to search for matches in your browsing history.
  • Add * to search for matches in your bookmarks.
  • Add + to search for matches in pages you've tagged.
  • Add % to search for matches in your currently open tabs.
  • Add ~ to search for matches in pages you've typed.
  • Add # to search for matches in page titles.
  • Add @ to search for matches in web addresses (URLs).


For example, if you're looking for a page you bookmarked called Mozilla Firefox Support, you might type mozilla. The autocomplete results appear, but might not show the page you want.

You can narrow your results down to bookmarks only by making your search string mozilla *.

If you still have too many results, you can further restrict the search by making your search string mozilla * support #. Now the autocomplete list will only show bookmarked pages with mozilla and support in the page title.

That type of search is not using an explicit wildcard, but may serve your purpose.

You also have another very similar open question already marked solved . I will close that question.

  • How can I search my bookmark tags for a phrase, to find all tags that contain that phrase? /questions/1093535


(fixed typo -c)

Modified by cor-el

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Please don't close my other question. I've asked a few times. Each time I get something useful, but not yet what I need. I will be closing that question and selected a solved answer, but wanted it to stay open for now. I can manage my stuff and closed things last night that I wanted closed.

I will look into these ideas. The search of bookmarks on the left is standard stuff and hasn't been what I need. The addons and search options might do it. I thought I'd looked at awesomebar before. I'll look again. Thanks for the ideas!!!!

My car is in the middle of dying so I need to shift priority for a few days and hopefully buy another car pronto.

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Hi Cheri { curls

Please don't close my other question. I've asked a few times. Each time I get something useful, but not yet what I need. I will be closing that question and selected a solved answer, ....

We really like people to ask single questions, unless the subjects are totally separate. This is because threads quickly get messy and confusing when they are duplicated. And of course contributors waste time unnecessarily repeating answers.

Create one thread and only one thread 
for each subject you need help with. 

You are not able to close your questions. You are able to mark them as solved, which you already have done for the first question.

Once marked as solved the helpers do not get the same notifications from forum software. Whilst a question is unsolved it is prioritised, but it drops off the needs attention listing as soon as it is marked solved. If you want more replies, please do not mark the question as solved. Instead please explain in the thread what else you are looking for without starting an additional question thread.

If anyone does wish to provide information for your attention after reading your first question they can always follow the cross link that I added, and provide the information in the current thread. If necessary moderators can reopen questions and can paste information between threads.

I use the term first question rather loosely here

  • First = How can I search my bookmark tags for a phrase, to find all tags that contain that phrase? /questions/1093535 You have marked that as solved
  • Second = current thread /questions/1111066
  • Prior = How can I work with tags better? /questions/1100556 You marked that solved a few weeks ago.

The search of bookmarks on the left is standard stuff and hasn't been what I need.

My typo; kindly corrected by cor-el; did not help. I was referring to the bookmarks library not to any search option. I wonder if you are thinking about the bookmarks sidebar. The Library left pane shows: History, Downloads, Tags, All Bookmarks. Each of those expands and shows detail in the main right hand pane. The tags list shows each tag. When any tag is selected, it shows details of every bookmark bearing that tag. It is not a:

search for all urls that are marked with a particular tag, 

It is a:

display of all bookmarks with a particular tag

Good luck sorting out the car.

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I you want to look for all tagged bookmarks with some string or keyword with some target such as "car repair" or "carriage"

Try the following use the form

* + target

(You must leave spaces between, and before the special characters but put them in anywhere.) Examples Try out

*  +  c
*  +  c  r
*  +  car
c  +  r  *

As in the example I block quoted from the Knowledge Base if the target is also in a bookmarks title use # to further narrow the search.

 *  +  #  car
As was pointed out by arbalest in your prior thread's post tags certainly have their uses.
In any organization system where tags are available it is the more powerful way to organize your information. gMail uses tags instead of folders, Evernote, iTunes and many others offer tags.

Personally I would concur and consider tagging better than manually duplicating bookmarks to multiple folders. Instead choose the bookmarks primary folder, then if necessary tag it possibly with multiple tags. That takes advantage of both systems.

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Oh, maybe with wildcards, I can simulate what I'm trying to do with searching for all tags (without the bookmarks) for a particular tag name. I'll have to try this out some and play with it. Thanks!

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John99 said

You could open the Library. Instead of looking at just the columns in the right hand Pane, look in the left hand pane. Open the <strike>Tabs</strike> Tags section. That lists all your tags in alpha numeric order, with each tag being selectable to display all bookmarks that bear that tag. Also note you can search from the location bar in a fairly complex way see

Ah, now that I finally have my head focused.

1) Awesomebar is kind of in the family of what I'm looking for. It will give me all urls with a wildcard search of a word. I'd love a wildcard search of the tags directly, so I can see what tag names I used. I'll have to just hand sort things. And I'm moving URLs into a folder structure instead of unsorted tags, and that will work better. I hadn't known about awesomebar.

2) I was looking at the bookmark library, not the left hand list while on a url page. I just made a mess by originally tagging everything and not putting them into folders.

So now I've got better use of the tool. Not as good as could be -- but getting there. Thank you so much for your help.

I opened multiple questions when I had a question open for a while, no more replies were coming in. And it hadn't answered my question, though answers were helpful. After replies die away completely, is there anything that gets focus on a question, so answerers know the asker is still in need to help? I'd tried posting more clarification, and that hadn't worked.

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You may try posting again in your own thread to bump it up the list. As long as you do not do that repeatedly. Unfortunately there are not that many of us answering questions and some do go unanswered, and the majority remain unsolved (but I think the forum itself is flawed in having only the binary solved/unsolved category).

Tags and folders are complimentary. You may add multiple tags to a bookmark, whereas ordinarily you would place a bookmark in only a single folder.

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John - yep I gathered that it's not a huge answering crew. FF is so great, wish it got more attention. Chrome may be fast but it's at the cost of function and ease of use. (I tried it out.) Oh, well most of my questions get answers. Those that don't, I suspect there isn't a good answer.

Putting into folders, allows for a structure of where things are -- so it's easier for em to remember than tags. So using tags as addons will work better, and I've just learned that idea through the q&as.