> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.umbraco.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cms/develop-with-umbraco/configuration/dictionarysettings.md).

# Dictionary

Information on the dictionary settings section.

Dictionary settings allow you to configure how dictionary items are searched in the Umbraco backoffice.

The following snippet contains all the available options with their default values:

```json
{
  "Umbraco": {
    "CMS": {
      "Dictionary": {
        "EnableValueSearch": false,
        "KeySearchMode": "StartsWith"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

## EnableValueSearch

Key: `EnableValueSearch`

Type: `bool` (default: `false`)

Enables searching dictionary items by their **translation values** in addition to **keys** in the backoffice.

When set to `false` (default), only dictionary keys are searched.

When set to `true`, both dictionary keys and translation values are searched. Values use partial string matching, allowing editors to find dictionary items by their translated content.

{% hint style="info" %}
This feature is **disabled by default** to preserve backward compatibility and performance. It is recommended to enable the setting only when your editors need to search by translation values.
{% endhint %}

## KeySearchMode

Key: `KeySearchMode`

Type: `string` (default: `StartsWith`)

Controls how the search term is matched against the dictionary item key. It accepts two values:

* `StartsWith` (default): only items with a key that begins with the search term are returned. Searching for `Intro` does not return the item `FanclubIntroText`.
* `Contains`: items with a key that includes the search term at any position are returned. Searching for `Intro` returns the item `FanclubIntroText`.

{% hint style="info" %}
`Contains` matching cannot use the database index on the key column. On installations with a large number of dictionary items, the lookup is less efficient than with the default `StartsWith`.
{% endhint %}

## Related Links

* [Dictionary Items](/umbraco-cms/manage-and-publish-content/publishing-and-workflow/editorial-tools/dictionary-items.md)
* [Creating a Multilingual Site](/umbraco-cms/develop-with-umbraco/tutorials/multilanguage-setup.md)


---

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