diff --git a/resources/metadata_sqlite.sql b/resources/metadata_sqlite.sql
index 84237e58c9..3f8459f74c 100644
--- a/resources/metadata_sqlite.sql
+++ b/resources/metadata_sqlite.sql
@@ -151,10 +151,34 @@ CREATE TABLE annotations ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
 	annot_id TEXT NOT NULL,
 	annot_type TEXT NOT NULL,
 	annot_data TEXT NOT NULL,
-	searchable_text TEXT NOT NULL,
+    searchable_text TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT "",
     UNIQUE(book, user_type, user, format, annot_type, annot_id)
 );
 
+CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE annotations_fts USING fts5(searchable_text, content = 'annotations', content_rowid = 'id', tokenize = 'unicode61 remove_diacritics 2');
+CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE annotations_fts_stemmed USING fts5(searchable_text, content = 'annotations', content_rowid = 'id', tokenize = 'porter unicode61 remove_diacritics 2');
+
+CREATE TRIGGER annotations_fts_insert_trg AFTER INSERT ON annotations 
+BEGIN
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts(rowid, searchable_text) VALUES (NEW.id, NEW.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts_stemmed(rowid, searchable_text) VALUES (NEW.id, NEW.searchable_text);
+END;
+
+CREATE TRIGGER annotations_fts_delete_trg AFTER DELETE ON annotations 
+BEGIN
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts(annotations_fts, rowid, searchable_text) VALUES('delete', OLD.id, OLD.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts_stemmed(annotations_fts_stemmed, rowid, searchable_text) VALUES('delete', OLD.id, OLD.searchable_text);
+END;
+
+CREATE TRIGGER annotations_fts_update_trg AFTER UPDATE ON annotations 
+BEGIN
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts(annotations_fts, rowid, searchable_text) VALUES('delete', OLD.id, OLD.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts(rowid, searchable_text) VALUES (NEW.id, NEW.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts_stemmed(annotations_fts_stemmed, rowid, searchable_text) VALUES('delete', OLD.id, OLD.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts_stemmed(rowid, searchable_text) VALUES (NEW.id, NEW.searchable_text);
+END;
+
+
 CREATE VIEW meta AS
         SELECT id, title,
                (SELECT sortconcat(bal.id, name) FROM books_authors_link AS bal JOIN authors ON(author = authors.id) WHERE book = books.id) authors,
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/backend.py b/src/calibre/db/backend.py
index af44ef4293..113ac36bd4 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/backend.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/backend.py
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ def save_annotations_for_book(cursor, book_id, fmt, annots_list, user_type='loca
             text = annot.get('highlighed_text') or ''
             notes = annot.get('notes') or ''
             if notes:
-                text += '0x1f\n\n' + notes
+                text += '\n0x1f\n' + notes
         else:
             continue
         data.append((book_id, fmt, user_type, user, timestamp_in_secs, aid, atype, json.dumps(annot), text))
@@ -1774,6 +1774,25 @@ class DB(object):
         for x in annotations_for_book(self.conn, book_id, fmt, user_type, user):
             yield x
 
+    def search_annotations(self,
+        fts_engine_query, use_stemming, highlight_start, highlight_end, annotation_type,
+        restrict_to_book_ids, restrict_to_user
+    ):
+        fts_table = 'annotations_fts_stemmed' if use_stemming else 'annotations_fts'
+        query = 'SELECT {0}.id, {0}.book, {0}.format, {0}.user_type, {0}.user, {0}.annot_data FROM {0} '
+        query = query.format('annotations')
+        query += ' JOIN {fts_table} ON annotations.id = {fts_table}.rowid'.format(fts_table=fts_table)
+        query += ' WHERE {fts_table} MATCH ?'.format(fts_table=fts_table)
+        data = [fts_engine_query]
+        if restrict_to_user:
+            query += ' AND annotations.user_type = ? AND annotations.user = ?'
+            data += list(*restrict_to_user)
+        if annotation_type:
+            query += ' AND annotations.annot_type = ? '
+            data.append(annotation_type)
+        for (rowid, book_id, fmt, user_type, user, annot_data) in self.execute(query, tuple(data)):
+            yield {'id': rowid, 'book_id': book_id, 'format': fmt, 'user_type': user_type, 'user': user, 'annotation': annot_data}
+
     def all_annotations_for_book(self, book_id):
         for (fmt, user_type, user, data) in self.execute('SELECT format, user_type, user, annot_data FROM annotations WHERE book=?', (book_id,)):
             try:
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/cache.py b/src/calibre/db/cache.py
index 267673244d..4a2d5df514 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/cache.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/cache.py
@@ -2301,6 +2301,22 @@ class Cache(object):
     def all_annotations_for_book(self, book_id):
         return tuple(self.backend.all_annotations_for_book(book_id))
 
+    @read_api
+    def search_annotations(
+        self,
+        fts_engine_query,
+        use_stemming=True,
+        highlight_start=None,
+        highlight_end=None,
+        annotation_type=None,
+        restrict_to_book_ids=None,
+        restrict_to_user=None,
+    ):
+        return tuple(self.backend.search_annotations(
+            fts_engine_query, use_stemming, highlight_start, highlight_end,
+            annotation_type, restrict_to_book_ids, restrict_to_user
+        ))
+
     @write_api
     def restore_annotations(self, book_id, annotations):
         from calibre.utils.iso8601 import parse_iso8601
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/schema_upgrades.py b/src/calibre/db/schema_upgrades.py
index d79796dbc2..bdf9a72b64 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/schema_upgrades.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/schema_upgrades.py
@@ -714,13 +714,44 @@ CREATE TABLE annotations ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
     annot_id TEXT NOT NULL,
     annot_type TEXT NOT NULL,
     annot_data TEXT NOT NULL,
-    searchable_text TEXT NOT NULL,
+    searchable_text TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT "",
     UNIQUE(book, user_type, user, format, annot_type, annot_id)
 );
 
 DROP INDEX IF EXISTS annot_idx;
 CREATE INDEX annot_idx ON annotations (book);
 
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS annotations_fts;
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS annotations_fts_stemmed;
+CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE annotations_fts USING fts5(searchable_text,
+    content = 'annotations', content_rowid = 'id', tokenize = 'unicode61 remove_diacritics 2');
+CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE annotations_fts_stemmed USING fts5(searchable_text,
+    content = 'annotations', content_rowid = 'id', tokenize = 'porter unicode61 remove_diacritics 2');
+
+DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS annotations_fts_insert_trg;
+CREATE TRIGGER annotations_fts_insert_trg AFTER INSERT ON annotations
+BEGIN
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts(rowid, searchable_text) VALUES (NEW.id, NEW.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts_stemmed(rowid, searchable_text) VALUES (NEW.id, NEW.searchable_text);
+END;
+
+DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS annotations_fts_delete_trg;
+CREATE TRIGGER annotations_fts_delete_trg AFTER DELETE ON annotations
+BEGIN
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts(annotations_fts, rowid, searchable_text) VALUES('delete', OLD.id, OLD.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts_stemmed(annotations_fts_stemmed, rowid, searchable_text) VALUES('delete', OLD.id, OLD.searchable_text);
+END;
+
+DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS annotations_fts_update_trg;
+CREATE TRIGGER annotations_fts_update_trg AFTER UPDATE ON annotations
+BEGIN
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts(annotations_fts, rowid, searchable_text) VALUES('delete', OLD.id, OLD.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts(rowid, searchable_text) VALUES (NEW.id, NEW.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts_stemmed(annotations_fts_stemmed, rowid, searchable_text) VALUES('delete', OLD.id, OLD.searchable_text);
+    INSERT INTO annotations_fts_stemmed(rowid, searchable_text) VALUES (NEW.id, NEW.searchable_text);
+END;
+
+
 DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS books_delete_trg;
 CREATE TRIGGER books_delete_trg
     AFTER DELETE ON books
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/tests/metadata.db b/src/calibre/db/tests/metadata.db
index d86bd55a8c..d0df012f3f 100644
Binary files a/src/calibre/db/tests/metadata.db and b/src/calibre/db/tests/metadata.db differ
diff --git a/src/calibre/db/tests/writing.py b/src/calibre/db/tests/writing.py
index 5ba484e0d9..72cdef723d 100644
--- a/src/calibre/db/tests/writing.py
+++ b/src/calibre/db/tests/writing.py
@@ -776,9 +776,9 @@ class WritingTest(BaseTest):
             return kw, (ts - EPOCH).total_seconds()
 
         annot_list = [
-            a(type='bookmark', title='bookmark1', seq=1),
+            a(type='bookmark', title='bookmark1 changed', seq=1),
             a(type='highlight', highlighted_text='text1', uuid='1', seq=2),
-            a(type='highlight', highlighted_text='text2', uuid='2', seq=3, notes='notes2'),
+            a(type='highlight', highlighted_text='text2', uuid='2', seq=3, notes='notes2 some word changed'),
         ]
 
         def map_as_list(amap):
@@ -798,6 +798,16 @@ class WritingTest(BaseTest):
         cache.check_dirtied_annotations()
         self.assertFalse(cache.dirtied_cache)
 
+        # Test searching
+        results = cache.search_annotations('"changed"')
+        self.assertEqual([1, 3], [x['id'] for x in results])
+        results = cache.search_annotations('"changed"', annotation_type='bookmark')
+        self.assertEqual([1], [x['id'] for x in results])
+        results = cache.search_annotations('"Change"')
+        self.assertEqual([1, 3], [x['id'] for x in results])
+        results = cache.search_annotations('"change"', use_stemming=False)
+        self.assertEqual([], [x['id'] for x in results])
+
         annot_list[0][0]['title'] = 'changed title'
         cache.set_annotations_for_book(1, 'moo', annot_list)
         amap = cache.annotations_map_for_book(1, 'moo')