What can I do when I get no search results on Findmypast?

When searching on Findmypast, it’s always useful to remember that less is more. We recommend searching broadly first and then using filters to narrow your search. If you add too much criteria when searching, you risk yielding zero results. When this happens, there are a few fixes you can try:

1. Use wildcards (*) or (?) to broaden your search and find records with alternative spellings, transcription errors or evolving names
2. Remove the location from your search or at least broaden it to a county/state, region or country rather than a specific address or town
3. Try alternative search terms to account for transcription or human error. For example, slightly altering the forename, age or place of birth in a search may unlock the elusive record you’ve been looking for
4. On record category search pages and some individual record set screens, you can search by keywords. This will bring back results for any record where that keyword is transcribed
5. Review your initial search, making sure all the details are correct and removing anything that you think could be narrowing the results. Try a few different combinations of searches until you start to get results back

If you’re still having trouble getting search results after trying these solutions, please feel free to contact our Customer Support team who will be happy to guide you through using Findmypast’s search tools.