# Global search

> Find any record in milliseconds — ranked matching, live previews, and a shortcut to the Assistant.

_Collection: Search, Dashboard & Reports (search-reporting) — Kepler Help Center. Canonical: https://keplercrm.com/support/articles/global-search/_

Global search is the fastest way to move around Kepler. Open it from the **Search** button at the top of the sidebar, or press `Cmd/Ctrl + K` anywhere.

## The search dialog

Results appear on the left as you type, grouped with type badges; the right pane shows a live **preview** of the selected record — a candidate's email, phone, location and status, a job's client and fee, a placement's billing state — so you can confirm you've got the right one before opening it.

  - **Arrow keys** move through results, `Enter` opens the selection, and `Cmd/Ctrl + Enter` opens **Ask AI**.

## What you can search

Global search covers candidates, contacts, companies, jobs, applications, placements, tasks, lists and activities. It ranks exact, prefix and fuzzy matches across record fields. Type a name, a company, a job title, an email address or a phone fragment.

## Questions, not lookups?

When the thing you want is an *answer* ("senior data engineers open to contract in Berlin"), open **Ask AI** to go to the [Assistant](/support/articles/kepler-assistant/) and re-enter your question there. Results respect your permissions and email sharing settings — search never shows anyone data they couldn't see by browsing.

## Power tips

  - Search-then-Enter is the fastest navigation in the app — the top result opens directly.

  - Search before creating any record — the cheapest duplicate check there is.

  - Phone fragments work — the last 4–6 digits of a number you half-remember is often enough.