Search Insights helps you understand what people search for and which results they select. Collection is off by default and must be enabled for each library. It does not require AI access or credits.

Before you start

You need the Configure analytics permission to open the report. To change collection or retention settings, you must also be a library administrator or system administrator.

Search terms can contain personal or confidential information. Consider who has Configure analytics access and choose a retention period appropriate for your organisation. The report does not provide named user search histories, but the terms themselves may still identify someone.

Turn collection on

  1. Switch to the library you want to configure.
  2. Open Search insights in Library tools. It is also available in the classic administration navigation.
  3. Open the Settings tab.
  4. Select Collect search insights for this library.
  5. Set Keep data for (days) to a value from 1 to 365. The default is 90 days.
  6. Select Save and check for Settings saved.

New submitted searches can now be collected. Searches made before collection was enabled are not added retrospectively. Open Search terms to review activity as it is collected.

What is collected?

Search Insights records searches submitted on the library search page and links result selections to the originating search. It covers process results and the SharePoint and Azure document search tabs.

It does not collect autocomplete keystrokes, AI conversations or searches made independently through an API. Refreshing, paging through results or switching result tabs does not count as a new submitted search. Submitting the same term again does.

The report groups terms without distinguishing letter case or extra whitespace. Search terms longer than 256 characters are not collected. Stored analytics records do not contain user IDs.

Change how long data is kept

Return to Settings, change Keep data for (days) and select Save.

Reducing retention removes older searches and their result-click records. Review the confirmation before accepting a shorter period. Increasing retention cannot recover data that has already been deleted.

Reports exclude data outside the current retention period. Expired records are also removed by regular cleanup.

Turn collection off

Clear Collect search insights for this library and select Save. New searches stop being collected. Existing data remains available within its retention period, and expired data continues to be removed.

If you cannot see the settings

Check that you are in the correct library, have Configure analytics, and are a library administrator or system administrator. Report access alone does not grant permission to change settings.

For help interpreting the results, see Use Search Insights to Improve Your Library.