How to Search Your Entries by What Is in Your Attachments

Attachment search lets you find an entry by what is inside the file you attached to it, not only by the words you typed in the description. Search "vanity and faucet" and the entry whose receipt says that comes back, even if the entry itself just says "hardware store run". This works on iPhone, Android, and the web app.

Because it means sending your files to an AI provider to be read, it is off until you say yes. This article covers how to turn it on, how to turn it off, and what happens to the data either way.

Tip: Search is a Premium feature, and attachment search sits on top of it. On the free or Starter plan the search box prompts you to upgrade.

How It Gets Turned On

Attachment search requires its own consent, separate from the rest of the AI features. You are asked when you reach for it (when you tap Smart Search and have attachments, or when you attach a file on an entry) rather than on a general settings screen.

The consent prompt

When REPSLog asks, the prompt is titled Search inside your files. It explains that your files go to one of our AI providers, which writes a short description of what is in each one, and that description then goes to a second provider so your search can match on what it says. You get two choices:

• Enable. Attachment search is on. Your existing files are indexed in the background, and new ones are added as you upload them.
• Not now. It stays off and the prompt can come back later. Dismissing the prompt without choosing does the same thing.

If you have never attached a file to an entry, you are not asked. There would be nothing to index.

From Settings

Open Settings > AI and Privacy. The Smart Search Attachments switch is there, underneath the main AI features switch. This is also where you go if you want to turn it off later. See How to Manage Your AI and Privacy Settings for the full picture of what each switch does.

Using It

There is no separate search box. Once it is on, the Smart Search field on your entries list simply matches more: your entry text as before, plus the contents of your attachments.

Indexing your existing attachments happens in the background and is not instant. If you have a large history, give it a little time before judging the results.

Turning It Off

1. Open Settings > AI and Privacy.
2. Switch off Smart Search Attachments.

Search goes back to matching only your entry text and its meaning. We stop using the descriptions we made for attachment search and delete them as described in our Privacy Policy.

Turning attachment search off does not turn off the rest of your AI features. Smart search still works on your entry text, and any other AI choice you made is untouched.

If you turn it back on within 30 days, the descriptions that have not yet been deleted are restored, so your index does not have to be rebuilt from scratch.

Deleting your REPSLog account removes that data immediately. See How do I delete my REPSLog account for the full breakdown of what deletion covers.

If AI Features Are Off

The attachment switch sits underneath the main AI features switch on the AI and Privacy screen. If you have turned off all AI features, the attachment switch is disabled because there is no search to index for. You would turn the main switch back on first, then turn attachments on separately.

If you reach for Smart Search while AI features are off, REPSLog offers to turn them back on rather than silently doing nothing.

Troubleshooting

I was asked to enable and I chose "Not now". How do I get it back?

Open Settings > AI and Privacy and switch on Smart Search Attachments. Or wait for the prompt to return the next time you reach for search with an attachment on your account.

Searching does not find a receipt I know I attached

Check three things. That attachment search is on in Settings > AI and Privacy. That enough time has passed for your older attachments to be indexed (a large library takes longer). And that the text you are searching for is actually legible on the file, since a dark or blurred photo gives the model less to work with.

Is this the same as the AI description on an attachment?

They are related but separate. Generate AI description writes a note on one file when you tap it. Attachment search indexes your files in the background so search can match them. See How to Add Notes and AI Descriptions to Your Attachments for the first one.

Does this share my data for advertising?

No. That is a different setting entirely. See How to Opt Out of Data Sharing if that is what you are looking for, and REPSLog Data Security for what each part of the app sends where.

If you are still stuck, contact us and we will help.