diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/db/constants.js b/packages/backend-core/src/db/constants.js
index 10c6e174d7..12626fb90e 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/db/constants.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/db/constants.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 exports.SEPARATOR = "_"
+exports.UNICODE_MAX = "\ufff0"
 
 const PRE_APP = "app"
 const PRE_DEV = "dev"
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.ts b/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.ts
index fc4094ad9f..54af4fc7a2 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { newid } from "../hashing"
 import { DEFAULT_TENANT_ID, Configs } from "../constants"
 import env from "../environment"
-import { SEPARATOR, DocumentTypes } from "./constants"
+import { SEPARATOR, DocumentTypes, UNICODE_MAX } from "./constants"
 import { getTenantId, getGlobalDBName, getGlobalDB } from "../tenancy"
 import fetch from "node-fetch"
 import { doWithDB, allDbs } from "./index"
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ import { isDevApp, isDevAppID } from "./conversions"
 import { APP_PREFIX } from "./constants"
 import * as events from "../events"
 
-const UNICODE_MAX = "\ufff0"
-
 export const ViewNames = {
   USER_BY_EMAIL: "by_email",
   BY_API_KEY: "by_api_key",
@@ -439,21 +437,22 @@ export const getPlatformUrl = async (opts = { tenantAware: true }) => {
 }
 
 export function pagination(
-  response: any,
+  data: any[],
   pageSize: number,
-  paginate: boolean = true
+  { paginate, property } = { paginate: true, property: "_id" }
 ) {
-  const data = response.rows.map((row: any) => {
-    return row.doc ? row.doc : row
-  })
   if (!paginate) {
     return { data, hasNextPage: false }
   }
   const hasNextPage = data.length > pageSize
+  let nextPage = undefined
+  if (hasNextPage) {
+    nextPage = property ? data[pageSize]?.[property] : data[pageSize]?._id
+  }
   return {
     data: data.slice(0, pageSize),
     hasNextPage,
-    nextPage: hasNextPage ? data[pageSize]?._id : undefined,
+    nextPage,
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/users.js b/packages/backend-core/src/users.js
index 4acccda2a0..0c1350a674 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/users.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/users.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const { ViewNames } = require("./db/utils")
 const { queryGlobalView } = require("./db/views")
+const { UNICODE_MAX } = require("./db/constants")
 
 /**
  * Given an email address this will use a view to search through
@@ -19,3 +20,24 @@ exports.getGlobalUserByEmail = async email => {
 
   return response
 }
+
+/**
+ * Performs a starts with search on the global email view.
+ */
+exports.searchGlobalUsersByEmail = async (email, opts) => {
+  if (typeof email !== "string") {
+    throw new Error("Must provide a string to search by")
+  }
+  const lcEmail = email.toLowerCase()
+  // handle if passing up startkey for pagination
+  const startkey = opts && opts.startkey ? opts.startkey : lcEmail
+  let response = await queryGlobalView(ViewNames.USER_BY_EMAIL, {
+    ...opts,
+    startkey,
+    endkey: `${lcEmail}${UNICODE_MAX}`,
+  })
+  if (!response) {
+    response = []
+  }
+  return Array.isArray(response) ? response : [response]
+}
diff --git a/packages/builder/src/helpers/pagination.js b/packages/builder/src/helpers/pagination.js
index 8f524d8d9f..9399d34d12 100644
--- a/packages/builder/src/helpers/pagination.js
+++ b/packages/builder/src/helpers/pagination.js
@@ -1,31 +1,56 @@
-export class PageInfo {
-  constructor(fetch) {
-    this.reset()
-    this.fetch = fetch
-  }
+import { writable } from "svelte/store"
 
-  async goToNextPage() {
-    this.pageNumber++
-    this.prevPage = this.page
-    this.page = this.nextPage
-    this.hasPrevPage = this.pageNumber > 1
-    await this.fetch(this.page)
-  }
-
-  async goToPrevPage() {
-    this.pageNumber--
-    this.nextPage = this.page
-    this.page = this.prevPage
-    this.hasPrevPage = this.pageNumber > 1
-    await this.fetch(this.page)
-  }
-
-  reset() {
-    this.prevPage = null
-    this.nextPage = null
-    this.page = undefined
-    this.hasPrevPage = false
-    this.hasNextPage = false
-    this.pageNumber = 1
+function defaultValue() {
+  return {
+    nextPage: null,
+    page: undefined,
+    hasPrevPage: false,
+    hasNextPage: false,
+    pageNumber: 1,
+    pages: [],
+  }
+}
+
+export function createPaginationStore() {
+  const { subscribe, set, update } = writable(defaultValue())
+
+  function prevPage() {
+    update(state => {
+      state.pageNumber--
+      state.nextPage = state.pages.pop()
+      state.page = state.pages[state.pages.length - 1]
+      state.hasPrevPage = state.pageNumber > 1
+      return state
+    })
+  }
+
+  function nextPage() {
+    update(state => {
+      state.pageNumber++
+      state.page = state.nextPage
+      state.pages.push(state.page)
+      state.hasPrevPage = state.pageNumber > 1
+      return state
+    })
+  }
+
+  function fetched(hasNextPage, nextPage) {
+    update(state => {
+      state.hasNextPage = hasNextPage
+      state.nextPage = nextPage
+      return state
+    })
+  }
+
+  function reset() {
+    set(defaultValue())
+  }
+
+  return {
+    subscribe,
+    prevPage,
+    nextPage,
+    fetched,
+    reset,
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/builder/src/pages/builder/portal/manage/users/_components/AddUserModal.svelte b/packages/builder/src/pages/builder/portal/manage/users/_components/AddUserModal.svelte
index 5583a48b7d..88a8fb6c5d 100644
--- a/packages/builder/src/pages/builder/portal/manage/users/_components/AddUserModal.svelte
+++ b/packages/builder/src/pages/builder/portal/manage/users/_components/AddUserModal.svelte
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@
   } from "@budibase/bbui"
   import { createValidationStore, emailValidator } from "helpers/validation"
   import { users } from "stores/portal"
+  import { createEventDispatcher } from "svelte"
 
+  const dispatch = createEventDispatcher()
   const password = Math.random().toString(36).substring(2, 22)
   const options = ["Email onboarding", "Basic onboarding"]
   const [email, error, touched] = createValidationStore("", emailValidator)
@@ -39,6 +41,7 @@
         forceResetPassword: true,
       })
       notifications.success("Successfully created user")
+      dispatch("created")
     } catch (error) {
       notifications.error("Error creating user")
     }
diff --git a/packages/builder/src/pages/builder/portal/manage/users/index.svelte b/packages/builder/src/pages/builder/portal/manage/users/index.svelte
index ef1ba2a24a..bc14b7e8d2 100644
--- a/packages/builder/src/pages/builder/portal/manage/users/index.svelte
+++ b/packages/builder/src/pages/builder/portal/manage/users/index.svelte
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
   import TagsRenderer from "./_components/TagsTableRenderer.svelte"
   import AddUserModal from "./_components/AddUserModal.svelte"
   import { users } from "stores/portal"
-  import { PageInfo } from "helpers/pagination"
-  import { onMount } from "svelte"
+  import { createPaginationStore } from "helpers/pagination"
 
   const schema = {
     email: {},
@@ -27,43 +26,21 @@
     group: {},
   }
 
-  let pageInfo = new PageInfo(fetchUsers)
-  let search
-  $: checkRefreshed($users.page)
-  $: filteredUsers = $users.data
-    ?.filter(user => user?.email?.includes(search || ""))
-    .map(user => ({
-      ...user,
-      group: ["All users"],
-      developmentAccess: !!user.builder?.global,
-      adminAccess: !!user.admin?.global,
-    }))
+  let pageInfo = createPaginationStore()
+  let search = undefined
+  $: page = $pageInfo.page
+  $: fetchUsers(page, search)
 
   let createUserModal
 
-  async function checkRefreshed(page) {
-    // the users have been reset, go back to first page
-    if (!page && pageInfo.page) {
-      pageInfo.reset()
-      pageInfo.pageNumber = pageInfo.pageNumber
-      pageInfo.hasNextPage = $users.hasNextPage
-      pageInfo.nextPage = $users.nextPage
-    }
-  }
-
-  async function fetchUsers(page) {
+  async function fetchUsers(page, search) {
     try {
-      await users.fetch(page)
-      pageInfo.hasNextPage = $users.hasNextPage
-      pageInfo.nextPage = $users.nextPage
+      await users.fetch({ page, search })
+      pageInfo.fetched($users.hasNextPage, $users.nextPage)
     } catch (error) {
       notifications.error("Error getting user list")
     }
   }
-
-  onMount(async () => {
-    await fetchUsers()
-  })
 </script>
 
 <Layout noPadding>
@@ -92,7 +69,7 @@
     <Table
       on:click={({ detail }) => $goto(`./${detail._id}`)}
       {schema}
-      data={filteredUsers || $users.data}
+      data={$users.data}
       allowEditColumns={false}
       allowEditRows={false}
       allowSelectRows={false}
@@ -100,18 +77,23 @@
     />
     <div class="pagination">
       <Pagination
-        page={pageInfo.pageNumber}
-        hasPrevPage={pageInfo.hasPrevPage}
-        hasNextPage={pageInfo.hasNextPage}
-        goToPrevPage={() => pageInfo.goToPrevPage()}
-        goToNextPage={() => pageInfo.goToNextPage()}
+        page={$pageInfo.pageNumber}
+        hasPrevPage={$pageInfo.hasPrevPage}
+        hasNextPage={$pageInfo.hasNextPage}
+        goToPrevPage={pageInfo.prevPage}
+        goToNextPage={pageInfo.nextPage}
       />
     </div>
   </Layout>
 </Layout>
 
 <Modal bind:this={createUserModal}>
-  <AddUserModal />
+  <AddUserModal
+    on:created={async () => {
+      pageInfo.reset()
+      await fetchUsers()
+    }}
+  />
 </Modal>
 
 <style>
diff --git a/packages/builder/src/stores/portal/users.js b/packages/builder/src/stores/portal/users.js
index 5e29d6e80f..1e612f6537 100644
--- a/packages/builder/src/stores/portal/users.js
+++ b/packages/builder/src/stores/portal/users.js
@@ -5,11 +5,12 @@ import { update } from "lodash"
 export function createUsersStore() {
   const { subscribe, set } = writable({})
 
-  async function fetch(page) {
-    const paged = await API.getUsers(page)
+  // opts can contain page and search params
+  async function fetch(opts = {}) {
+    const paged = await API.getUsers(opts)
     set({
       ...paged,
-      page,
+      ...opts,
     })
     return paged
   }
diff --git a/packages/frontend-core/src/api/user.js b/packages/frontend-core/src/api/user.js
index a82f7f84dc..a7a9fae9f1 100644
--- a/packages/frontend-core/src/api/user.js
+++ b/packages/frontend-core/src/api/user.js
@@ -1,10 +1,18 @@
 export const buildUserEndpoints = API => ({
   /**
    * Gets a list of users in the current tenant.
+   * @param {string} page The page to retrieve
+   * @param {string} search The starts with string to search username/email by.
    */
-  getUsers: async page => {
-    const input = page ? { page } : {}
-    const params = new URLSearchParams(input)
+  getUsers: async ({ page, search } = {}) => {
+    const opts = {}
+    if (page) {
+      opts.page = page
+    }
+    if (search) {
+      opts.search = search
+    }
+    const params = new URLSearchParams(opts)
     return await API.get({
       url: `/api/global/users?${params.toString()}`,
     })
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/global/roles.js b/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/global/roles.js
index 4b620f8691..aacf0102f1 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/global/roles.js
+++ b/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/global/roles.js
@@ -3,11 +3,22 @@ const {
   getAllApps,
   getProdAppID,
   DocumentTypes,
+  getGlobalUserParams,
 } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 const { doInAppContext, getAppDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/context")
 const { user: userCache } = require("@budibase/backend-core/cache")
 const { getGlobalDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/tenancy")
-const { users } = require("../../../sdk")
+
+// TODO: this function needs to be removed and replaced
+export const allUsers = async () => {
+  const db = getGlobalDB()
+  const response = await db.allDocs(
+    getGlobalUserParams(null, {
+      include_docs: true,
+    })
+  )
+  return response.rows.map(row => row.doc)
+}
 
 exports.fetch = async ctx => {
   const tenantId = ctx.user.tenantId
@@ -49,10 +60,10 @@ exports.find = async ctx => {
 exports.removeAppRole = async ctx => {
   const { appId } = ctx.params
   const db = getGlobalDB()
-  const allUsers = await users.allUsers(ctx)
+  const users = await allUsers(ctx)
   const bulk = []
   const cacheInvalidations = []
-  for (let user of allUsers) {
+  for (let user of users) {
     if (user.roles[appId]) {
       cacheInvalidations.push(userCache.invalidateUser(user._id))
       delete user.roles[appId]
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/global/users.ts b/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/global/users.ts
index 32d392a690..34a199be0f 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/global/users.ts
+++ b/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/global/users.ts
@@ -90,8 +90,7 @@ export const destroy = async (ctx: any) => {
 
 // called internally by app server user fetch
 export const fetch = async (ctx: any) => {
-  const { page } = ctx.request.query
-  const paginated = await users.paginatedUsers(page)
+  const paginated = await users.paginatedUsers(ctx.request.query)
   // user hashed password shouldn't ever be returned
   for (let user of paginated.data) {
     if (user) {
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/sdk/users/users.ts b/packages/worker/src/sdk/users/users.ts
index 3391e5f869..db254badeb 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/sdk/users/users.ts
+++ b/packages/worker/src/sdk/users/users.ts
@@ -17,32 +17,37 @@ import {
 } from "@budibase/backend-core"
 import { MigrationType } from "@budibase/types"
 
-const PAGE_LIMIT = 10
+const PAGE_LIMIT = 8
 
-/**
- * Retrieves all users from the current tenancy.
- */
-export const allUsers = async () => {
-  const db = tenancy.getGlobalDB()
-  const response = await db.allDocs(
-    dbUtils.getGlobalUserParams(null, {
-      include_docs: true,
-    })
-  )
-  return response.rows.map((row: any) => row.doc)
-}
-
-export const paginatedUsers = async (page?: string) => {
+export const paginatedUsers = async ({
+  page,
+  search,
+}: { page?: string; search?: string } = {}) => {
   const db = tenancy.getGlobalDB()
   // get one extra document, to have the next page
-  const response = await db.allDocs(
-    dbUtils.getGlobalUserParams(null, {
-      include_docs: true,
-      limit: PAGE_LIMIT + 1,
-      startkey: page,
-    })
-  )
-  return dbUtils.pagination(response, PAGE_LIMIT)
+  const opts: any = {
+    include_docs: true,
+    limit: PAGE_LIMIT + 1,
+  }
+  // add a startkey if the page was specified (anchor)
+  if (page) {
+    opts.startkey = page
+  }
+  // property specifies what to use for the page/anchor
+  let userList, property
+  // no search, query allDocs
+  if (!search) {
+    const response = await db.allDocs(dbUtils.getGlobalUserParams(null, opts))
+    userList = response.rows.map((row: any) => row.doc)
+    property = "_id"
+  } else {
+    userList = await usersCore.searchGlobalUsersByEmail(search, opts)
+    property = "email"
+  }
+  return dbUtils.pagination(userList, PAGE_LIMIT, {
+    paginate: true,
+    property,
+  })
 }
 
 /**