Microsoft Outlook is a widely used email client across many industries.. It is used for managing emails, contacts and calendars and is reliable software in that regard, but even such reliable software can misbehave sometimes. Outlook search is used to quickly scan all the emails and find and display the related information searched by the user. However, sometimes it might not perform as desired. For eg: showing incomplete results or not even showing results, etc.
There can be multiple reasons for this Outlook Error, and we will discuss them with their solutions. Starting off with the causes.
Causes of Outlook search not working
- Damaged Outlook Data files
- Outdated Outlook version
- Conflict with add-ins
- Corrupted Outlook profile
How can you fix this issue?
- Restart pc: The easiest and quick thing you can try is restarting your Outlook and PC. Restarting your device can help refresh the system and many times the bugs can be solved with just a quick restart.
- Update Outlook: While the version of Outlook you are using can be very familiar to you and you dont wanna change, it is highly recommended to update your Outlook to newer versions as newer versions are launched by fixing the bugs of older versions.
- Ensure windows search is working: Outlooks searching capability also depends on the windows search service, make sure it is set on automatic and running. To check windows search: press windows+R> type”services.msc”> look for windows search and check if it's running or not and if not then make sure it run’s.
- Rebuild Microsoft Outlooks search index: The procedure can vary with the versions of Outlook. Open outlook and search for “indexing options” or “indexing status”, click on “ rebuild” or “modify” then uncheck and recheck to make sure its working properly.
- Damaged Outlook data files: Damaged files may hinder Outlooks search. To fix this issue, use Outlooks inbox repair tool “SCANPST.exe”. However this tool might not be very effective for fixing large or highly corrupted files.
- Make a new Outlook profile: Chances are the issue may be linked with a particular profile. Add a new Outlook profile.
- Remove all faulty Add-ins: There are chances the Add-ins might be causing the problems. Try Disabling all Add-ins and restart Outlook to see if this works. To disable Add-ins follow these steps: open outlook> file> options> Add-ins, disable them and press ok.
Conclusion
Outlook search not working can be very frustrating at times when you urgently need to find an urgent email. Mentioned above were the potential causes and their solutions to counter them. While most issues can be resolved by following the above solutions but if the Search still doesn't work, contact Microsoft support.
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