What to Do When Search Finds Nothing: Check Indexing, Scope, Filters, Strategy Data, and Settings
When image, pose, semantic, face, or color search has no results, troubleshoot database statistics, task progress, search scope, filters, strategy data, and default settings step by step.
When image, pose, semantic, face, or color search has no results, troubleshoot database statistics, task progress, search scope, filters, strategy data, and default settings step by step.
No-result searches usually come from missing data, narrow scope, active filters, or the wrong strategy.
1. Check Whether the Database Has Data
Open database statistics or browse folders. Confirm that files and images are actually indexed.
In Database, open Details beside the image count and check the feature required by your search. Images can exist without face, pose, semantic, or color data. A zero count in the current library means there is no data of that type to search; also confirm that you loaded the intended database.
Wait for statistics to finish loading. Missing or failed statistics are not zero, and file/image/feature counts use different units.
For Face Filter, existing face records may lack age, smile, glasses, or beard attributes. Run Repair Database → Face Database to fill in missing attributes in an older library.
2. Check Whether Tasks Are Still Running
If indexing, OCR, face recognition, pose extraction, or rebuild tasks are still running, wait for completion.
Open the background task list from the progress area at the top. Thumbnails may appear before all searchable features are ready. Inspect any reported error rather than treating a failed task as completed parsing.
3. Check Search Scope
Make sure the scope includes the folder or collection where the target image may exist.
Temporarily choose Entire Database in the search dialog and retry. If that works, the earlier folder or collection scope excluded the target. Return to the intended project scope afterward.
4. Clear Filters
First distinguish the main file list from a search-result drawer. Main-list rating, color, type, date, and keyword filters do not directly filter an open search drawer. Clear them when troubleshooting the main list; sorting changes order, not which items are included.
5. Confirm the Strategy Is Correct
Use global search for a quick sanity check. Use color strategy for color needs, global subject for clear subjects with complex backgrounds, and local keypoints for finding full images from crops.
6. Check Default Search Settings
Open Tools → Settings → Search to check the maximum result count, default strategy, and paste-search mode. These defaults affect subsequent searches; changing them does not create missing feature data.
7. Refresh or Rebuild When Needed
Refresh after file changes. Rebuild when strategy data is missing or abnormal.
Use the database action menu and wait for the selected task to finish before retesting. Enable file-change detection for files replaced under the same name. Refresh does not automatically locate arbitrarily moved originals. Repair only confirmed missing or damaged search data; unequal counts or poor matches alone do not prove index corruption. Neither restores missing original files.
Suggested Order
Database counts -> task progress -> scope -> filters -> strategy -> settings -> refresh or rebuild.
Common Cases
- Folder has no thumbnails: add or refresh the folder.
- Semantic search unavailable: generate semantic data.
- Pose search has no results: confirm pose data exists and try a clearer full-body or half-body reference.
- Face search has no results: use a clearer face and confirm face data exists.
- Face Filter has no results: try face count or a single attribute first; repair the Face Database if an older library lacks attributes.
- Color results look wrong: check scope, source color data, and selected colors before considering data repair. Fewer colors do not guarantee stricter matches.
- Looking for printed text: use OCR/keyword search and check OCR data; semantic search does not replace it.