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Global Search

Find any Azure resource by name from the search bar in the top navigation, then jump directly to it on the page you want, Explorer, Cost Explorer, Defender, Advisor, Policy Compliance, or Performance. Search spans every subscription you have access to, and can reach resources from past scans that no longer exist in Azure.

On this page

Key Capabilities

Search by Name

Type at least 2 characters and find any matching subscription, resource group, or resource. Search is case-insensitive and matches anywhere in the name, not just the start.

Pick a Destination

Choose where to land: stay on the current page, or jump to Explorer, Cost Explorer, Defender, Advisor, Policy Compliance, or Performance. Results filter to resources that actually have data in that system.

Reach Historical Resources

Switch to All scans mode to find resources that existed in past scans but are gone in the latest one. They show with a No longer in current scan badge and a relative timestamp.

Entity Type Filter

Narrow results to Subscriptions, Resource Groups, or Resources, or leave the filter on All Types to see everything.

Permission-Aware

The destination picker only lists destinations you have permission to query. The search bar is hidden entirely if you have none of the required read permissions.

Finding a resource

  1. Click the search bar in the top of the navbar.
  2. Type at least 2 characters of the resource name.
  3. Optionally narrow the entity type with the dropdown on the left of the input.
  4. Optionally pick a destination on the right of the input.
  5. Click a result, or use the ↑ / ↓ arrow keys and press Enter to navigate.

The destination page opens with the resource selected, and the column views automatically smooth-scroll so the selected subscription, resource group, and resource are all visible.

Destinations

The destination picker controls where a result takes you. Each destination scopes results to its own data, so a resource only appears in search if it has data in that system.

Destinations

Current Page
Sends results to whichever supported page you're on. On unsupported pages (dashboard, settings, alerts, etc.), falls back to Explorer.
Explorer
Browse the resource hierarchy. The broadest destination, returns any resource that exists in the selected scan.
Cost Explorer
Returns only resources that have cost records.
Defender
Returns only resources with Defender assessments.
Advisor
Returns only resources with Advisor recommendations.
Policy Compliance
Returns only resources with policy compliance state.
Performance
Returns only resources with performance metrics.

Filter and scan preservation

When the destination is Current Page and you're already on that page, navigating to a result preserves the existing URL filters and the selected scan. Picking an explicit destination (for example, Cost Explorer) opens a clean URL on the destination's most recent scan.

Mode toggle behavior

The mode toggle's label, icon, and availability change based on the selected destination. Three categories cover every case.

Scan-based

Explorer, Defender, Advisor, Policy Compliance

Toggle is enabled. Switches between the latest scan and the full scan history.

Month-based

Cost Explorer

Toggle is enabled. Cost data is organized by month rather than by scan, so it switches between the current month and all months.

Live data

Performance

Toggle is disabled. Performance metrics are streamed continuously, so there's no current-vs-historical distinction.

Behavior & defaults

Defaults

Minimum query length
2 characters. Below that, the popover shows Type at least 2 characters to search.
Result limit
Up to 50 results per query. The header shows the count, and when there's more, the footer reads Showing {visible} of {total} results.
First-time defaults
Destination Current Page, mode Current scan, entity type All Types. Each is remembered per browser after you change it.
Result ordering
Higher-level entities first (subscriptions, then resource groups, then resources), then names that start with the query before names that merely contain it, then alphabetical.

50-result cap is silent

When a query has more than 50 matches, only the top 50 are returned and the footer reads Showing 50 of 50 results. There's no other indicator. Searching for very common terms (for example, vm or test) silently caps the list, refine the query rather than scrolling.

Prerequisites & permissions

You must be signed in for the search bar to appear. Each destination is gated by its own read permission, and the destination picker only lists destinations you can use. If you have none of the read permissions below, the search bar is hidden entirely.

Required permissions

Explorer
Resource data read access.
Performance
Resource data read access.
Cost Explorer
Cost read access.
Defender
Defender read access.
Advisor
Advisor read access.
Policy Compliance
Policy read access.

Historical results

In All scans mode (or All months for Cost Explorer), results may include resources that no longer exist in Azure. They're labeled with a No longer in current scan badge and a relative timestamp showing when they were last seen, for example 2 months ago or 3 weeks ago.

This mode is the right choice when you're investigating a deletion, looking up a resource you remember by name but can't find on the current scan, or auditing what existed at a point in time.

Performance is always live

Performance metrics aren't snapshotted into scans, so the mode toggle stays on Live dataand there's no historical view to switch into.

Troubleshooting

I don't see the search bar at all.

Answer

The search bar is hidden until authentication completes, and stays hidden if you have none of the destination read permissions. Confirm you're signed in and that your role grants at least one of: resource data, cost, Defender, Advisor, or policy read access.

My destination is missing from the picker.

Answer

Each destination is gated by its own read permission. You only see destinations you can query. If a teammate sees a destination that isn't in your dropdown, your account is missing the matching read permission for that system.

No results found, but I know the resource exists.

Answer

Results are scoped to the selected destination's data, not the full inventory. A resource that exists in Explorer but has no cost records won't appear when Cost Explorer is the destination. Switch to Explorer or set the entity type filter to All Types to confirm it exists, or switch to All scans mode to find recently deleted resources.

My result has a "No longer in current scan" badge.

Answer

The resource existed in a past scan but is gone in the latest one. It was either deleted in Azure or moved out of scope. The relative timestamp shows when it was last seen.

My filters were lost when I navigated to a result.

Answer

Filter preservation only happens when the destination is Current Page and you're already on that destination's page. Picking an explicit destination (for example, Cost Explorer) opens a clean URL by design.

Want to learn more about what Global Search can do?

Check out the feature page for benefits, use cases, and highlights.

View Feature Page