# Highlight not working with query\_string

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/highlight-not-working-with-query-string/168277>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [February 13, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/highlight-not-working-with-query-string/168277 "2019-02-13T18:59:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alain\_Desilets](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/alain_desilets/32/29314_2.png) [@Alain\_Desilets](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Alain_Desilets)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 6:59pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/highlight-not-working-with-query-string/168277/1 "2019-02-13T18:59:32Z")

</div>

I am trying to highlight the results of a query as follows:

```
{
"size": 1,
"_source": "longDescription",
    "query" : {
        "query_string": {"query": "desert"}
    },
    "highlight" : {
        "fields" : {"longDescription" : {}}
    }
}

```

But it produces an empty list of highlights. Yet, if I write the query as follows, I do get highlights:

```
{
"size": 1,
"_source": "longDescription",
    "query" : {
        "match": { "longDescription": "desert" }
     },
    "highlight" : {
        "fields" : {"longDescription" : {}}
    }
}

```

What am I doing wrong?

Thx.

Alain Désilets

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/highlight-not-working-with-query-string/168277/2 "2019-02-13T20:28:21Z")

</div>

Which version is that?

Could you try:

```
"query_string": {"query": "longDescription:desert"}
```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Alain\_Desilets](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/alain_desilets/32/29314_2.png) [@Alain\_Desilets](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Alain_Desilets)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/highlight-not-working-with-query-string/168277/3 "2019-02-14T00:54:29Z")

</div>

It worked, thx!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 1:07am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/highlight-not-working-with-query-string/168277/4 "2019-03-14T01:07:14Z")

</div>

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