# A search returns nothing

Three causes cover nearly every empty result, and only one of them is a fault.

Work through them in order.

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## In order

| **Check**                              | **What it means**                                                                         |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Has the page been indexed?             | Unindexed pages carry no Capable field values, so they do not match. Check index coverage |
| Does the query use a leading wildcard? | Confluence does not support one. It fails quietly and matches nothing                     |
| Is the capability installed?           | A field written by Diagrams does not exist if Diagrams is not installed                   |
| Can you see the pages at all?          | Search never returns a page you could not already open                                    |

⚠️

**An empty result and an unindexed result look identical.** That is the single most common source of confusion here. Check coverage first.

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## A few things worth knowing

* A brand new install answers very little until indexing converges. That is expected, not broken.
* Re-index one space to test the theory quickly rather than the whole site.
* Confluence's own fields work regardless of Capable indexing.

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## Related

[Index coverageChecking it.](https://help.gocapable.com/search/index-coverage.html)

[How indexing worksWhy it happens.](https://help.gocapable.com/search/how-indexing-works.html)

[Capable search fieldsWhich fields need which capability.](https://help.gocapable.com/search/capable-search-fields.html)

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_Check coverage before you doubt the query._