How to Extend Search to Include Custom Post Meta

Are you looking for a way to extend search to include custom post meta? While there’s probably a plugin for this, we have created a quick code snippet that you can use to extend search to include custom post meta in WordPress.

Instructions:

All you have to do is add this code to your theme’s functions.php file or in a site-specific plugin:

/*
 * Extend wp search to include custom post meta 
 */

function custom_search_query( $query ) {
	if ( !is_admin() && $query->is_search ) {
		$query->set('meta_query', array(
			array(
				'key' => '__meta_key__',
				'value' => $query->query_vars['s'],
				'compare' => 'LIKE'
			)
		));
         $query->set('post_type', '__your_post_type__'); // optional
	};
}
add_filter( 'pre_get_posts', 'dc_custom_search_query');

Note: If this is your first time adding code snippets in WordPress, then please refer to our guide on how to properly copy / paste code snippets in WordPress, so you don’t accidentally break your site.

If you liked this code snippet, please consider checking out our other articles on the site like: 22 best WordPress themes for podcasting and how to create a popup form in WordPress.