diff --git a/src/addons/search/Interfaces.ts b/src/addons/search/Interfaces.ts
index 4fa8b77e..af06c5d1 100644
--- a/src/addons/search/Interfaces.ts
+++ b/src/addons/search/Interfaces.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,13 @@ export interface ISearchHelper {
 }
 
 export interface ISearchOptions {
-  regex: boolean;
-  wholeWord: boolean;
-  caseSensitive: boolean;
+  regex?: boolean;
+  wholeWord?: boolean;
+  caseSensitive?: boolean;
+}
+
+export interface ISearchResult {
+  term: string;
+  col: number;
+  row: number;
 }
diff --git a/src/addons/search/SearchHelper.ts b/src/addons/search/SearchHelper.ts
index be1a1475..63fd047b 100644
--- a/src/addons/search/SearchHelper.ts
+++ b/src/addons/search/SearchHelper.ts
@@ -3,13 +3,7 @@
  * @license MIT
  */
 
-import { ISearchHelper, ISearchAddonTerminal, ISearchOptions } from './Interfaces';
-
-interface ISearchResult {
-  term: string;
-  col: number;
-  row: number;
-}
+import { ISearchHelper, ISearchAddonTerminal, ISearchOptions, ISearchResult } from './Interfaces';
 
 /**
  * A class that knows how to search the terminal and how to display the results.
@@ -28,7 +22,7 @@ export class SearchHelper implements ISearchHelper {
    * @param searchOptions Search options.
    * @return Whether a result was found.
    */
-  public findNext(term: string, searchOptions: ISearchOptions): boolean {
+  public findNext(term: string, searchOptions?: ISearchOptions): boolean {
     if (!term || term.length === 0) {
       return false;
     }
@@ -70,7 +64,7 @@ export class SearchHelper implements ISearchHelper {
    * @param searchOptions Search options.
    * @return Whether a result was found.
    */
-  public findPrevious(term: string, searchOptions: ISearchOptions): boolean {
+  public findPrevious(term: string, searchOptions?: ISearchOptions): boolean {
     if (!term || term.length === 0) {
       return false;
     }
@@ -112,7 +106,7 @@ export class SearchHelper implements ISearchHelper {
    * @param searchOptions Search options.
    * @return The search result if it was found.
    */
-  private _findInLine(term: string, y: number, searchOptions: ISearchOptions = {regex: false, wholeWord: false, caseSensitive: false}): ISearchResult {
+  protected _findInLine(term: string, y: number, searchOptions: ISearchOptions = {}): ISearchResult {
     const lowerStringLine = this._terminal._core.buffer.translateBufferLineToString(y, true).toLowerCase();
     const lowerTerm = term.toLowerCase();
     let searchIndex = -1;
diff --git a/src/addons/search/search.test.ts b/src/addons/search/search.test.ts
index 9616ae3c..8fcde950 100644
--- a/src/addons/search/search.test.ts
+++ b/src/addons/search/search.test.ts
@@ -6,17 +6,17 @@
 import { assert, expect } from 'chai';
 import * as search from './search';
 import { SearchHelper } from './SearchHelper';
-import { ISearchHelper } from './Interfaces';
+import { ISearchOptions, ISearchResult } from './Interfaces';
 
 
 class MockTerminalPlain {}
 
 class MockTerminal {
   private _core: any;
-  public searchHelper: ISearchHelper;
+  public searchHelper: TestSearchHelper;
   constructor(options: any) {
     this._core = new (require('../../../lib/Terminal').Terminal)(options);
-    this.searchHelper = new SearchHelper(this as any);
+    this.searchHelper = new TestSearchHelper(this as any);
   }
   get core(): any {
     return this._core;
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ class MockTerminal {
   }
 }
 
+class TestSearchHelper extends SearchHelper {
+  public findInLine(term: string, y: number, searchOptions?: ISearchOptions): ISearchResult {
+    return this._findInLine(term, y, searchOptions);
+  }
+}
+
 describe('search addon', function(): void {
   describe('apply', () => {
     it('should register findNext and findPrevious', () => {
@@ -39,9 +45,9 @@ describe('search addon', function(): void {
     const term = new MockTerminal({cols: 20, rows: 3});
     term.core.write('Hello World\r\ntest\n123....hello');
     term.pushWriteData();
-    const hello0 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('Hello', 0);
-    const hello1 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('Hello', 1);
-    const hello2 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('Hello', 2);
+    const hello0 = term.searchHelper.findInLine('Hello', 0);
+    const hello1 = term.searchHelper.findInLine('Hello', 1);
+    const hello2 = term.searchHelper.findInLine('Hello', 2);
     expect(hello0).eql({col: 0, row: 0, term: 'Hello'});
     expect(hello1).eql(undefined);
     expect(hello2).eql({col: 11, row: 2, term: 'Hello'});
@@ -62,12 +68,12 @@ describe('search addon', function(): void {
       wholeWord: false,
       caseSensitive: false
     };
-    const hello0 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('dee*', 0, searchOptions);
-    const hello1 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('jkk*', 0, searchOptions);
-    const hello2 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('mnn*', 1, searchOptions);
-    const tilda0 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('^~', 3, searchOptions);
-    const tilda1 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('^[~]', 3, searchOptions);
-    const tilda2 = (term.searchHelper as any)._findInLine('^\\~', 3, searchOptions);
+    const hello0 = term.searchHelper.findInLine('dee*', 0, searchOptions);
+    term.searchHelper.findInLine('jkk*', 0, searchOptions);
+    term.searchHelper.findInLine('mnn*', 1, searchOptions);
+    const tilda0 = term.searchHelper.findInLine('^~', 3, searchOptions);
+    const tilda1 = term.searchHelper.findInLine('^[~]', 3, searchOptions);
+    const tilda2 = term.searchHelper.findInLine('^\\~', 3, searchOptions);
     expect(hello0).eql({col: 3, row: 0, term: 'de'});
     // TODO: uncomment this test when line wrap search is checked in expect(hello1).eql({col: 9, row: 0, term: 'jk'});
     // TODO: uncomment this test when line wrap search is checked in expect(hello2).eql(undefined);
diff --git a/src/addons/search/search.ts b/src/addons/search/search.ts
index 93ac8843..9be0b33b 100644
--- a/src/addons/search/search.ts
+++ b/src/addons/search/search.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { ISearchAddonTerminal, ISearchOptions } from './Interfaces';
  * @param searchOptions Search options
  * @return Whether a result was found.
  */
-export function findNext(terminal: Terminal, term: string, searchOptions: ISearchOptions = {regex: false, wholeWord: false, caseSensitive: false}): boolean {
+export function findNext(terminal: Terminal, term: string, searchOptions: ISearchOptions = {}): boolean {
   const addonTerminal = <ISearchAddonTerminal>terminal;
   if (!addonTerminal.__searchHelper) {
     addonTerminal.__searchHelper = new SearchHelper(addonTerminal);
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export function findNext(terminal: Terminal, term: string, searchOptions: ISearc
  * @param searchOptions Search options
  * @return Whether a result was found.
  */
-export function findPrevious(terminal: Terminal, term: string, searchOptions: ISearchOptions = {regex: false, wholeWord: false, caseSensitive: false}): boolean {
+export function findPrevious(terminal: Terminal, term: string, searchOptions: ISearchOptions): boolean {
   const addonTerminal = <ISearchAddonTerminal>terminal;
   if (!addonTerminal.__searchHelper) {
     addonTerminal.__searchHelper = new SearchHelper(addonTerminal);