If Microsoft Outlook search not working, this tutorial will hopefully address this problem and restore functionality to your search results.
Let’s get started.
1: Restarting Outlook
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective. Restart the program by closing it entirely and then reopening it. But be careful: Outlook may be set up by default so that clicking close does not mean exiting the program. It continues to run in the background and is simply no longer directly visible to you.
You can find out whether this is the case in your system tray. If the Outlook icon is still active there, it means you have not closed the program. Look at the visible and hidden icons. To exit Outlook permanently, just right-click the icon and select “Exit.” Alternatively, select “File” and “Exit” in the Outlook menu.
2: Closing the program using Task Manager
If Outlook does not respond to your attempts to close it, you can also force this through the Task Manager. To do this, end the “OUTLOOK.EXE” process. Follow these simple steps:
- Press [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del] simultaneously on your keyboard to open a selection field and select “Start Task Manager.”
- Task Manager now lists all applications that are currently active on your PC. Select “Outlook” and close it.
- Additionally, Task Manager lists all running processes under the “Processes” tab. Outlook can also be found there. Exit “OUTLOOK.EXE” by selecting it and then clicking on “End Process.”
3: Using the repair function
If a restart does not solve the problem, you can then try to repair the program virtually. Just go to the Windows control panel and select the “Programs” category. You now have the option to uninstall or modify the program. Usually, you select your entire Microsoft Office package to be repaired, since Outlook is a part of that package.
Click on “Change” and then “Repair.” When the repair is complete, close the window and restart Windows. If the cause of the problem lies in the repair tools’ access area, the Outlook search function should return to normal.
4: Check Outlook for updates
Make sure that your Outlook program is up-to-date. The updates are done centrally through Windows Update. Outdated versions of the program may no longer be compatible with the latest updates that your Windows operating system has already been running in the background, so it’s important that you always keep your Outlook up to date.
To decipher whether this is the case, check for available updates. You can do this in the “Settings” section of Windows 10. Select the “Update and Security” section. Click on “Advanced Options” and “Install updates for other Microsoft products.” Then go back to the previous page and start checking for new updates by clicking on “Check for updates.” If none are available, you can ignore this step.
5: Disable third-party search tools
Some third parties have developed add-ons that can be integrated into the Outlook program. These may create problems for Outlook’s search function. Extensions can also access the program’s database, so that users can search for messages through them. To resolve this inconsistency, you should disable any third-party tools that you install later. If the add-on was the reason for the Outlook search function not working, it should now work.
6: Checking Outlook indexing:-
Outlook has an index that is structured like a data catalog. It combines all important terms in saved e-mails. This allows users to find specific messages just by entering a search term.
If Outlook’s search engine is no longer working, it is often because the program settings are incorrect and the necessary information has not been collected. To find out whether this is the case for you, you need to check the indexing options. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Go to “File” in the Outlook program and open the tab “Options,” after which the pop-up window “Outlook Options” will appear.
- Select “Browse” or “Search.”
- Click on the field “Indexing Options” on the right-hand side, which opens a window containing all Outlook indexed locations.
- Check whether “Microsoft Outlook” is listed; if not, click “Change” and then “Indexed Places.”
- Select the box “Microsoft Outlook.”
- Confirm your selection with “OK.”
7: Repair PST files
A PST file (“PST” stands for “personal store”) is used by Outlook to store all personal elements that a user may have. In addition to e-mails, this also includes appointments, contacts, or notes. The program manages and stores all data in the PST file like a virtual filing cabinet. Outlook requires at least one PST file, but can easily separate several of these files. For example, if the user distinguishes between private and business e-mails, Outlook creates two different PST files in its index.
If you suspect that one of these files has become corrupted, you will need a tool to repair your inbox. Outlook has already integrated the scanpst.exe tool. It detects whether a PST file is damaged and then repairs it. The following steps will help you repair a PST file:
- First, close the Outlook program.
- Now open the folder C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) (the Outlook program folder is in one of the two).
- Enter “scanpst.exe” in the file explorer search field to find their chosen file, or check your Outlook folder manually.
- Run scanpst.exe.
- In the option “Enter the file name to be checked,” enter the name of the PST file you want to check, or if you don’t have one, search for and select the file you want with “Browse.”
- Begin by selecting “Start.”
- If there are errors in the file, the check will show them.
- Click on “Repair” to start the repair process.
- Restart Outlook to see if your repair was successful.
8: Deleting and creating an entire index
In some cases, however, scanpst.exe cannot do anything either, and the user first needs to delete and then recreate their entire index. This process takes some time and is not intended for short-term problem solving. If you need your computer to work immediately, you should do this at a later time.
- Go to “File” in the Outlook program and open the “Options” tab to open the pop-up window “Outlook Options.”
- Select “Browse” or “Search.”
- Select “Indexing Options” on the right-hand side to see a window with all locations indexed by Outlook.
- Select “Advanced” or “Advanced Options” and find the item “Troubleshooting.”
- Now click on the button “Create New”, which can be found next to “Delete and Create new index.”
- Confirm with “OK.”
- After the program creates a new index (it may take a few moments), close all open windows.
9: Making changes to the registry
There are sometimes errors or incorrect information in the registry, resulting in certain programs now starting or working correctly. If your Outlook search function is returning no matches, it may be due to incorrect registry information. If you are unable to perform an Outlook search after you have already reset the index, you have the option of forcing a “clean up” through the registry.
Note: It is recommended that only administrators or experienced computer users make changes to the registry, since cleaning the registry automatically resets Outlook. Incorrect entries can cause more problems with PC software. It is also advisable to make a backup copy before making any changes to the registry.
Resetting Outlook manually is the last resort before reinstalling the program. To delete registry entries for your Outlook program, open the registry first:
- Use the combination [Windows] + [R] to open the “Run” dialogue window.
- Enter “regedit”, then press [Enter] and click “yes.”
- Now the registry opens.
Select the appropriate path for your software in the database. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook. For newer versions, replace 15.0 with 16.0. Delete this registry key. Then restart your PC. The Outlook search should work fine again. If not, then the only solution left is to uninstall and reinstall the program on your computer.
10: Reinstalling Outlook
When uninstalling the program, proceed as if you are repairing it. To remove the program, open Control Panel, select “Program,” and then “Uninstall program.” Then select “Add or Remove Features” in the “Microsoft Office” entry and confirm the action with “Next.”
You will then see a list of individual associated programs. Click on the small arrow next to “Microsoft Outlook” and set it to “Not Available.” Confirm your selection with “Next” and follow any further instructions from the (un)install wizard. When the uninstallation is complete, close the window and restart the computer. Please let us know if the above plan works.
I hope you have learned how to fix the Outlook search not working issue.
Also read: How To Use Search In Outlook To Find Emails Fast?
For more information about troubleshooting Outlook search issues, visit the Microsoft website.
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Which finding from today’s report did you find most interesting? Or maybe you have a question about something that I covered.
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