Find anything with search

AceMoney Studio has one search box that reaches everything in the open portfolio: accounts, payees, categories, investment holdings, the reports and every transaction. It searches only the data on this device and never sends what you type anywhere. The Register has its own search box for one account at a time; both are covered here.

Open search

macOS

Press ⌘K from any page, or choose the Search icon in the top bar (its tooltip reads Search (⌘K)). A dialog opens near the top with the field Search accounts, payees, transactions, categories, holdings, reports… (in the free version, Search accounts, payees, transactions, categories, reports…).

Windows

Press Ctrl+K, or choose the Search icon in the top bar. The tooltip shows the macOS chord, but Ctrl+K is the key on Windows.

Linux

Press Ctrl+K, or choose the Search icon in the top bar.

iOS (iPhone and iPad)

From version 1.2, the first release of AceMoney Studio for phones and tablets. Tap the Search icon in the top bar. The keyboard opens with the same dialog. The tooltip’s ⌘K refers to desktop keyboards.

Android

From version 1.2. Tap the Search icon in the top bar.

What you can search for

Before you type, the dialog lists the first five pages as shortcuts: Go to Home, Go to Accounts, Go to Register, Go to Schedule, Go to Portfolio. As you type, results appear in this order, each with a label under the name:

Account, Payee and Category: any name containing your text.
Holding: an investment on the Portfolio page, shown as symbol and name. Holdings are searched only when AceMoney Studio is unlocked with a license.
Report: one of the reports by name, for example cash flow.
Transactions, shown as the payee (or the comment, or Transaction) with the amount, the category (or Split, Transfer or Uncategorized) and the date underneath.

Matching is case-insensitive and finds the text anywhere in a name, so ele finds Riverside Electric.

Search transactions by text, amount or date

One field handles all three:

Text matches the payee, the category (including the categories inside a split), the comment and the number.
An exact amount, for example 84.20, finds transactions of exactly that amount, deposits and withdrawals alike. Thousands separators and a currency sign are ignored, so 1,250 and 1250 find the same rows. A partial amount does not match: 84 does not find 84.20.
A date fragment in year-month-day order finds a month or a day: 2026-03 lists March 2026, 2026-03-14 that one day. It also matches the date as shown in your Date format, for example 14/03 when your format puts the day first.

Only transactions in the accounts of the active portfolio are searched. Switch portfolios in the top bar to search another set of books.

Open a result

An Account, Payee or Category result switches to that page; it does not select the item there.
A Holding opens the Portfolio page; a Report opens Reports on that report.
A transaction opens the Register on its account with your search text already in the register’s own search box, so the row is in view. For a result found only by its date, the box stays empty and the Register is filtered to that one day (use the ✕ to clear it). If a register filter would have hidden the row, Studio drops that filter; if Hide reconciled would have hidden it, the switch is turned off and a message says Hide reconciled turned off for the account, so the chosen transaction shows.

Narrow a long list

The dialog shows ten results. Below them, +N more results — keep typing to narrow it down tells you how many more matched. Add a word, an amount or a month to shorten the list. When nothing matches you see No results for your query in quotes.

Search inside the Register instead

For one account, the Register has its own search box, Search payee, category, amount, number…, plus a Filters button for structured filters: type, date, an amount range, status, unreconciled only, categories, payees and tags. The line Showing N of M with the net total of the matches appears while a search or filter is active, and the ✕ (Clear search & filters) removes everything. On desktop, ⌘F (macOS) or Ctrl+F (Windows and Linux) jumps to the Register and puts the cursor in that box.

Common questions

Can I search for an amount range?

Not from the global search, which matches exact amounts only. Open the Register, choose Filters and enter From and To under Amount (absolute).

Does search look inside attachments or notes?

The comment field is searched; the contents of attached images and PDFs are not.

Does search find reconciled or hidden transactions?

Yes. Every transaction in the portfolio is searched, whatever the register’s filters are, and choosing a hidden result adjusts the register so the row shows.

Does search find investment transactions?

Holdings are found by symbol or name, which opens the Portfolio page. Individual buys and sells are not global search results; use the Investment filter on the Portfolio page’s Transactions tab.

Does search cover every portfolio?

No. Accounts, payees, categories and transactions come from the active portfolio. Switch in the top bar and search again.

Is what I type sent anywhere?

No. Search runs on the data on this device and nothing leaves it.

Can I search from the keyboard on an iPad?

Tap the Search icon in the top bar. Hardware-keyboard shortcuts are a desktop feature.

Troubleshooting

“Loading transactions…” stays for a moment. The transaction list is still being read the first time you search after opening a document; the results appear when it finishes.

“No results for” my payee. Check the spelling of a part of the name, confirm you are in the right portfolio, and remember that a whole amount such as 84 does not find 84.20.

My amount is not found. Type the exact figure including cents, without any sign. A withdrawal of 84.20 is found by 84.20, not by -84.20 or 84.

⌘K or Ctrl+K does nothing. A text field on the page has the keyboard focus, or the app window is not active. Click somewhere neutral on the page and try again, or use the Search icon.

Choosing an account result did not select the account in the list. That is expected: results open the page; find the item there.

A transaction result opened the Register but the row is not visible. Scroll the grid; the search box already holds your text, so the matching rows are the only ones listed. For a result found only by its date, the box stays empty and the Register is filtered to that one day (use the ✕ to clear it). On a phone (from version 1.2), transactions older than 90 days are not listed in the Register even though search finds them.