# Site search

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://falconer.com/docs/llms.txt).

How visitors search your published site, and how to control which pages search can see.


How visitors search your published site, and how to control which pages search can see.

Every published site has a search box in its header. It searches an index of the published build, so results never include drafts or private pages.

## How visitors search

Visitors open search from the header or with **Cmd+K** (**Ctrl+K** on Windows), then type at least two characters. Each result shows the page title and description, and clicking one opens the page.

![The site search dialog with results for a query](/docs/images/public-docs-site-search.png)

## When results update

Search reads from the index of the build you published. Indexing runs right after each build, and a build shows **Indexed** when it's ready. If you publish a build before indexing finishes, search keeps answering from the previously indexed build until it completes. See [Build status](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/build-and-publish.md#build-status).

## Control what's searchable

| To | Do this |
| --- | --- |
| Keep a page out of the site entirely | Mark it private. See [Private and hidden](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/navigation-sections.md#private-and-hidden). |
| Build a page but leave it out of search | Set `pagefind: false` in its frontmatter, or hide it from navigation. |
| Limit who can search at all | Turn on [password protection](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/password-protection.md). Search sits behind the same password as the pages. |

Site search is separate from search engines. **Allow search engines** in [Search and sharing](https://falconer.com/docs/public-docs/customize-your-site.md#search-and-sharing) controls whether Google and others index the site, and doesn't affect the site's own search box.