When you open the search panel from inside a canvas, its scope grows to include that canvas's own contents: its tabs and the elements on them. This is what turns search into a within-canvas jump tool, not just a way to open a different canvas. It works in view-only canvases too, since it only moves you around.
Tabs
The Tabs group matches the canvas's tabs by name, and marks the one you are on with current so you can tell a jump from a no-op. Picking a tab switches to it. On a canvas with many tabs (or tab folders) this is quicker than scanning the tab bar.
Elements
The Elements group matches elements by their label: the text on a shape, a sticky note, a text box, and so on. Each result shows which tab it is on ("on Payments"), and picking one switches to that tab and selects the element.
Search covers every tab, not only the ones you have visited. Tabs load lazily as you open them, so when you open search from the Search button the editor fetches the rest of the canvas's tabs in the background; on a large canvas, matches from those tabs can join the list a moment later. On a link shared for a single tab, only that tab's elements are searched.
Text inside tables
Tables do not have a single label, their text lives in the cells. So a table matches through its cells: the first cell whose text matches your query becomes the result's label, and picking it takes you to that table. That means you can find a value tucked inside a table without remembering which table, or which tab, it is on.
What it does not search
- Unlabelled elements: an element with no text (a bare shape, an arrow with no label, a drawing) has nothing to match, so it never appears.
- Comments, notes and links on elements, and the names of people in the canvas.
- Other canvases' contents: element text is only searched in the canvas you have open. From anywhere, other canvases are found by name.
The Elements group lists up to 12 matches across the whole canvas. If the one you want is missing, type more of its label.
This scope only appears inside a canvas. From the Explorer page, search covers your canvases, canvases shared with you, folders, teams, settings and help instead, see Finding Canvases and Folders.
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