Your first search in 5 minutes

This walkthrough takes you through one complete search using the free Username Search — Search 3000+ sites Module. You will choose a Search type, select the Module, run a search, read the three result counters, open a single result, and bookmark it into a Case. It costs nothing to run, so you can follow along end to end.

By the end you will understand the core loop that every UserSearch search follows: choose a Search type, pick a Module, Search Now, read the results, and save what matters.

Note

This page uses the free Username Search Module so your first run never spends Credits. Other Modules carry a fixed or dynamic cost — you will see that cost before you run anything.

Dashboard, Search composer with Username Intelligence Search type, empty state

Before you start

You need a UserSearch account and access to the Search composer — the left-hand panel where every search is built. Nothing else is required for this walkthrough.

The composer header shows, left to right: the Search title, the Search type selector, the Bulk search toggle, and your Credits balance. You will only touch the Search type selector and the Module grid below it.

Step 1 — Choose the Search type

A Search type is the top-level bucket that describes what kind of identifier you are investigating. Choosing a Search type determines which Modules appear in the grid below it.

1. In the composer header, open the Search type selector (the dropdown with the chevron).
2. Choose Username Intelligence.

The Module grid refreshes to show the username-oriented Modules.

Step 2 — Select the free Module

Each Module is a card in the grid. A Module runs one search against a specific data source (the external source that actually holds the data).

1. Find the Username Search card, sub-labelled Search 3000+ sites.
2. Click it to select it.

A selected card is drawn with a coral-orange border and coral-orange title text. Selecting a Module loads its description, its query field, and its Cost per search line below the grid.

Tip

The Username Search — Search 3000+ sites Module may already be selected when you open Username Intelligence. If it is not the card with the coral-orange border, click it to select it before continuing.

Once selected, confirm you are on the right Module:

• The description panel reads: “Reverse Username search across 3000+ websites with profile enrichment of results. Discovers social media, forums, and other accounts linked to a username.”
• The Cost per search line reads Free.

Step 3 — Run the search

1. In the Search query field, type a username to investigate (for example, a handle you want to trace across the web).
2. Confirm the Cost per search line still reads Free.
3. Click Search Now.

The Search Results panel on the right populates with the results of the sweep.

Note

You do not need to open the Choose Data Source settings for this walkthrough. By default this Module searches the top 500 worldwide sites. You can narrow the sweep later; the free search works out of the box.

Step 4 — Read the three counters

Every populated results header carries the same three counters. They count three different things — never treat them as interchangeable.

Counter	Colour	What it means
Found	green	The username was located on a site — an account exists there.
Enriched	orange	UserSearch holds extra metadata on that account (for example possible names or linked emails). Enriched is always a subset of Found.
Connections	white	Relationships or links surfaced between entities — linked-account clusters rather than raw site hits.

For the Search 3000+ sites Module, the results header also shows a found / not found sub-line (for example “207 found / 161 not found”): the not-found half is the set of checked sites where no matching account was located.

Note

A high Found count does not guarantee any Connections — the Connections counter can read zero even on a large result set. Treat the three numbers as independent.

Step 5 — Open a single result

The results table lists one row per site, with columns Bookmark, Site, Enriched, Connection, and Profile URL.

1. Click a row to select it. The lower-left Details panel updates to show that result.
2. In the Details panel, review the structured detail for the selected site.
3. To open the external profile for a row, use its Visit Profile link in the Profile URL column.

The Enriched and Connection cells are per-row flags — a check (positive) or a red X (negative) — and they are independent of each other. A row can be enriched without being part of a connection, and vice versa.

Search Results table, Username Search 3000+ sites, populated

Caution

The Connections graph view has not yet been confirmed in a populated state. When a result set reports connections, the Connections detail area may still read “No connections found.” Do not rely on a populated graph for this first pass — focus on the Found and Enriched results.

Step 6 — Save a lead into a Case

A Case is the container that groups your searches, Bookmarks, and Reports. Saving a promising result as a Bookmark files it into the active Case so you can return to it later. Every account starts with a built-in Default Case.

1. In the results table, find a row worth keeping.
2. Click the checkbox in that row’s Bookmark column.

The result is bookmarked into your active Case. You can review saved results by switching the right-hand panel from Search Results to the Bookmarks tab.

Details panel and Bookmarks tab

Note

Whether a Case retains your bookmarks depends on Forensic Mode. A Case with Forensic Mode on retains bookmarking and history and provides chain-of-custody; a private case with Forensic Mode off keeps no bookmarking and no history (per Lee, 2026-07-08). The built-in Default Case has Forensic Mode on, so your first bookmark is retained.

What you just did

You completed one full pass of the UserSearch search loop:

1. Search type — you chose Username Intelligence.
2. Module — you selected the free Username Search — Search 3000+ sites.
3. Search Now — you ran the search for free.
4. Read the results — you interpreted Found, Enriched, and Connections.
5. Open a result — you inspected one row in the Details panel.
6. Save — you bookmarked a lead into a Case.

Where to go next

• Try OneScan, the RECOMMENDED multi-source Module that runs one username across several data sources at once for broader coverage. Its cost is dynamic — the sum of the data sources you leave enabled — so check the Cost per search line before running it.
• Explore other Search types to investigate different identifier types.
• Organise longer searches by creating and switching Cases, and enable Forensic Mode on a Case when you need a durable, audit-trail record.

Verified against UserSearch v2.0.20