# LinkedIn Boolean search builder > Builds Boolean strings for LinkedIn, Sales Navigator and Recruiter, and fixes broken ones. Free, no signup. Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us. **LinkedIn Boolean search builder. The right string for each product, in seconds, no signup.** Use it at https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-boolean-search ## How does Boolean search work on LinkedIn? What each product supports, from LinkedIn's Help Center. LinkedIn's Boolean search uses AND, OR and NOT in capitals, quotes for an exact phrase and parentheses to group terms. It reads quotes first, then parentheses, NOT, AND and OR. Sales Navigator takes at most 15 operators in one search; Recruiter has no limit. | | LinkedIn search | Sales Navigator | Recruiter | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | AND, OR, NOT | In capitals | In capitals | In capitals | | Exact phrase | Quotes | Straight quotes only | Quotes | | Grouping | Parentheses only | Parentheses | Parentheses | | Where it works | The search bar | Company, title and keyword fields | Job titles, Companies and Keywords, not Projects | | Operators per search | Capped; LinkedIn doesn't say at how many | 15 at most | No limit | | Wildcard * | Not supported | Not supported | Not stated | | + and - | Not officially supported | Not officially supported | Not officially supported | | Stop words | Not stated | Not stated | Ignored in Keywords: of, the, with and others | "Not stated" means that product's help page doesn't say. In our words, from LinkedIn's Help Center. Sources: [LinkedIn Help: Use Boolean search on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a524335) (read 2026-10-30), [LinkedIn Help: Using Boolean Search on Sales Navigator](https://www.linkedin.com/help/sales-navigator/answer/a168061) (read 2026-10-30), [LinkedIn Help: Use Boolean to filter search results in Recruiter and Recruiter Lite](https://www.linkedin.com/help/recruiter/answer/a415295) (read 2026-10-30), [LinkedIn Help: Boolean Query Limitations](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a524411/boolean-query-limitations) (read 2026-10-30) ## How it works Pick where you'll search, then type the job titles you want, the titles to leave out and any words results must or mustn't mention. The builder writes the string with quotes, parentheses and capital operators in the right places. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us. Sales Navigator and Recruiter read Boolean field by field, so you get one string for the title filter and one for Keywords. LinkedIn's own search gets one string for the search bar. Each shows its operator count, against Sales Navigator's cap of 15. Already have a string? Paste it into the checker. It flags what LinkedIn won't read the way you meant, like lowercase operators, curly quotes, wildcards, brackets, + and -, and fixes what it can without guessing. The role lists are our picks, not LinkedIn's: each role's page says why each title is in or out. What the builder can't know is how many people a string finds; only LinkedIn can tell you that. ## Why LinkedIn Boolean strings break. And how to write ones that don't. Most broken strings break in one of four ways, each covered in LinkedIn's Help Center. ### NOT binds tighter than OR LinkedIn reads quotes first, then parentheses, then NOT, AND and OR. So VP OR Director NOT assistant reads as VP, or Director without assistant: the NOT only touches Director. Put alternatives in parentheses and the NOT applies to all of them: (VP OR Director) NOT assistant. The builder always groups them this way. Sources: [LinkedIn Help: Use Boolean search on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a524335) (read 2026-10-30) ### Sales Navigator's cap of 15 operators Sales Navigator takes at most 15 Boolean operators in one search, while Recruiter and Recruiter Lite have no limit. LinkedIn's free search has a limit too, but doesn't say what it is. Every OR between job titles counts, so a long title list fills the cap fast. The builder counts as you type. Sources: [LinkedIn Help: Boolean Query Limitations](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a524411/boolean-query-limitations) (read 2026-10-30) ### Characters that quietly break a string Operators in lowercase are searched as words. Sales Navigator only reads straight quotes, so curly ones pasted from a doc or a phone don't work. There's no * wildcard, braces and brackets are read as plain characters, and + and - aren't officially supported: use AND and NOT. Sources: [LinkedIn Help: Use Boolean search on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a524335) (read 2026-10-30), [LinkedIn Help: Using Boolean Search on Sales Navigator](https://www.linkedin.com/help/sales-navigator/answer/a168061) (read 2026-10-30) ### Recruiter's filters are Boolean too In Recruiter, Must have, Can have and Doesn't have map to AND, OR and NOT. Boolean works in the Job titles, Companies and Keywords filters, not in Projects, and Keywords ignores stop words such as of, the and with. Sources: [LinkedIn Help: Use Boolean to filter search results in Recruiter and Recruiter Lite](https://www.linkedin.com/help/recruiter/answer/a415295) (read 2026-10-30) ### Boolean or X-ray? This builder writes strings for inside LinkedIn: its own search, Sales Navigator and Recruiter, where you can filter by title, company and more. Our X-ray search builder writes a Google search instead, for public profiles, with no LinkedIn plan needed. Our view: use Boolean when you have Sales Navigator or Recruiter, and X-ray when you don't. Or describe who you want in plain English instead. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) ## Sources - [LinkedIn Help: Use Boolean search on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a524335) (read 2026-10-30) - [LinkedIn Help: Using Boolean Search on Sales Navigator](https://www.linkedin.com/help/sales-navigator/answer/a168061) (read 2026-10-30) - [LinkedIn Help: Use Boolean to filter search results in Recruiter and Recruiter Lite](https://www.linkedin.com/help/recruiter/answer/a415295) (read 2026-10-30) - [LinkedIn Help: Boolean Query Limitations](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a524411/boolean-query-limitations) (read 2026-10-30) ## Questions people ask ### What is Boolean search on LinkedIn? A way to combine search terms with AND, OR and NOT, quotes and parentheses, so one search finds every title variant you want and leaves out the ones you don't. ### How do I use Boolean search in Sales Navigator? Type the string into the Company, title or keyword field. Operators go in capitals, phrases in straight quotes, and one search takes at most 15 operators. ### How many Boolean operators can I use in Sales Navigator? 15 in a single search, according to LinkedIn's Help Center. Recruiter and Recruiter Lite have no limit. ### Does LinkedIn Recruiter support Boolean search? Yes, in the Job titles, Companies and Keywords filters, but not in Projects. Its Must have, Can have and Doesn't have options map to AND, OR and NOT. ### Why isn't my LinkedIn Boolean search working? Usually lowercase operators, curly quotes, a missing parenthesis, or a * wildcard, which LinkedIn doesn't support. Paste the string into the checker above and it shows which. ### Does LinkedIn support wildcards in Boolean search? No. LinkedIn doesn't support the * wildcard; list each variant instead, like engineer OR engineering. ### Can I use + and - in LinkedIn search? They aren't officially supported. Use AND instead of + and NOT instead of -. ### What's the difference between Boolean search and X-ray search? Boolean search runs inside LinkedIn, Sales Navigator or Recruiter. X-ray search uses Google to find public LinkedIn profiles, with no LinkedIn plan; we have a builder for each. ### Is this LinkedIn Boolean search builder free? Yes. It's free, needs no signup and runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to us or stored. ## Related tools - [LinkedIn X-ray search builder](https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-x-ray-search): Builds a Google search that finds LinkedIn profiles by job title, company and city. - [LinkedIn Boolean search for sales leaders](https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-boolean-search-sales-leaders): A ready Boolean string for VPs of Sales, Heads of Sales and CROs, for Sales Navigator. - [LinkedIn Boolean search for SDRs and BDRs](https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-boolean-search-sdrs): A ready Boolean string for SDRs and BDRs, with managers left out. For Sales Navigator. - [LinkedIn Boolean search for software engineers](https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-boolean-search-software-engineers): A ready Boolean string for software engineers, with recruiters left out. For Recruiter. - [Email permutator](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-permutator): Lists every likely work email for a name and company, and checks the domain takes mail. ## Next step Want replies, not just clean copy? Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) Shelf: [01 Data and prospecting](https://tools.joinvalley.co/data-and-prospecting) --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-boolean-search