Above the conversation list sits one row: a search box, a Filter button, and a Sort button. This covers what each one actually does, since none of them are limited to what their label suggests.
What it does
Search finds a conversation by more than the customer's name. Filter narrows the list by intent, priority, channel, handler, or tag, and you can combine as many of those as you like. Sort changes the order of the whole list, independent of any filter you've applied.
Where to find it
Directly above the conversation list, below the view tabs. It stays on one row at any panel width; on a narrow sidebar the search box shrinks first.
How it works
Search matches more than you'd expect. Typing into the box checks the subject line, the customer's email, the customer's name, the linked order number, and the text of every message in the thread, so searching an order number or a phrase the customer actually typed will surface the right conversation even if their name doesn't match anything. It also recognizes a ticket number in almost any form: 1006, CS1006, or #CS1006 all match the same conversation.
Filter opens a popover with five options, and every one of them is multi-select. Pick as many values as apply, and the row only shows conversations matching at least one selected value in each category you've touched:
Intent: what Arbyn classified the conversation as. Where is my order, Address change, Cancel order, Refund, Return, Product, Policy, Pre-purchase, Complaint, or Other.
Priority: Low, Medium, High, or Urgent.
Channel: Email, Chat widget, Instagram, or Facebook.
Handler: AI or Human, matching the same Handler pill shown on each row.
Tag: only appears once your shop has at least one tag in use; lists every tag you've created.
Once you pick a value in any category, a chip for it appears below the search row (for example "Priority: High, Urgent"), and clicking the × on a chip clears just that one filter. A Clear all filters link inside the popover resets everything at once. The Filter button itself shows a count, "Filter (2)", once anything is active, so you can tell filters are on without opening the popover.
Sort has four options, and only one is active at a time:
Most recent activity (default): newest real send/receive first. This uses the moment a message actually moved, not the last time the row was touched by something in the background.
Least recent activity: the same clock, reversed.
Longest waiting: oldest activity first, but only among conversations still actually waiting on you. Anything Resolved, Closed, Awaiting customer, or in the brief post-close-nudge state is excluded from this sort entirely, so a conversation you already handled a year ago can't win "longest waiting" just because nobody touched it since.
High priority first: Urgent and High conversations surface to the top, most recent activity breaking ties within each priority level.
Filters and sort both write into the page URL (?intent=, ?priority=, ?channel=, ?handler=, ?tags=, ?sort=), so a filtered, sorted view can be bookmarked or shared with a teammate and it will open exactly as you left it.
Good to know
Every filter category is a stack, not a replacement. Picking two intents does not narrow further than one; it broadens to "either of these two." Picking a value in a different category (say, Priority after Intent) does narrow, since those combine with AND.
Filtering and search work together. A search term and an active filter both apply at once; the list shows only rows matching both.
The search box searches message text, which means it can be slower on a very active thread history than searching just names. There's no separate "search only subjects" mode.
Handler and Channel are the two newest filters (added after merchants asked, in priority order, "can I filter by human vs AI" and "what channel is this"), and they live in the same popover as the rest rather than a separate control.
FAQ
Can I search by order number? Yes, type it with or without the #, and it matches both the linked order number field and any mention of it in the message text.
Does clearing search also clear my filters? No, they're independent. Clearing the search box with its × leaves any active Filter selections in place, and vice versa.
Why did "Longest waiting" not show my oldest conversation? That sort deliberately skips anything already Resolved, Closed, or Awaiting customer. It's answering "who has been waiting on me the longest," not "what's the oldest row in the table."
Is there a way to save a filter combination as a view? Not yet. Filters live in the URL for that session or bookmark, but there's no named, reusable saved-view feature on top of the built-in tabs.