Reddit is a major social media network that leverages the notion of threads and topics. It was just recently unveiled, but it has quickly grabbed a lot of traction. It is built on the idea of threads and sub-threads and may often use it to discover information on nearly any topic.
Users can create and comment on articles on any topic on Reddit, central news aggregation, and discussion websites. Each case is segmented into subreddits, with the most prevalent themes of the day displayed on the front page. This company was started in 2005 and is now worth more than $3 billion.
Despite the platform’s popularity and pervasive use, we encountered numerous cases where users could not use the Reddit search to find threads on any topic. Furthermore, the issue has various variations, with preliminary findings are displayed in some contexts and no results displayed in others. In this article, we’ll go through all of the reasons this problem emerges and what you can do to address it.
We concluded that this problem has numerous manifestations after examining it on our own and incorporating the results from user cases.
The following are some of the instances why Reddit search could not work:
Search Filter is enabled
By default, Reddit features a filter that removes all mature content from the results. However, since there is no indication that the filter is enabled, you may believe nothing is wrong when your searches only return filtered results.
Reddit’s backend issue
We also came across a few cases where the problem was with Reddit’s backend. Reddit developers formally recognized the problem, and a remedy was released shortly after.
Minor customization
Reddit’s search is less flexible, and the results are usually limited. Other searches that allow users to search Reddit forums with more parameters are found here.
Ad-blockers
Some online programs and modules are being reported to interfere with ad-blockers. For example, there is no exemption for Reddit Search; we concluded after reviewing several reports from users who decided that the ad-blocker caused the issue.
Run your PC as an administrator before beginning the solutions. You should also save all of your work and have your credentials on hand because you will be prompted to enter them.
Ways to Fix Reddit Search Not Working
Checking for Backend Issues
Before we begin debugging, make sense of problems that aren’t triggered by Reddit’s backend. There have been several occasions where Reddit’s search module has been unavailable or where parts of Reddit’s services have failed to function as expected. You can use this link to go to the Reddit boards to see if anybody has similar problems.
You can also go to the Official Reddit Page to see how things are going. If a yellow bar appears at the current date, it generally indicates a backend servers problem. Also, there is nothing you can do but wait.
Disabling Ad Blockers
Ad-blockers generally make your experience on a web server worthwhile because ads always cover content; they have seemed to provide an an-inbuilt mechanism that intercepts all traffic and then passes on the filtered version by removing ads; an extension like these may improve the experience, although there have been instances where this has caused a problem when it comes to Reddit searches.
Type “chrome:/extensions” in the Chrome Browser’s address bar and press Enter to check your browser extensions in Chrome browser. Unchecking the “enable” option will disable the ad-blocker plugin. This will prevent the extension from making any changes to your user interface. Then, Restart your browser to see if the search function is working correctly.
Note: Try disabling each extension one by one. This may aid in determining whether a particular application is causing the issue.
Disabling Search Filter
Reddit automatically applies a search filter that removes your account’s NSFW (Not Safe For Work) content. As a result, anytime you search on Reddit, these posts will be removed from your search results, and you may not be able to see them. The odd part is that this option is hidden in your profile options, so a regular user would have no idea that his search is filtered. The method for disabling the search filter is outlined below.
Step 1: Go to the Reddit website and click on your profile image in the top-right corner of the page, then User Settings.
Step 2: When you’re in the settings, go to the Feed settings tab and check the following box:
If the search results are inappropriate, you can also blur them. Finally, exit and save your changes.
Try searching again after reloading the page. Examine the situation to see if the problem has been solved.
Using an Alternative Search Engine
A slew of other websites permits users to search Reddit boards using complex parameters, and they return more results than the forums’ standard search tool. The disadvantage is that these sites may occasionally stop working due to strange bugs, and they will need to be updated if Reddit changes its search methodology. However, if none of the other techniques are working, you can try this one.
Step 1: Open your web browser and go to Redditsearch.io.
Step 2: You can now enter the search phrase as well as any other parameters you desire.
The search results will appear below, with all threads that contain the keyword-based on the parameters you supplied.
You will resolve the Reddit search not working issue by following the outlined methods.
