diff --git a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/AbstractFileSearchFilter.java b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/AbstractFileSearchFilter.java
index 67f65be80b..149e11afa5 100755
--- a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/AbstractFileSearchFilter.java
+++ b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/AbstractFileSearchFilter.java
@@ -31,9 +31,20 @@ import javax.swing.JComponent;
 abstract class AbstractFileSearchFilter<T extends JComponent> implements FileSearchFilter {
 
     final private T component;
-
+    private String lastErrorMessage;
+    
     AbstractFileSearchFilter(T component) {
         this.component = component;
+        this.lastErrorMessage = "";
+    }
+    
+    void setLastError(String mes){
+        lastErrorMessage = mes;
+    }
+    
+    @Override
+    public String getLastError(){
+        return this.lastErrorMessage;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/Bundle.properties b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/Bundle.properties
index fff8007fd4..bb91c8e05c 100755
--- a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/Bundle.properties
+++ b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/Bundle.properties
@@ -57,4 +57,5 @@ MimeTypePanel.jLabel1.text=*Note: Multiple MIME types can be selected
 FileSearchPanel.searchButton.text=Search
 MimeTypePanel.mimeTypeCheckBox.text=MIME Type:
 HashSearchPanel.md5CheckBox.text=MD5:
-HashSearchPanel.emptyHashMsg.text=Must enter something for hash search.
\ No newline at end of file
+HashSearchPanel.emptyHashMsg.text=Must enter something for hash search.
+FileSearchPanel.errorLabel.text=\ 
diff --git a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchFilter.java b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchFilter.java
index 457db56570..db16fdd1e0 100755
--- a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchFilter.java
+++ b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchFilter.java
@@ -47,6 +47,13 @@ interface FileSearchFilter {
      * @return Whether the panel has valid input for search.
      */
     boolean isValid();
+    
+    /**
+     * Get the last error recorded during the call to isValid
+     * 
+     * @return Description of why the filter is invalid
+     */
+    String getLastError();
 
     /**
      * Gets predicate expression to include in the SQL filter expression
diff --git a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchPanel.form b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchPanel.form
index dbb90bea12..a64489bb01 100755
--- a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchPanel.form
+++ b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchPanel.form
@@ -23,7 +23,9 @@
       <Group type="103" groupAlignment="0" attributes="0">
           <Component id="filterPanel" alignment="0" max="32767" attributes="0"/>
           <Group type="102" alignment="1" attributes="0">
-              <EmptySpace max="32767" attributes="0"/>
+              <EmptySpace max="-2" attributes="0"/>
+              <Component id="errorLabel" max="32767" attributes="0"/>
+              <EmptySpace max="-2" attributes="0"/>
               <Component id="searchButton" min="-2" max="-2" attributes="0"/>
               <EmptySpace max="-2" attributes="0"/>
           </Group>
@@ -32,9 +34,14 @@
     <DimensionLayout dim="1">
       <Group type="103" groupAlignment="0" attributes="0">
           <Group type="102" alignment="0" attributes="0">
-              <Component id="filterPanel" max="32767" attributes="0"/>
-              <EmptySpace min="0" pref="0" max="-2" attributes="0"/>
-              <Component id="searchButton" min="-2" max="-2" attributes="0"/>
+              <Component id="filterPanel" pref="266" max="32767" attributes="0"/>
+              <Group type="103" groupAlignment="1" attributes="0">
+                  <Component id="searchButton" min="-2" max="-2" attributes="0"/>
+                  <Group type="102" attributes="0">
+                      <EmptySpace max="-2" attributes="0"/>
+                      <Component id="errorLabel" min="-2" max="-2" attributes="0"/>
+                  </Group>
+              </Group>
               <EmptySpace max="-2" attributes="0"/>
           </Group>
       </Group>
@@ -63,6 +70,19 @@
           <ResourceString bundle="org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/Bundle.properties" key="FileSearchPanel.searchButton.text" replaceFormat="org.openide.util.NbBundle.getMessage({sourceFileName}.class, &quot;{key}&quot;)"/>
         </Property>
       </Properties>
+      <Events>
+        <EventHandler event="actionPerformed" listener="java.awt.event.ActionListener" parameters="java.awt.event.ActionEvent" handler="searchButtonActionPerformed"/>
+      </Events>
+    </Component>
+    <Component class="javax.swing.JLabel" name="errorLabel">
+      <Properties>
+        <Property name="foreground" type="java.awt.Color" editor="org.netbeans.beaninfo.editors.ColorEditor">
+          <Color blue="33" green="33" red="ff" type="rgb"/>
+        </Property>
+        <Property name="text" type="java.lang.String" editor="org.netbeans.modules.i18n.form.FormI18nStringEditor">
+          <ResourceString bundle="org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/Bundle.properties" key="FileSearchPanel.errorLabel.text" replaceFormat="org.openide.util.NbBundle.getMessage({sourceFileName}.class, &quot;{key}&quot;)"/>
+        </Property>
+      </Properties>
     </Component>
   </SubComponents>
 </Form>
diff --git a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchPanel.java b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchPanel.java
index d7efb0b46f..2a27be8297 100755
--- a/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchPanel.java
+++ b/Core/src/org/sleuthkit/autopsy/filesearch/FileSearchPanel.java
@@ -111,13 +111,7 @@ class FileSearchPanel extends javax.swing.JPanel {
                 }
             });
         }
-
-        addListenerToAll(new ActionListener() {
-            @Override
-            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
-                search();
-            }
-        });
+        
         searchButton.setEnabled(isValidSearch());
     }
 
@@ -130,11 +124,13 @@ class FileSearchPanel extends javax.swing.JPanel {
             if (filter.isEnabled()) {
                 enabled = true;
                 if (!filter.isValid()) {
+                    errorLabel.setText(filter.getLastError());
                     return false;
                 }
             }
         }
 
+        errorLabel.setText("");
         return enabled;
     }
 
@@ -280,6 +276,7 @@ class FileSearchPanel extends javax.swing.JPanel {
 
         filterPanel = new javax.swing.JPanel();
         searchButton = new javax.swing.JButton();
+        errorLabel = new javax.swing.JLabel();
 
         setPreferredSize(new java.awt.Dimension(300, 300));
 
@@ -288,6 +285,14 @@ class FileSearchPanel extends javax.swing.JPanel {
         filterPanel.setLayout(new javax.swing.BoxLayout(filterPanel, javax.swing.BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
 
         searchButton.setText(org.openide.util.NbBundle.getMessage(FileSearchPanel.class, "FileSearchPanel.searchButton.text")); // NOI18N
+        searchButton.addActionListener(new java.awt.event.ActionListener() {
+            public void actionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {
+                searchButtonActionPerformed(evt);
+            }
+        });
+
+        errorLabel.setForeground(new java.awt.Color(255, 51, 51));
+        errorLabel.setText(org.openide.util.NbBundle.getMessage(FileSearchPanel.class, "FileSearchPanel.errorLabel.text")); // NOI18N
 
         javax.swing.GroupLayout layout = new javax.swing.GroupLayout(this);
         this.setLayout(layout);
@@ -295,21 +300,31 @@ class FileSearchPanel extends javax.swing.JPanel {
             layout.createParallelGroup(javax.swing.GroupLayout.Alignment.LEADING)
             .addComponent(filterPanel, javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, Short.MAX_VALUE)
             .addGroup(javax.swing.GroupLayout.Alignment.TRAILING, layout.createSequentialGroup()
-                .addContainerGap(javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, Short.MAX_VALUE)
+                .addContainerGap()
+                .addComponent(errorLabel, javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, Short.MAX_VALUE)
+                .addPreferredGap(javax.swing.LayoutStyle.ComponentPlacement.RELATED)
                 .addComponent(searchButton)
                 .addContainerGap())
         );
         layout.setVerticalGroup(
             layout.createParallelGroup(javax.swing.GroupLayout.Alignment.LEADING)
             .addGroup(layout.createSequentialGroup()
-                .addComponent(filterPanel, javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, Short.MAX_VALUE)
-                .addGap(0, 0, 0)
-                .addComponent(searchButton)
+                .addComponent(filterPanel, javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, 266, Short.MAX_VALUE)
+                .addGroup(layout.createParallelGroup(javax.swing.GroupLayout.Alignment.TRAILING)
+                    .addComponent(searchButton)
+                    .addGroup(layout.createSequentialGroup()
+                        .addPreferredGap(javax.swing.LayoutStyle.ComponentPlacement.RELATED)
+                        .addComponent(errorLabel)))
                 .addContainerGap())
         );
     }// </editor-fold>//GEN-END:initComponents
 
+    private void searchButtonActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {//GEN-FIRST:event_searchButtonActionPerformed
+        search();
+    }//GEN-LAST:event_searchButtonActionPerformed
+
     // Variables declaration - do not modify//GEN-BEGIN:variables
+    private javax.swing.JLabel errorLabel;
     private javax.swing.JPanel filterPanel;
     private javax.swing.JButton searchButton;
     // End of variables declaration//GEN-END:variables