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- If Outlook search is not working, it's not uncommon, but there are ways to fix it relatively quickly.
- You should make sure that the search feature is still indexing Outlook and is including email message files in its index.
- Here are the top seven ways to troubleshoot and fix Outlook when search is not working.
In principle, Outlook's search box offers a useful way to quickly find needles in your email haystack, combing through an enormous database of messages almost instantly. In practice, it's not uncommon to find that Outlook search sometimes stops working, leaving you with no way to find what you need. While there are a variety of reasons why Outlook may stop searching, the root causes are generally well-understood. Here are seven ways to troubleshoot and fix Outlook when search is not working.
Close and restart Outlook
Whenever you notice that Outlook is behaving in a weird or unexpected manner, the first thing you should do to try to solve the problem is to close and restart the program. This flushes out any temporary data that could be causing the problem. Unfortunately, you can't simply close the Outlook window in the usual way, because Outlook leaves services running in the background. To make sure it's really closed, you need to use the Task Manager.
1. Click Start and then type "task manager."
2. Click Task Manager in the search results when you see it appear.
3. Click Microsoft Outlook and then click End task.
4. Start Outlook again.
Dave Johnson
If this didn't resolve your search problem, try the next troubleshooting option.
Restart your computer
Another simple troubleshooting step that can solve this problem (and many other common ones) is to restart your computer. Click Start, then the Power icon, and choose Restart. After the computer shuts down and starts again, open Outlook and see if the search feature has been restored.
Run the search troubleshooter
Search problems are common enough that Microsoft has built a troubleshooter into Windows. This troubleshooter can often solve Outlook search problems because Outlook takes advantage of the search services built into Windows.
1. Click Start and then click Settings.
2. In the Find a setting search box, type "trouble" and then click Troubleshoot Other problems when you see it appear in the search results.
3. In the Other section, click Run to the right of Search and Indexing.
4. In the Search and Indexing window, click all the problems you are experiencing, including Outlook search doesn't return results.
5. Click Next and let the troubleshooter run.
Dave Johnson
Ensure that Outlook is being indexed for search
Outlook has its own search settings you can check as well. One of the most common issues is that the search engine stops indexing Outlook for search. This is easy to fix.
1. In Outlook, click File and then choose Options
2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Search.
3. In the Sources section, click Indexing Options…
4. On the Indexing Options dialog box, you should see Microsoft Outlook in the list of locations that are being indexed.
5. If you don't see Outlook listed, click Modify, check the box for Microsoft Outlook and then click OK.
Dave Johnson
Make sure Outlook messages are indexed
Even if Outlook is included in the search index, it's still possible that your search could fail because the filter type for email messages isn't being indexed. Here is what to check for:
1. In Outlook, click File and then choose Options.
2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Search.
3. In the Sources section, click Indexing Options…
4. On the Indexing Options dialog box, click Advanced.
5. Click the File Types tab and make sure the file extension msg is checked. Also, in the How should this file be indexed? section, check the option to Index Properties and File Contents.
6. Click OK.
Delete and rebuild Outlook's search index
Even if everything is properly configured, Outlook's search will fail if the search index becomes corrupted. To resolve this potential issue, you can rebuild the index.
1. In Outlook, click File and then choose Options.
2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Search.
3. In the Sources section, click Indexing Options…
4. On the Indexing Options dialog box, click Advanced.
5. On the Index Settings tab, in the Troubleshooting section, click Rebuild.
Dave Johnson
It will take a while for the index to rebuild. When it's done, restart your computer and test Outlook's search again.
Make sure Outlook is up to date
While relatively unlikely, it's possible that a bug or incompatibility in your current version of Outlook is preventing search from working properly. You can eliminate this potential glitch by making sure that you are running the latest version of Outlook with all available updates and bug fixes.
1. In Outlook, click File and then choose Office Account.
2. On the right side of the window, click Update Options.
3. In the dropdown menu, click Update Now.
4. Outlook will check for updates and install them, if available.
source https://www.businessinsider.com/outlook-search-not-working