diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
index 2d01ec0f6d..5cd28f4506 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
@@ -9,20 +9,20 @@ import { db as dbCore, utils } from "@budibase/backend-core"
 import * as setup from "./utilities"
 import {
   AutoFieldSubType,
+  BBReferenceFieldSubType,
   Datasource,
   EmptyFilterOption,
-  BBReferenceFieldSubType,
   FieldType,
+  RelationshipType,
+  Row,
   RowSearchParams,
   SearchFilters,
+  SearchResponse,
   SortOrder,
   SortType,
   Table,
   TableSchema,
   User,
-  Row,
-  RelationshipType,
-  SearchResponse,
 } from "@budibase/types"
 import _ from "lodash"
 import tk from "timekeeper"
@@ -2084,6 +2084,28 @@ describe.each([
       })
     })
 
+  isInternal &&
+    describe("no column error backwards compat", () => {
+      beforeAll(async () => {
+        table = await createTable({
+          name: {
+            name: "name",
+            type: FieldType.STRING,
+          },
+        })
+      })
+
+      it("shouldn't error when column doesn't exist", async () => {
+        await expectSearch({
+          query: {
+            string: {
+              "1:something": "a",
+            },
+          },
+        }).toMatch({ rows: [] })
+      })
+    })
+
   // lucene can't count the total rows
   !isLucene &&
     describe("row counting", () => {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/sdk/app/rows/search/sqs.ts b/packages/server/src/sdk/app/rows/search/sqs.ts
index 0720600a15..e23f3a35b5 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/sdk/app/rows/search/sqs.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/sdk/app/rows/search/sqs.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,10 @@ import {
 import { dataFilters } from "@budibase/shared-core"
 
 const builder = new sql.Sql(SqlClient.SQL_LITE)
-const NO_SUCH_COLUMN_REGEX = new RegExp(`no such colum.+${USER_COLUMN_PREFIX}`)
+const MISSING_COLUMN_REGEX = new RegExp(`no such column: .+`)
+const USER_COLUMN_PREFIX_REGEX = new RegExp(
+  `no such column: .+${USER_COLUMN_PREFIX}`
+)
 
 function buildInternalFieldList(
   table: Table,
@@ -331,12 +334,17 @@ export async function search(
   } catch (err: any) {
     const msg = typeof err === "string" ? err : err.message
     const syncAndRepeat =
-      (err.status === 400 && msg?.match(NO_SUCH_COLUMN_REGEX)) ||
+      (err.status === 400 && msg?.match(USER_COLUMN_PREFIX_REGEX)) ||
       (err.status === 404 && msg?.includes(SQLITE_DESIGN_DOC_ID))
     if (syncAndRepeat) {
       await sdk.tables.sqs.syncDefinition()
       return search(options, table)
     }
+    // previously the internal table didn't error when
+    console.log(JSON.stringify(err))
+    if (err.status === 400 && msg?.match(MISSING_COLUMN_REGEX)) {
+      return { rows: [] }
+    }
     throw new Error(`Unable to search by SQL - ${msg}`, { cause: err })
   }
 }