--- title: "Using the chart search in Talkspirit" description: "The search box on the organisation chart dims every role that does not match what you type. It matches circle and role names and the names of the people assigned to them." category: structure-governance section: chart-and-circles tags: [search] type: Tutorial lastUpdated: 2026-08-05 locale: en canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/structure-governance/how-to-use-the-chart-search --- # Using the chart search in Talkspirit ## Using the chart search in Talkspirit The search box on **Explore organisation** does one thing: it dims every role that does not match what you type, and leaves the matches in colour. There is no list of results to click through, and the chart does not move. Anyone who can open the chart can use it. Nothing has to be switched on first. ## Where the search box is It sits at the top right of the chart, after **Filter** and **Highlight**, collapsed to a magnifying glass until you click it. From anywhere on the page, `Ctrl+Shift+G` (`Cmd+Shift+G` on a Mac) puts your cursor straight into it. ![The top-right corner of the chart toolbar, with the Filter and Highlight buttons and, outlined, the collapsed search control shown as a magnifying glass icon](/images/structure-governance/how-to-use-the-chart-search/01-search-control-in-the-chart-toolbar.png) The box next to it, **Filter**, is a different control with a confusingly similar name. Filter holds the structured filters such as **My roles** and **My circles**. The two work together rather than against each other: when you set both, a role has to satisfy the filter *and* the search text to stay in colour. ## What typing does Type, and the chart repaints as you go. Roles that match keep their colour, every other role fades to grey, and circles keep their normal shade so the shape of the organisation stays readable. A circle that matches is filled in orange. ![The Circles and roles view with agent typed in the search box. Seven roles whose names contain the word stay orange while every other role is greyed out, and the circles keep their normal beige](/images/structure-governance/how-to-use-the-chart-search/02-search-dims-non-matching-roles.png) That is the whole effect. No suggestions drop down, no results panel opens, the chart does not zoom or centre on anything, and nothing is kept as a history of what you looked for. Getting to a match is still up to you: pan and zoom to the coloured node, or drag inside the minimap. The other two views dim in the same way. In **Network** the nodes that do not match fade to a pale outline, and in **Hierarchy** the cards that do not match go faint. ## What the search matches Two things, and only two: - the **name** of a circle or role - the **names of the people** assigned to it So typing part of a colleague's name lights up every role they hold. Matching is on a fragment rather than a whole word, so `mark` finds "Marketing", and it ignores capitals and accents, so `tresor` finds "Trésorier". It does not read what is written inside a circle or role. Purposes, domains, accountabilities and policies are not searched, so a keyword that appears only in an accountability finds nothing. To track something down by what a circle is responsible for, open the circles from the chart and read them, or narrow the canvas with **Filter** first. One view behaves differently. In **Hierarchy**, only names are matched, so searching a person's name returns nothing there. Switch to **Circles & roles** or **Network** to search by person. ## How do I clear the search? Click the cross at the right of the box, or press Escape while your cursor is in it. The colour comes back immediately. Until you do, your query stays. It is kept in your browser, separately for each view and each organisation, and it survives closing the tab. If you open **Explore organisation** and find half the chart already greyed out, look at the search box before assuming something is broken, because your last search is probably still sitting in it. Switching views is not a reset either, since each view remembers a query of its own. One last thing worth knowing: while a search is running, the colours of a saved **Highlight** view are set aside. Clear the box and they come back. ## What's Next? - [Navigating your organisation chart](/structure-governance/how-to-navigate-your-chart) - [Managing chart custom views](/structure-governance/how-to-manage-chart-custom-views) - [Managing chart settings in Talkspirit](/structure-governance/managing-chart-settings) - [Circles in Talkspirit](/structure-governance/circle-overview)