# Prevent searching for specific field with query\_string query

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/prevent-searching-for-specific-field-with-query-string-query/116183>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [January 19, 2018, 8:28am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/prevent-searching-for-specific-field-with-query-string-query/116183 "2018-01-19T08:28:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jojo23](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/jojo23/32/72498_2.png) [@jojo23](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jojo23)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 8:28am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/prevent-searching-for-specific-field-with-query-string-query/116183/1 "2018-01-19T08:28:34Z")

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Hello Forum,

is it possible to somehow limit / filter the fields that can be searched using a query\_string query?

My use-case is that I have an index which contains privileged information and I want to expose a subset of that data to users. Filtering the output from ES is easy enough, but how can I disallow a user to search for one of the "hidden" fields using the query string query?

Thanks,  
Jojo

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**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:** [January 19, 2018, 9:32am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/prevent-searching-for-specific-field-with-query-string-query/116183/2 "2018-01-19T09:32:31Z")

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x-pack security module (commercial plugin) supports that OOTB. [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/x-pack/current/field-and-document-access-control.html](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/x-pack/current/field-and-document-access-control.html)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jojo23](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/jojo23/32/72498_2.png) [@jojo23](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jojo23)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 8:34am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/prevent-searching-for-specific-field-with-query-string-query/116183/3 "2018-01-20T08:34:19Z")

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Thanks, by the lack of additional replies I'm guessing this is the only way to achieve that.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 8:34am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/prevent-searching-for-specific-field-with-query-string-query/116183/4 "2018-02-17T08:34:24Z")

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