diff --git a/install/package.json b/install/package.json
index a53a4ab873..22dd31c642 100644
--- a/install/package.json
+++ b/install/package.json
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
         "mubsub-nbb": "^1.5.0",
         "nconf": "^0.10.0",
         "nodebb-plugin-composer-default": "6.0.26",
-        "nodebb-plugin-dbsearch": "2.0.17",
+        "nodebb-plugin-dbsearch": "2.0.18",
         "nodebb-plugin-emoji": "^2.2.2",
         "nodebb-plugin-emoji-android": "2.0.0",
         "nodebb-plugin-markdown": "8.4.3",
diff --git a/public/src/client/search.js b/public/src/client/search.js
index ccc10f8f8f..d12bde2193 100644
--- a/public/src/client/search.js
+++ b/public/src/client/search.js
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ define('forum/search', ['search', 'autocomplete', 'storage'], function (searchMo
 		searchData.term = $('#search-input').val();
 		if (searchData.in === 'posts' || searchData.in === 'titlesposts' || searchData.in === 'titles') {
 			searchData.matchWords = form.find('#match-words-filter').val();
-			searchData.by = form.find('#posted-by-user').val();
+			searchData.by = form.find('#posted-by-user').tagsinput('items');
 			searchData.categories = form.find('#posted-in-categories').val();
 			searchData.searchChildren = form.find('#search-children').is(':checked');
 			searchData.hasTags = form.find('#has-tags').tagsinput('items');
@@ -85,7 +85,10 @@ define('forum/search', ['search', 'autocomplete', 'storage'], function (searchMo
 			}
 
 			if (formData.by) {
-				$('#posted-by-user').val(formData.by);
+				formData.by = Array.isArray(formData.by) ? formData.by : [formData.by];
+				formData.by.forEach(function (by) {
+					$('#posted-by-user').tagsinput('add', by);
+				});
 			}
 
 			if (formData.categories) {
@@ -176,7 +179,12 @@ define('forum/search', ['search', 'autocomplete', 'storage'], function (searchMo
 	}
 
 	function enableAutoComplete() {
-		autocomplete.user($('#posted-by-user'));
+		var userEl = $('#posted-by-user');
+		userEl.tagsinput({
+			confirmKeys: [13, 44],
+			trimValue: true,
+		});
+		autocomplete.user(userEl.siblings('.bootstrap-tagsinput').find('input'));
 
 		var tagEl = $('#has-tags');
 		tagEl.tagsinput({
@@ -184,7 +192,7 @@ define('forum/search', ['search', 'autocomplete', 'storage'], function (searchMo
 			trimValue: true,
 		});
 
-		autocomplete.tag($('#has-tags').siblings('.bootstrap-tagsinput').find('input'));
+		autocomplete.tag(tagEl.siblings('.bootstrap-tagsinput').find('input'));
 	}
 
 	return Search;
diff --git a/public/src/modules/autocomplete.js b/public/src/modules/autocomplete.js
index edd86a1700..92f01e25b9 100644
--- a/public/src/modules/autocomplete.js
+++ b/public/src/modules/autocomplete.js
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ define('autocomplete', function () {
 				open: function () {
 					$(this).autocomplete('widget').css('z-index', 100005);
 				},
-				select: onselect,
+				select: function (event, ui) {
+					handleOnSelect(input, onselect, event, ui);
+				},
 				source: function (request, response) {
 					socket.emit('user.search', {
 						query: request.term,
@@ -90,14 +92,7 @@ define('autocomplete', function () {
 					$(this).autocomplete('widget').css('z-index', 20000);
 				},
 				select: function (event, ui) {
-					onselect = onselect || function () {};
-					var e = jQuery.Event('keypress');
-					e.which = 13;
-					e.keyCode = 13;
-					setTimeout(function () {
-						input.trigger(e);
-					}, 100);
-					onselect(event, ui);
+					handleOnSelect(input, onselect, event, ui);
 				},
 				source: function (request, response) {
 					socket.emit('topics.autocompleteTags', {
@@ -117,5 +112,16 @@ define('autocomplete', function () {
 		});
 	};
 
+	function handleOnSelect(input, onselect, event, ui) {
+		onselect = onselect || function () {};
+		var e = jQuery.Event('keypress');
+		e.which = 13;
+		e.keyCode = 13;
+		setTimeout(function () {
+			input.trigger(e);
+		}, 100);
+		onselect(event, ui);
+	}
+
 	return module;
 });
diff --git a/public/src/modules/search.js b/public/src/modules/search.js
index bcab5d1142..f135271d50 100644
--- a/public/src/modules/search.js
+++ b/public/src/modules/search.js
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ define('search', ['navigator', 'translator', 'storage'], function (nav, translat
 			query.matchWords = data.matchWords;
 		}
 
-		if (postedBy && (searchIn === 'posts' || searchIn === 'titles' || searchIn === 'titlesposts')) {
+		if (postedBy && postedBy.length && (searchIn === 'posts' || searchIn === 'titles' || searchIn === 'titlesposts')) {
 			query.by = postedBy;
 		}