Advanced Search Techniques

Mastering advanced search techniques in Zed can dramatically improve your productivity when working with large codebases. This guide will teach you how to leverage powerful search features to find exactly what you need.

Regular Expression Basics

Regular expressions (regex) allow you to search for patterns rather than exact strings:

Cmd + F
# Basic find
 
Cmd + Shift + F
# Global find with regex support

Common Regex Patterns

\d+
# Match one or more digits
 
[A-Z][a-z]+
# Match capitalized words
 
function\s+\w+
# Match function declarations

Multi-File Search

Search across your entire project:

Cmd + Shift + F
# Open global search
 
Type your pattern
Use .* for wildcards
Enable regex mode with the .* button

Search Filters

Narrow down your search results:

• Include patterns: src/**/*.ts - only TypeScript files in src
• Exclude patterns: **/node_modules/** - ignore dependencies
• Case sensitivity: Toggle with the Aa button

Advanced Techniques

Search and Replace Across Files

1. Cmd + Shift + F to open global search
2. Type your search pattern
3. Click the arrow next to search box
4. Enter replacement text
5. Preview changes before applying

Using Capture Groups

Replace with captured groups:

Search: function (\w+)\((.*?)\)
Replace: const $1 = ($2) =>
# Convert function declarations to arrow functions

Pro Tips

• Use word boundaries \b to match whole words only
• Lookahead (?=pattern) for complex pattern matching
• Save frequent searches as snippets for quick access
• Use context lines to see surrounding code in results
• Filter by file type to speed up searches in large projects