# Wiki link autocomplete cannot do fuzzy search in large vault **URL:** \ **Category:** Bug graveyard\ **Tags:** repro, internal-links\ **Created:** [October 8, 2023, 10:57am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972 "2023-10-08T10:57:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alicila](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@Alicila](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Alicila)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 10:57am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/1 "2023-10-08T10:57:13Z")
### Updates #### 2023/10/14 It seems clear to me now that 10000 searchable items will cause this behavior (according to White noise and my testing.) This includes files (attachments included), broken links and aliases. For further information, see [Options to control the Quick Switcher algorithm above 10’000 files - Feature requests - Obsidian Forum](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/options-to-control-the-quick-switcher-algorithm-above-10-000-files/56861) #### 2023/10/9 I deleted some useless files, and the problem went away (for now). My current file count is 7538, with 661 broken links. ### Steps to reproduce 1. Start a large vault (My vault has 7700+ files, about half of them images. Total size is 2.13 GB) (Also reproduced in sandbox vault by adding10k files, 4.2 GB) 2. create a file called “test 123” (with a space) 3. type “[[test12” within the file (with no space) (I didn’t just do this for the sake of stress testing. All the files are my real notes, created in roughly 1 year. So this is causing real trouble for me) ### Did you follow the [troubleshooting guide](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/about-the-bug-reports-category/24/10)? [Y/N] Yes ### Expected result Wiki link autocomplete should find the file. ### Actual result Instead, “no match found” is shown. ### Environment SYSTEM INFO: Obsidian version: v1.4.14 Installer version: v1.4.12 Operating system: Windows 10 Home 10.0.22621 Login status: logged in Catalyst license: none Insider build toggle: off Live preview: on Legacy editor: off Base theme: dark Community theme: none Snippets enabled: 0 Restricted mode: on RECOMMENDATIONS: none * * * ### Additional information ![image](https://forum.obsidian.md/uploads/default/original/3X/b/4/b4becd9d470d04da012d6f859f8c93e15e4eff19.png) I did find a similar report, but it’s not submitted in the bug category: [Fuzzy-Search-Autocompletion of Wiki-Links fails if spaces are involved - Help - Obsidian Forum](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/fuzzy-search-autocompletion-of-wiki-links-fails-if-spaces-are-involved/66397) A similar Feature request concerning quick switcher: [Options to control the Quick Switcher algorithm above 10’000 files - Feature requests - Obsidian Forum](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/options-to-control-the-quick-switcher-algorithm-above-10-000-files/56861) ---
**Author:** ![CawlinTeffid](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/cawlinteffid/32/82899_2.png) [@CawlinTeffid](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/CawlinTeffid)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/2 "2023-10-08T20:06:31Z")
This isn’t a bug, it’s a performance optimization. > [@Quick Switcher search seems to behave differently and miss some request](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/quick-switcher-search-seems-to-behave-differently-and-miss-some-request/56222/3): > > If you have over 10000 notes, it uses a simpler algorithm. If you have attachments, they probably also count towards this number. There’s a request to allow fuzzy search on larger vaults. > [@Options to control the Quick Switcher / Links Suggestion algorithm above 10000 items / Ignore spaces](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/options-to-control-the-quick-switcher-algorithm-above-10-000-files/56861): > > Hey winkUse case or problem Actually, when the threshold of 10’000 notes (attached files included) is exceeded, the quick search algorithm used is changed by a simplier one ([see @koala answer here](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/quick-switcher-search-seems-to-behave-differently-and-miss-some-request/56222/3)) Example So for example if I write “cpt” I would like to obtain the list of all titles containing the letters “c”, “p” and “t” that are in the same order, including all notes about “comportement”. For example In fact, I obtain nothing. Because I’ve reached the th… ---
**Author:** ![lab](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lab](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/lab)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/3 "2023-10-08T20:40:59Z")
Thanks @Alicila for linking my forum post and thanks @CawlinTeffid for pointing to the Feature Request (I would like to double the request for such a switch!!). I’d like to ask for some clarification on the algorithm’s spec… and maybe we are not talking about the same thing here: So both, @Alicila and me are talking about the Wiki-link autocomplete (which is not the same thing as the Quick Switcher) and both of us also have significantly less than 10’000 notes (Alicila writes they have ca. 7700+ files (including attachments) and I have even less: ca. 3600+ files plus ca. 700+ attachments). @Alicila : how is QuickSwitcher behaving in your case? In my case it still works (and importantly: without any performance issues!!). Just the Wiki-Link Modal is behaving differently, which I really don’t understand why. From the information given, I’m deducing that there are not one but two “performance optimizations” in place, one for QuickSwitcher and one for Wiki-Links Modals, however, with different thresholds… May somebody of the mods/devs check this hypothesis? ---
**Author:** ![CawlinTeffid](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/cawlinteffid/32/82899_2.png) [@CawlinTeffid](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/CawlinTeffid)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/4 "2023-10-08T21:09:29Z")
I’d expect autocomplete and quick switcher to use the same algorithm, but I don’t know for sure. Since you’re seeing different behavior I’m moving the thread back out of the graveyard. (I saw the simpler algorithm in quick switcher for a while when I had ~7,700 notes too — not sure why, and it’s no longer true.) ---
**Author:** ![lab](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lab](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/lab)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/5 "2023-10-08T21:16:19Z")
Thanks @CawlinTeffid. Btw.: I’ve just posted to the linked Feature Request, with some arguments why there should be more proactive information about the existence and behavior of the algorithm. ---
**Author:** ![gino\_m](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@gino\_m](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/gino_m)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 12:24am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/6 "2023-10-09T00:24:39Z")
I have a large vault. I have many notes with filenames with spaces in them. I use the Various Complements plugin. I can set trigger for 2 or 3 words in Vault Complement and not remember not getting a find. On the plus side, no need to start with `[[`, either. Give it a shot, if you like the sound of all this. I use it for custom dictionaries as well. ---
**Author:** ![Alicila](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@Alicila](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Alicila)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2023, 2:14am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/7 "2023-10-09T02:14:38Z")
Quick switcher (and Quick switcher++ plugin) behaves normally, with fuzzy search, without any performance issue. I believe this means that fuzzy search is feasible at current vault size. ---
**Author:** ![WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/whitenoise/32/11_2.png) [@WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/WhiteNoise)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2023, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/8 "2023-10-10T14:51:20Z")
It’s 10000 searchable items, that includes notes, attachments and other files in you have that enabled. ---
**Author:** ![Alicila](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@Alicila](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Alicila)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 8:15am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/9 "2023-10-12T08:15:30Z")
But how is quick switcher working fine at this size? (Which demonstrates that, potentially, wiki link can work fine too?) ---
**Author:** ![WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/whitenoise/32/11_2.png) [@WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/WhiteNoise)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2023, 12:10pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/10 "2023-10-12T12:10:03Z")
It all depends on how fast your computer is. ---
**Author:** ![lab](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lab](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/lab)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/11 "2023-10-14T22:53:55Z")
> It’s 10000 searchable items Thanks @WhiteNoise. May you elaborate a bit further on “searchable items”: How about **wiki-links to non-existing notes**? How about **aliases**? Do they all count, too? Is this documented somewhere? Moreover, for a standard user without coding-skills, I believe there is no way to get a rough estimate on how many “searchable items” there are in their vault… and hence no information to deduce how far they are from the 10k limit. ---
**Author:** ![lab](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lab](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/lab)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/12 "2023-10-14T23:10:33Z")
I don’t understand this (and here I’m just doubling what @Alicila has already brought into the discussion): On my computer quick switcher is very fast and accurate in performing fuzzy searches. However, the wiki-link autocomplete modals are _not_. How should this be just due to computer power rather than due to a difference in the search algorithms? Are the algorithms open source? If not, it would still be important to know: Are the search algorithms _qualitatively_ dependent on computer speed or not? Or in other words: Would they deliver the same results on every machine (if you want, say, after waiting for 5 seconds)? **To underline the urgency of our request:** It is _not_ about the time it takes for the algorithm to dump the results. **Much more it is about reliability**. We need to _know_, whether the note we are expecting to retrieve via wiki-link-autocomplete does or does not exist. Otherwise, this will quickly end up in lots of notes with similar names. This is especially true, since the “optimised” algorithm is [sensitive to spaces](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/fuzzy-search-autocompletion-of-wiki-links-fails-if-spaces-are-involved/66397) and dashes. ---
**Author:** ![WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/whitenoise/32/11_2.png) [@WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/WhiteNoise)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/13 "2024-07-01T13:03:21Z")
continue conversation [here](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/options-to-control-the-quick-switcher-algorithm-above-10-000-files/56861) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://forum.obsidian.md/uploads/default/original/3X/b/e/bec35fbd23ab28909bb6bfe62cb32eb82dd34019.png) [@system](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/wiki-link-autocomplete-cannot-do-fuzzy-search-in-large-vault/68972/14 "2024-07-08T13:03:47Z")
Closed on July 8, 2024, 1:03pm UTC This topic was automatically closed 7 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.