SearchLens for YouTube by Zen Mode Dev

Search YouTube with more control.

SearchLens for YouTube adds advanced search filters directly to YouTube search results, helping you narrow down results, reduce clutter, and find the videos you are actually looking for.

You can start a new YouTube search from the extension popup or open the SearchLens panel on an existing search-results page.

• Search using custom From and To date ranges
• Enter a full date, year and month, or year only
• Use a built-in calendar and year picker
• Require specific words in matching results
• Require an exact phrase in video titles
• Exclude unwanted words
• Include or exclude particular channels
• Set minimum and maximum video duration
• Set minimum and maximum view counts
• Sort loaded results by date, views, or duration

SearchLens can also hide selected result types, including:

• YouTube Shorts
• Recommendation shelves and interruptions
• Playlists
• Mixes
• Channel cards
• Live streams
• Watched or previously clicked videos

Go beyond YouTube’s broad upload-date presets by searching within a more specific period.

SearchLens accepts dates such as:

• 2020
• 2020-06
• 2020-06-15

Quick presets are also available for the past 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, one year, or any time.

Custom date searches use YouTube search query operators. Their behavior and completeness are ultimately controlled by YouTube.


A compact floating launcher appears on YouTube search-results pages. Use it to open the advanced filters whenever needed.

The launcher can be moved to a convenient position or hidden. SearchLens can always be reopened from the Firefox toolbar.

• Finding older YouTube videos
• Searching within a particular year or date range
• Discovering long-form videos
• Finding lower-view videos and smaller channels
• Removing Shorts from search results
• Researching tutorials, reviews, documentaries, and guides
• Narrowing broad or noisy searches
• Filtering videos by title, channel, duration, or popularity

Some SearchLens features filter or reorganize the results that YouTube has already returned and loaded. SearchLens cannot make YouTube return videos that are absent from YouTube’s own search results.

SearchLens is an independent browser extension and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by YouTube or Google.

YouTube is a trademark of Google LLC.