Multiple Faces Detected
June 1st, 2026
SoundCloud has over 300 million tracks from 30 million artists. Finding exactly what you are looking for requires knowing how the search actually works. Whether you are hunting for a specific track, trying to find an artist by name, looking up someone you connected with through the platform, or browsing by tag, this guide covers every search method on both desktop and mobile. If you are trying to find a specific person behind a SoundCloud username and the platform search is not surfacing them, Social Catfish’s username search cross-references any handle against other platforms to find connected identity information.
How SoundCloud Search Works
SoundCloud’s search engine scans its entire catalog, covering tracks, artists, playlists, albums, DJ sets, and podcasts, and factors in text matches, current trends, and your personal listening history to rank results.
The search bar is located at the top of the screen on desktop and accessible through the Search icon at the bottom of the app on mobile. You can search by track title, artist name, username, playlist name, album name, genre, or tag term. Results are organized into content types that you can filter after the initial search.
SoundCloud search works best with specific terms. Searching a full track title or an exact artist name surfaces the most targeted results. Broader searches like a genre name or mood term surface discovery results ranked by popularity and relevance to your listening preferences.
How to Search SoundCloud on Desktop
Step by step:
- Go to soundcloud.com and locate the search bar at the top of the screen
- Type the name of a track, artist, album, playlist, genre, or tag into the search bar
- Press Enter to run the search
- Use the filter tabs at the top of the results page to narrow by content type: Tracks, People, Albums, Playlists, and Sets are all available as separate filters
- Within Tracks results, additional filters for genre and mood are available to narrow discovery searches further
Tips for better desktop search results:
- Use quotes around an exact phrase to search for a specific track title rather than individual words
- If a track name is common, add the artist name alongside it to narrow results
- Use the People filter specifically when searching for a user or artist account rather than a track
Genre and mood browsing: The Discover section on desktop surfaces curated content by genre, mood, and trending category. This is more effective than search for open-ended discovery when you know the type of music you want but not the specific track or artist.
How to Search on SoundCloud Mobile
Step by step:
- Open the SoundCloud app on iOS or Android
- Tap the Search icon at the bottom of the screen to open the search landing page
- The landing page surfaces trending tracks and genre categories without requiring a search query
- Type your search term into the search bar at the top of the screen
- Filter results by content type using the tabs that appear after the search runs
Voice search: On both iOS and Android, a microphone icon appears in the search bar on some versions of the app. Tapping it allows voice search, which is useful for searching track titles or artist names that are difficult to type accurately.
Search tab vs Home feed: The Search tab is for active lookup of specific content. The Home feed surfaces personalized recommendations based on your listening history and the artists you follow. For finding something specific, use the Search tab. For discovery, the Home feed and Discover sections serve the purpose better.
How to Find Someone on SoundCloud When Platform Search Comes Up Empty
This is the most common people-search problem on SoundCloud and the one the platform handles the worst. SoundCloud’s search is built around usernames and artist names, not real names. If you know someone as John Mitchell, but their SoundCloud handle is “midnight_frequency” or some other unrelated alias, searching their real name returns nothing useful.
Try their known usernames from other platforms first. Most artists use the same or a similar handle across Spotify, Instagram, Twitter/X, and SoundCloud. If you know any username they use elsewhere, search it directly in SoundCloud’s People filter. This is the fastest free method and works more often than expected because handling consistency across platforms is common.
Google their real name alongside SoundCloud. Search their full name in quotes alongside “SoundCloud” in Google. If they have ever been mentioned by their real name in a SoundCloud context, on a blog, a music review site, or a social media post linking to their profile, Google surfaces the connection.
Check their social media bios. Many SoundCloud artists link their profile directly in their Instagram bio, Twitter profile, or TikTok description. If you can find the person on any other platform, their SoundCloud link is often one tap away.
Social Catfish username and name search. Enter their real name or any known username into Social Catfish’s search tools. The name search returns linked social media accounts and usernames across platforms, which often include a SoundCloud handle or artist alias. The username search cross-references any handle across hundreds of platforms simultaneously, finding every account where it appears. This is the most efficient method when you have a real name but no artist alias to search on SoundCloud directly.
How to Find Someone on SoundCloud by Name or Username
SoundCloud lets you find and follow artists and connect with other music fans directly. The People filter in search results is the primary tool for finding a specific person.
Step by step:
- Type the person’s display name or username into the SoundCloud search bar
- After the results load, select the People filter tab
- Browse the results for the correct account
Display name vs username: SoundCloud accounts have both a display name, which is what appears publicly and can be changed, and a username, which forms the profile URL at soundcloud.com/username and is more stable. If you know either, searching it in the People filter surfaces the account. If the display name is common, the username is more precise.
When someone uses a pseudonymous artist name, many SoundCloud artists use a stage name or alias that has no connection to their real name. If you know someone’s real name but not their SoundCloud handle, searching their real name may return nothing. Try searching for any username or alias you know them to use on other platforms, as many artists use consistent handles across Spotify, Instagram, and SoundCloud.
Social Catfish username search: If you have a username from another platform and want to find out whether the same person has a SoundCloud account, enter the username into Social Catfish’s username search. The search cross-references the handle across hundreds of platforms simultaneously, including SoundCloud, and surfaces every account where that username appears. This is the most efficient method for connecting a known username to a SoundCloud profile without checking each platform manually.
How to Find Music on SoundCloud Without Knowing the Name
When you want to explore rather than find something specific, these methods are more effective than search.
Discover page: The Discover section surfaces curated content by genre, mood, and trending category. The Hot For You feature provides a daily recommended track based on your individual listening preferences, updated each day.
Related Tracks: On any track page, SoundCloud surfaces related tracks below the player. Following related track recommendations from a song you already like is one of the most effective discovery methods on the platform and surfaces content that direct search often misses.
Follow artists and see their reposts: Artists on SoundCloud frequently repost tracks from other artists they are listening to or supporting. Following artists whose taste aligns with yours and browsing their reposts surfaces music outside your direct search results.
Genre and mood browsing: Navigate to the Discover section and browse by genre or mood category. This is effective for finding new music within a style you already know you enjoy without needing a specific track name.
When you only have a person’s name but not their SoundCloud handle: If someone recommended a track but you only know their real name and not their artist alias or SoundCloud username, Social Catfish’s username search is the most direct route. Enter any username or handle you know them to use on other platforms, and the search cross-references it across hundreds of platforms simultaneously, including SoundCloud, surfacing connected accounts and the artist profile behind the name. Once you have the profile, finding the track they recommended becomes straightforward.
FAQ
Use the search bar at the top of the screen on desktop or tap the Search icon at the bottom of the app on mobile. Type a track name, artist name, username, or tag term. Filter results by content type using the tabs that appear after the search runs.
SoundCloud uses tags rather than traditional hashtags. Type the tag term directly into the search bar without a hash symbol. Searching a genre or mood term returns tracks that artists have tagged with those terms. The Discover section also organizes content by genre category for browsing.
Recently played tracks appear in the sidebar on desktop and in the Library tab on mobile. Tracks you have liked or reposted are saved permanently in the Likes and Reposts sections of your Library and can be browsed manually. SoundCloud does not maintain a permanent date-stamped listening history.
Search their display name or username in the search bar and select the People filter tab from the results. If you know any username they use on other platforms, try that in SoundCloud’s search, as many artists use consistent handles across platforms. Social Catfish’s username search cross-references a handle across hundreds of platforms simultaneously to find connected accounts, including SoundCloud.
Yes. SoundCloud’s search and most of its public content are accessible without an account at soundcloud.com. Creating an account unlocks personalized recommendations, listening history, and the ability to like, repost, and follow artists.
