# Why don't I get any search results?

Assuming that you can connect to a hub and chat with users, this is usually caused by a firewall, router, connection sharing. Another possibility is that you do not meet a certain criteria on a hub so you are not able to perform searches as often as you like. There are several things you can try:

## If you can't get search results on a particular hub while you can on others

1. If you are in passive connection mode some hubs may won't allow you to search as it stresses the hub a lot. Try to set up active mode following the Connection setup guide.
2. Some hubs allow searches for registered users only. Check login messages, banners, hub addresses or ask an operator how to register yourself.
3. Some hubs have predefined search interval rule to avoid hub overloading with passive searches. It means you have to wait some time before you can start a successive new search. Make sure you don't have Automatically Search for Alternative Download Locations enabled in Queue settings if you are in a hub of this kind as it could prevent you to get manual search results.

## If you are unable to search on all hubs

1. If you use one of the active connection modes, enter your external IP address to the External/WAN IP field in the Connection settings dialog and try to search again. Find out the IP from DSLReport's IP page.
2. Check your router/gateway/firewall configuration. You need to make sure it's allowing or forwarding incoming connections on the port specified in the settings. You have to enable both TCP and UDP traffic. If you can download, but not search, UDP is blocked. Please read the Connection setup guide.
3. Your school or work might be blocking DC traffic. Read the FAQ on types of blocks, and what you might be able to do about it.
4. If the above things don't work for you, you'll have to use passive mode (if the hub allows it).
5. If you still can't search (in passive mode) then probably your DC++ blocked by a software firewall. Please follow the Firewall settings guide.
6. An anti-flood protector software / network device can (partially) block your searches as well. You can suspect that you have a problem of this kind when you always get few results even if you searched for a common term. You can read more about this topic in the Slow downloads FAQ.