diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/BoundaryCallbackMessages.java b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/BoundaryCallbackMessages.java
index b3399d2114..f5fa2b2358 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/BoundaryCallbackMessages.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/BoundaryCallbackMessages.java
@@ -194,8 +194,6 @@ public class BoundaryCallbackMessages extends PagedList.BoundaryCallback<TupleMe
         DB db = DB.getInstance(context);
 
         int found = 0;
-        if (criteria.isExpression())
-            return found;
 
         SharedPreferences prefs = PreferenceManager.getDefaultSharedPreferences(context);
         boolean fts = prefs.getBoolean("fts", false);
@@ -227,6 +225,9 @@ public class BoundaryCallbackMessages extends PagedList.BoundaryCallback<TupleMe
             return found;
         }
 
+        if (criteria.isExpression())
+            return found;
+
         try {
             db.beginTransaction();
 
@@ -708,34 +709,28 @@ public class BoundaryCallbackMessages extends PagedList.BoundaryCallback<TupleMe
                 List<String> plus = new ArrayList<>();
                 List<String> minus = new ArrayList<>();
                 List<String> opt = new ArrayList<>();
-                StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+                StringBuilder all = new StringBuilder();
                 for (String w : search.trim().split("\\s+")) {
-                    if (sb.length() > 0)
-                        sb.append(' ');
+                    if (all.length() > 0)
+                        all.append(' ');
 
                     if (w.length() > 1 && w.startsWith("+")) {
                         plus.add(w.substring(1));
-                        sb.append(w.substring(1));
+                        all.append(w.substring(1));
                     } else if (w.length() > 1 && w.startsWith("-")) {
                         minus.add(w.substring(1));
-                        sb.append(w.substring(1));
+                        all.append(w.substring(1));
                     } else if (w.length() > 1 && w.startsWith("?")) {
                         opt.add(w.substring(1));
-                        sb.append(w.substring(1));
+                        all.append(w.substring(1));
                     } else {
                         word.add(w);
-                        sb.append(w);
+                        all.append(w);
                     }
                 }
 
-                if (plus.size() + minus.size() + opt.size() > 0) {
-                    search = sb.toString();
-                    Log.i("SEARCH word=" + TextUtils.join(",", word));
-                    Log.i("SEARCH plus=" + TextUtils.join(",", plus));
-                    Log.i("SEARCH minus=" + TextUtils.join(",", minus));
-                    Log.i("SEARCH opt=" + TextUtils.join(",", opt));
-                    Log.i("SEARCH full=" + search);
-                }
+                if (plus.size() + minus.size() + opt.size() > 0)
+                    search = all.toString();
 
                 // Yahoo! does not support keyword search, but uses the flags $Forwarded $Junk $NotJunk
                 boolean hasKeywords = false;
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/FragmentDialogSearch.java b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/FragmentDialogSearch.java
index 8608e71892..bb16890e02 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/FragmentDialogSearch.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/FragmentDialogSearch.java
@@ -334,10 +334,6 @@ public class FragmentDialogSearch extends FragmentDialogBase {
                                     Log.unexpectedError(getParentFragmentManager(), ex);
                                 }
                             }.execute(getContext(), getViewLifecycleOwner(), getArguments(), "search:raw");
-                        else if (criteria.isExpression() && folder > 0)
-                            FragmentMessages.search(
-                                    getContext(), getViewLifecycleOwner(), getParentFragmentManager(),
-                                    account, folder, true, criteria);
                         else
                             FragmentMessages.search(
                                     getContext(), getViewLifecycleOwner(), getParentFragmentManager(),
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/FtsDbHelper.java b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/FtsDbHelper.java
index d82864c442..f722c1c789 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/FtsDbHelper.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/faircode/email/FtsDbHelper.java
@@ -111,29 +111,61 @@ public class FtsDbHelper extends SQLiteOpenHelper {
             SQLiteDatabase db,
             Long account, Long folder,
             BoundaryCallbackMessages.SearchCriteria criteria) {
-        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
-        for (String or : criteria.query.split(",")) {
-            if (sb.length() > 0)
-                sb.append(" OR ");
 
-            boolean first = true;
-            sb.append("(");
-            for (String and : or.trim().split("\\s+")) {
-                if (first)
-                    first = false;
-                else
-                    sb.append(" AND ");
+        List<String> word = new ArrayList<>();
+        List<String> plus = new ArrayList<>();
+        List<String> minus = new ArrayList<>();
+        List<String> opt = new ArrayList<>();
+        StringBuilder all = new StringBuilder();
+        for (String w : criteria.query.trim().split("\\s+")) {
+            if (all.length() > 0)
+                all.append(' ');
 
-                // Escape quotes
-                String term = and.replaceAll("\"", "\"\"");
-
-                // Quote search term
-                sb.append("\"").append(term).append("\"");
+            if (w.length() > 1 && w.startsWith("+")) {
+                plus.add(w.substring(1));
+                all.append(w.substring(1));
+            } else if (w.length() > 1 && w.startsWith("-")) {
+                minus.add(w.substring(1));
+                all.append(w.substring(1));
+            } else if (w.length() > 1 && w.startsWith("?")) {
+                opt.add(w.substring(1));
+                all.append(w.substring(1));
+            } else {
+                word.add(w);
+                all.append(w);
             }
-            sb.append(")");
         }
 
-        String search = sb.toString();
+        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
+        if (plus.size() + minus.size() + opt.size() > 0) {
+            if (word.size() > 0)
+                sb.append(escape(TextUtils.join(" ", word)));
+
+            for (String p : plus) {
+                if (sb.length() > 0)
+                    sb.append(" AND ");
+                sb.append(escape(p));
+            }
+
+            for (String m : minus) {
+                if (sb.length() > 0)
+                    sb.append(" NOT ");
+                sb.append(escape(m));
+            }
+
+            if (sb.length() > 0) {
+                sb.insert(0, '(');
+                sb.append(')');
+            }
+
+            for (String o : opt) {
+                if (sb.length() > 0)
+                    sb.append(" OR ");
+                sb.append(escape(o));
+            }
+        }
+
+        String search = (sb.length() > 0 ? sb.toString() : escape(criteria.query));
 
         String select = "";
         if (account != null)
@@ -159,6 +191,10 @@ public class FtsDbHelper extends SQLiteOpenHelper {
         return result;
     }
 
+    private static String escape(String word) {
+        return "\"" + word.replaceAll("\"", "\"\"") + "\"";
+    }
+
     static Cursor getIds(SQLiteDatabase db) {
         return db.query(
                 "message", new String[]{"rowid"},