--- title: "[Search Content] - Localization Operator Real-world Scenarios" description: Explore how the localization operator can enhance search accuracy in Contentstack through real-world examples. url: https://www.contentstack.com/docs/content-managers/search-content/localization-operator-real-world-scenarios product: Contentstack doc_type: guide audience: - content-managers - developers version: current last_updated: 2026-03-25 --- # [Search Content] - Localization Operator Real-world Scenarios This page explains how the localization operator works in Contentstack Advanced Search using real-world scenarios. It is intended for content managers and developers who need to search entries across locales, including fallback language behavior, and should be used when building or troubleshooting locale-specific search queries. ## Localization Operator Real-world Scenarios Explore how the localization operator can enhance search accuracy in Contentstack through these real-world examples. Consider a scenario where you have the following languages available within your [stack](https://www.contentstack.com/docs/developers/set-up-stack/about-stack): English (United States), French (France), Chinese (China), and Spanish (Spain). English (United States) is set as the master language of the stack. - English (United States) is a [fallback language](https://www.contentstack.com/docs/developers/multilingual-content/about-fallback-languages) of French (France); - French (France) is a fallback language of Chinese (China); - English (United States) is a fallback language for Spanish (Spain) You have created six [entries](https://www.contentstack.com/docs/content-managers/author-content/about-entries) in a [content type](https://www.contentstack.com/docs/developers/create-content-types/about-content-types), and these entries are localized in different languages. The table below illustrates the localization and fallback relationships for each entry: | Entry No. | Master Language | Localized in | |---|---|---| | Entry 1 | English (United States) | - French (France)
- Chinese (China) | | Entry 2 | English (United States) | French (France) | | Entry 3 | English (United States) | None | | Entry 4 | English (United States) | French (France) | | Entry 5 | English (United States) | - French (France)
- Chinese (China) | | Entry 6 | English (United States) | Spanish (Spain) | **Tip**: Before using the localization operator, get acquainted with [Advanced Search](/docs/content-managers/search-content/advanced-search) queries. Now, let’s see some scenarios to understand how the localization operator will work in your search queries. ## Case 1: Search for entries of “Chinese (China)” language. To search for entries localized in "Chinese" across any locales, use **Advanced Search** by setting the first condition to match the language "Chinese" and then add a second condition with "Localized In" operator and "Any Locales" value. Then, execute the search to view the results. The search result will include the following entry versions: - Entry 1 (localized in Chinese (China)) - Entry 2 (localized in French (France), since French (France) is the fallback language for Chinese (China)) - Entry 3 (master language [English (United States)]) - Entry 4 (localized in French (France), since French (France) is the fallback language for Chinese (China)) - Entry 5 (localized in Chinese (China)) - Entry 6 (master language [English (United States)]) The results include entries either localized in Chinese or those that could potentially be localized in Chinese but are not yet. For entries not localized in Chinese, the results show the immediate predecessor in the fallback lineage. So, in the above example, it returned Entry 2 (localized in French), but did not bring Entry 2 (English). ## Case 2: Search for entries that are localized only in “Chinese (China)” To find entries exclusively localized in Chinese (China), access **Advanced Search**, set the first condition to match "Chinese (China)" language, then add a second condition with "Localized In" operator and "Chinese (China)" value. Finally, execute the search. The search result will include the following entry versions: - Entry 1 (localized in Chinese (China)) - Entry 5 (localized in Chinese (China)) Here, only the entries localized in Chinese (China) appear in the search results. ## Case 3: Search for entries yet to be localized in "Chinese (China)" To find entries that are not yet localized into Chinese (China), access **Advanced Search**, keep the first condition matching the "Chinese (China)" language, then add a second condition with "Not Localized In" operator and "Chinese (China)" value. Finally, execute the search. The search result will include the following entry versions: - Entry 2 localized in French (France) - Entry 3 master language [English (United States)] - Entry 4 localized in French (France) - Entry 6 master language [English (United States)] Here, all entries except the ones localized in Chinese (China) appear in the search results. ## Case 4: Search for entries localized only in "French (France)" within the "Chinese (China)" language entries. To find entries related to Chinese (China) that are also localized in French (France), access **Advanced Search**, maintain the first condition matching the "Chinese (China)" language, and then add a second condition using the "Localized In" operator with the value set to "French (France)". Execute the search to get the results. The search result will include the following entry versions: - Entry 2 localized in French (France) - Entry 4 localized in French (France) Here, only the entries present in Chinese (China) language that have been localized in French (France) appear in the search results. **Additional Resource**: Learn how [localization](/docs/developers/multilingual-content/about-localization) works in Contentstack. ## Common questions ### What does “Any Locales” return when searching with “Localized In”? It returns entries localized in the selected language and entries that could potentially be localized in that language but are not yet, showing the immediate predecessor in the fallback lineage. ### Why do results include fallback language entries instead of the master language entry? For entries not localized in the target language, the results show the immediate predecessor in the fallback lineage (for example, French (France) as the fallback language for Chinese (China)). ### How do I find entries that are not localized in a specific language? Use **Advanced Search** with the "Not Localized In" operator and set the value to the target language (for example, "Chinese (China)"). ### How do I find entries localized only in a specific language? Use **Advanced Search** with the "Localized In" operator and set the value to the specific language (for example, "Chinese (China)").