Search FAQs

A Query Syntax Error usually means a search operator is malformed. Check for:

• Unbalanced quotation marks or parentheses.
• NEAR/ or NOTNEAR/ without a distance number, up to 500.
• A quoted phrase followed by ~ without a number.
• A query containing only excluded words, such as -word, with no positive term.

You do not need to escape slashes in ordinary subtitle text. Before searching, Filmot replaces punctuation such as /, \, ?, !, $, &, @, :, =, commas and square or curly brackets with spaces.

When Filmot can identify the problem, the error message describes it. If a correctly formed query still fails, send the exact search expression through the contact form or the Discord server linked there.

Channel pages show 100 videos at a time. A Next Page button appears whenever the current page is full because Filmot cannot determine in advance whether another page contains records.

If the channel's indexed videos end exactly at a page boundary, the next page is empty. This means there are no more records in that listing, rather than a missing batch of videos.

Channel pages also have a maximum paging limit. Beyond it, the Next Page button is no longer shown.

A half-star Partial data icon indicates that Filmot has an incomplete record of a video. Some records contain a video ID, channel ID, upload date or view count but lack a title, other statistics or subtitles.

You can see the icon on channel pages and in metadata search results. Metadata search includes incomplete records it has discovered, even if no subtitles are available; subtitle search is more selective. Videos not discovered by Filmot will not appear at all.

Patreon supporters can add channels on Prioritized Channels to improve coverage, but prioritization cannot make inaccessible videos or missing captions available.

Filmot indexes caption tracks provided through YouTube. Automatic captions can contain transcription or language-detection errors, while manually supplied tracks may contain translations or text that differs from the speech.

To report a subtitle-quality problem, open the video's subtitles page and use Report. Select the relevant issue, provide the video URL and an approximate timestamp if possible, and include a short description. A captcha check may be required. Avoid sending unnecessary personal information.

For privacy or copyright complaints, use the contact form rather than a subtitle-quality report. Those requests are reviewed separately.

When searching for frequently misheard words, combine spelling alternatives with |, for example "birthing" | "berthing". For other site problems, contact support or use the Discord link on that page.

Saved-search digests normally run daily, but delivery is not guaranteed at a fixed time. Newly matching records may also be delayed until they appear in Filmot's index.

If an expected message has not arrived:

1. Open Saved Searches in the account that owns the search. Confirm that Send daily email digest is enabled and your active searches are within the account allowance.
2. Check the recipient address. A custom address must be verified before it can receive digests; also check your spam folder.
3. Review the last-run and email status. Daily Results can help distinguish a search that has not run from an email-delivery problem.
4. Use Run or Run All Active to test the search, and Send Combined Email to test delivery. If problems continue, contact support with the visible error or status, but do not send verification links or unnecessary personal information.

Alerts cover newly discovered matches, which may include videos uploaded earlier. A day without an email may simply mean no new results matched.

You can mark videos as reviewed by adding private notes, then filter results by whether they have a note. Sign in to use your account’s notes and the associated filters.

On search results pages, click the funnel icon above the results to open Filter videos. In the Notes section, choose Without note to see videos you have not annotated, With note to see those with notes, or All to clear the note filter. The separate Videos section offers All, Available and Unavailable options based on thumbnail availability. This filter is available on metadata search, the subtitle search grid, unlisted search and channel pages.

After reviewing a video, you can add a note such as “Reviewed,” optionally with a timestamp or color. Avoid recording sensitive personal details or conclusions about identifiable people. Without note then shows videos you have not marked. Watching a video does not automatically mark it as reviewed.

Use My Notes to find your annotated videos again and search within the note text. A note attached to a video is private to your account in the normal Filmot interface, not a public comment, and not a separate note per search query.

Use the contact form for support, feedback, privacy questions or reports of a website issue. Describe the problem clearly and include the relevant Filmot URL when possible. Provide a reply email address if you need an answer; avoid including passwords, identity documents or unnecessary personal information.

You can also discuss general questions with other users on the Filmot Discord server, linked from the contact page. Before reporting a common issue, check the FAQ.

Filmot does not store video or audio files and cannot provide copies of deleted videos.

A search that keeps loading, a timeout or an HTTP 500 error usually points to a temporary server problem. It is different from a completed search that simply has no matches, a query-syntax error or a Verify You're Human page.

Try these checks:

1. Open the home page and run a short, simple search. If the site and several unrelated queries all fail, wait and retry later; rapidly refreshing the page is unlikely to help.
2. If only one search fails, remove extra filters and simplify the expression. Keep the original search URL so the problem can be reproduced, but check it for personal or sensitive search terms first.
3. If Filmot cannot be reached at all, try another up-to-date browser or a different network to help tell a local connection problem apart from a site outage. If the results load but playback in a YouTube iframe fails, check whether the error is displayed by the player and comes from YouTube.

For a persistent failure, use the contact form or the Discord link on that page. Include the page or search that failed, the approximate time and your time zone, your browser and the exact error message. Remove or replace any personal or sensitive terms in URLs and search expressions first, and add a screenshot only if it helps, with personal information cropped out. Do not include passwords or API keys.

Temporary interruptions do not by themselves mean that your account has been blocked or that a video has been removed from the index.

Open the FAQ page and use Search questions and answers to find a keyword or phrase. To browse a subject, select it in Filter by keyword; All keywords shows the full list. Browse topics and questions groups questions by topic.

Each answer has a permalink icon that opens its individual page, so you can bookmark it or share a direct link.

If no FAQs match, try shorter terms or another wording. For a question that is not covered, use the contact form or ask on the Discord server linked there.

Filmot may display a captcha or Verify You're Human page when activity appears automated. A verification check does not mean your account is banned, and requirements may vary by connection or activity.

Complete the check to continue. If repeated checks interrupt normal browsing, allow more time between requests. Patreon supporters generally have fewer routine verification interruptions while signed in with the linked Patreon account.

If checks persist, confirm your Patreon account and recognized tier in Settings; signing out and back in may refresh it. Some actions, including sign-in, password reset and contact forms, may still require verification.

For automated queries, use the public API with a key from API Keys, within its published limits. If verification continues to fail, contact support. If the player in a YouTube iframe asks you to sign in or verify that you are human, the request comes from YouTube and is separate from Filmot's own verification checks.

Filmot's human-verification challenge uses hCaptcha, a third-party service. If the images do not load, the challenge is clipped or the touch controls do not respond, refresh the verification page once and open it in a current, full browser rather than an app's embedded or in-app browser.

Check that JavaScript is enabled. If a content blocker or privacy extension seems to stop the challenge from loading, add a site-specific exception or test in a clean browser profile to confirm that is the cause. You can also try another current browser or device. These steps help identify browser or rendering problems; they do not guarantee that a hard challenge becomes easier.

If the problem continues, report it through the contact form or the Discord link there. Include your browser and version and a short description of what happens. The page URL and device type are optional but can help, and a screenshot is usually enough; a screen recording is optional. Keep personal information, email addresses, account details, passwords and unrelated browser tabs out of anything you send.

If a completed captcha repeatedly returns you to the verification page, mention that separately in the report. This FAQ is about a broken or unresponsive challenge; for why checks appear in the first place and how supporter allowances affect them, see the FAQ on the "Verify You're Human" page. A sign-in or anti-bot prompt displayed by the player in a YouTube iframe comes from YouTube and is separate from Filmot's hCaptcha verification.

Use Filmot's documented public API for scripts, bulk queries and automated searches unless another method has been expressly authorized. Automated requests to ordinary website pages may trigger verification checks or access limits.

Sign in, create a key on API Keys and follow the published quotas, rate limits and Terms of Service. Do not bypass captcha checks or access controls. Patreon supporters receive larger monthly API allowances according to tier.

The former Imgur mirror at i.filmot.com is no longer part of the Filmot search service and is unavailable. The About page includes a brief historical note.