---
title: "Add an attribute"
slug: "add-an-attribute"
abstract: "Describes how to add a new attribute that was not included during your initial setup of Sitecore Search."
---
# Add an attribute

During your initial onboarding, Sitecore integration specialists provide you with a set of base attributes. If you want to add a new attribute after the initial setup, you must add the attribute using the **Domain Settings** section of the **Administration** page.

> [!important]
> Before adding a new attribute, make sure the values it represents exist in your content items. For example, if you add a *version* attribute, at least some of your content items should have a value for *version* listed in a meta-tag or elsewhere in the HTML.

To add an attribute:

1. On the menu bar, click **Administration** > **Domain Settings**.
2. Click **Attributes** > **Add Attribute**.
3. In the attribute editing dialog, click **Settings** > **Entity** and then click the entity that this attribute applies to. Available entity options depend on your specific implementation.
4. In the **Display Name** field, enter a display name for the attribute.
5. In the **Attribute Name** field, enter the attribute's key or property name.

    > [!tip]
    > The *attribute name* must be alphanumeric and lowercase with no spaces. Separate words with an underscore (\_).

6. In the **Placement** drop-down menu, click **Standard**.
7. In the **Data Type** drop-down menu, click the data type of the attribute.

    > [!note]
    > The data type influences which features this attribute can be used for. For example, an attribute of type *integer* cannot be used for personalization. Similarly, an attribute of type *object* cannot be used for facets, filters, personalization, or sorting options. Unavailable options are greyed out on the **Use For Features** tab.

8. Optionally, enter values in the following following input fields:

    **Default Value**, **Description**, and **Icon**.

9. In **Properties**, from among the check boxes, to ensure attribute is included in responses, select *Return in Api Response*.
10. On the **Use For Features** tab, select the features where you want to use the attribute. This is where you enable an attribute to be used as a sorting option, a facet, for textual relevance, and so on.

    > [!important]
    > Depending on the feature, further configuration might be necessary on the Feature Configuration tab or in the Global Widget settings.

11. To add the new attribute, click **Save**. Then, click **Publish**. In the dialog box that opens, to confirm your changes, click **Publish** again.

> [!important]
> After you have added a new attribute using this process, you must [edit your source configuration](https://doc.sitecore.com/search/en/users/search-user-guide/configure-entities/configuring-document-extractors.html "Configuring document extractors") to extract this attribute's values from content items.