# Semantic session search & 'find similar'

**Category:** [Session Replay](https://help.totalctrl.app/hc/totalctrl/totalctrl-help-center/en-US/categories/session-replay)
**Updated:** 2026-10-04

## Search by meaning

Open **Session Replay → Search** and describe what you're looking for in plain language, e.g. *"users struggling on checkout with a payment error"*. Results are ranked by relevance — matched by meaning, not exact keywords — using a semantic index of your sessions.
## Find similar sessions

From any session in the player, click **Find similar** to pull up the sessions most like it. Great for confirming whether a behaviour you just watched is a one-off or a pattern.
## How indexing works

Completed sessions are embedded into the search index automatically in the background (usually within a few minutes of a session ending). If a brand-new workspace shows "index still being built", give it a little time as recordings finish.

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## Related Articles

- [Getting started: install the recorder](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/session-replay-getting-started)
- [Privacy, masking, and GDPR controls](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/privacy-and-gdpr)
- [Install the recording SDK](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/install-the-sdk)
- [Restrict recording to your sites with Allowed origins](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/session-replay-allowed-origins)
- [Find and replay a session](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/replay-a-session)

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