GUIDE TO FIX OUTLOOK SEARCH NOT WORKING

Apr 8
14:33

2021

Alice Cook

Alice Cook

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There may be multiple reasons why Outlook may not be working, follow this blog to find out the solutions to Outlook search not working or the outlook something went wrong.

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The outlook is a personal information manager developed by Microsoft. It includes webmail,GUIDE TO FIX OUTLOOK SEARCH NOT WORKING Articles calendaring, contacts, and task services. Prior to 2011, Outlook was named Hotmail, after which Microsoft changed the name to Outlook and relaunched it. The Outlook search feature allows the users to search information in a specific email among the collection of hundreds or thousands of emails. The information you want to find maybe the sender’s name or email, the date of the email received or sent, the folder it is placed in, or through the keyword; all of this can be done using the Outlook search operator. There may be multiple reasons why Outlook may not be working, follow this blog to find out the solutions to Outlook search not working or the outlook something went wrong.

 

SOLUTIONS FOR SEARCH NOT WORKING ON OUTLOOK

 

Below are the solutions that you can use if you are unable to search in outlook. 

 

  • UPDATE MICROSOFT OFFICE

The most common for all kinds of problems with Outlook occurs due to the outdated version of Microsoft Outlook being used. Updating Microsoft Office may be the key to your problem. To update Microsoft Office, start Outlook and select File to reveal a menu. In that menu, select Office Account, then locate and select Update Options under the Product Information segment. If there is an update available, select Enable Updates and then Update Now to start the update. Once the update is complete, check if the Outlook email search not working problem is solved.

 

  • OUTLOOK INDEXING TROUBLESHOOT

If the problem with searching is the No matches found or search results my incomplete because items are still being indexed message, you require troubleshooting the indexing function. To fix this problem, start Outlook and click inside the Search box to activate the Search Tools tab. Under the search tool drop-down menu will be an option called Indexing status. Outlook has finished indexing your items, and 0 items remaining to be indexed. Wait if there are any items left to be indexed and try again. Check if the problem with search not working in outlook is solved. If not, follow the next step.

 

  • REPAIR OUTLOOK

The built-in repair utilities can often fix outlook email search not working errors. First, close all functional Microsoft Office applications. Click on the search box in the taskbar next to the Start button on your Windows 10 laptop or desktop and type Apps & Features. This search will display options for your search, then select Apps & Features from these options. Under the installed apps & features option, locate Microsoft office and click on it. Select modify to open the repair options. You will find Quick Repair or Online Repair in this option – select quick repair and click on the Repair button at the bottom of the window. Wait till the repair is complete, and open Outlook to check if the outlook search not working error is resolved.

 

  • REBUILD OUTLOOK INDEX

You can resolve this issue by rebuilding the Outlook index. To rebuild the Outlook index on windows 10:

  1. Type Control in the search box placed on your desktop or laptop taskbar.
  2. Click on Control Panel to open, and click on Programs in the control panel window.
  3. Upon landing on the Programs segment, find and click on Programs & Features.

Please scroll down to navigate Outlook 2016 or your version of it. Click on Change from the top menu and select Quick repair, then repair.

 

  • OUTLOOK INDEX LOCATION

The next solution to search not working in Outlook problem is checking Outlook Index location. Open Outlook and select File to reveal a drop-down menu. Click on Option and then Search; click on Indexing Options next from the options you see. Click on Modify next and ensure a tick in the box placed next to Microsoft Outlook and then click on OK to save.

 

  • REGISTRY FIX

If you are unable to search in outlook, another solution is to repair Outlook using the Windows Registry. To carry out the process, press the Windows key along with the R key to open the Run dialog. In that run box, type and search Regedit. This will open the Registry Editor, where you need to press the control key and the F key to view the search menu. Please copy the following text and paste it there: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindows Search. Once you find it, select the right-hand panel and then right-click to select New Dword (32-bit). Rename the new Dword as PreventingIndexOutlook assign the value 0 to it. Press OK to save the changes and there restart your system.

 

  • OUTLOOK REINSTALL

If Outlook something went wrong error persists, reinstall Outlook to resolve it. This isn’t the best solution to this problem but can serve as the last resort if any of the above solutions don’t work.

 

Fixing outlook problems can seem a little bit tricky, but if you are provided with correct step-wise guidance, they can be resolved easily. Follow the solutions given above one by one and see for yourself which one works well for you. You can find more information, problems, and solutions related to Microsoft Outlook and other email service providers like Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Thunderbird, etc., on our other informative blogs.