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How To Use Search In Outlook To Find Emails Fast (2024)

Today, I’m excited to guide you on maximizing the efficiency of your Outlook email searches. Learn how to use search in Outlook for superior results—whether it’s delving into attachments, filtering by email size, or mastering the art of sorting by date. Get ready to elevate your Outlook game.

I used to struggle with finding things in Outlook, spending way too much time on it. I initially relied on a complex folder structure, thinking it was like a filing cabinet, but soon realized there’s a better way. While trying out various Outlook features, I encountered some challenges with overwhelming search results. Picture sifting through hundreds of them—it was quite a headache.

Eventually, I figured out that there’s an art to searching effectively. It’s not just about dropping a word in the search box and hoping for the best. Outlook can actually help you find exactly what you’re looking for if you know how to ask it the right way. Let’s make your Outlook experience a breeze.

How can I use search in Outlook?

  • The search bar is right up there at the top of Outlook, snug in the title bar. It doesn’t matter if you’re using the desktop app or Outlook on the Web—the search works the same way.
use search in outlook
  • To kick things off, either click inside the search box or speed things up with the shortcuts Alt + Q or Control + E. A nifty dropdown appears, offering personalized suggestions based on your recent activities. Not my go-to move, but it might come in handy if you’re into replaying searches.
  • Now, in the good old days, I’d type in my search words and end up drowning in hundreds of results. It felt like I was driving my car in first gear—it’s not the fastest way to get where you want to go.

Here’s the deal: there are two ways to wield the power of search—there’s the instant search and the advanced search. Stick around, and I’ll walk you through both.

Instant Search in Microsoft Outlook


Instant search is the way to go when you’re in a hurry. Let’s say you’re on the hunt for something with the magic word “test.” Type it into the search box, hit enter, and voila—results galore! But if you want to fine-tune your quest, head over to the search tab for some extra buttons.

Now, let’s talk about narrowing it down step by step. You’ve got a range of options to tweak the scope of your search:

outlook fast search

I can refine my search step by step. You can refine or broaden the scope of your search. You can find the fields below.

  • Current Mailbox: The default is your mailbox, but we can switch that up later if needed.
  • Current Folder: Restrict your search to the current folder—basically, the inbox minus subfolders.
  • Subfolders: If you’re feeling inclusive, select subfolders to cover the inbox and all folders beneath it.
  • All Mailboxes: Got multiple accounts? Expand your search to all mailboxes.
  • All Outlook items: The broadest option—it’ll scour all mailboxes, not just emails but also calendar and contacts.
  • From: Make it personal by specifying the sender. Type the name, hit enter, and watch it work its magic.
  • Subject: Click on subject to add another layer to your search.
  • Has Attachments: Know there’s an attachment? Select this option. Maybe toss in a keyword from the subject line for good measure.
  • Categorized: If you’re a categorization pro, use this dropdown to narrow down by category or search by recipients.
  • Flagged: Hunting down those flagged emails? This option’s got your back.
  • Important: Looking for the VIPs in your inbox? Search for the ones you’ve marked as important.

These options are like your search superheroes—making sure you find exactly what you’re after.

Advanced Search in Microsoft Outlook

Now, let’s dive into the advanced search method—it’s like the turbocharged version, offering more efficiency and a bunch of options in one go. No need to sequentially narrow down your search; you can do it all at once.

Here’s how to unleash the power:

  • Click inside the search box.
  • Open the dropdown to reveal predefined search fields.
outlook quick search
  • You can define where to search based on whether the item has an attachment or not.
  • All the options from the search tab are here, and guess what? There’s more! For attachments, you can directly search for keywords within the attachment itself. For instance, if you know the attachment has the magical words “Set 1,” throw it in quotes for an exact match.
  • And the cool part? You’re not confined to the predefined fields. Head back to advanced search and spot that “More” button in the corner.
  • Click on it, and voila—advanced search options. Let’s say you’re on a mission to specifically search for recipients in BCC. Check the BCC box, hit apply, and now you’ve got a whole new set of search capabilities.

Remember these additional options when you find yourself in a field-finding frenzy. They’re your secret weapons to tailor your results exactly the way you want them. Stay tuned for more on search syntax—we’ve got you covered.

Settings and Indexing for Search in Outlook

  • Options and indexing—let’s delve into the essential settings to fine-tune your Outlook experience.
  • Head to File, select Options, and then navigate to Search.
  • Under results, set a default folder for instant search. Choose whether to include deleted items in your search (I usually skip that). You can also jazz up your search terms’ highlight color.
  • Indexing is the unsung hero of speedy searches, not just in Outlook but across your Windows files and content.
  • When Outlook’s search falls short, or you get incomplete results, indexing might be the culprit.
  • Click on indexing options to check the current status. Ensure that indexing is complete.
  • Verify that Outlook is part of the indexing process. Under “index these locations,” Microsoft Outlook should be listed. If not, hit modify and enable it as a last resort.
  • If the search results are still playing hard to get or indexing refuses to wrap up, it might be time for a search catalog rebuild. This nifty move restarts the indexing of your data files, often solving those stubborn search issues. Keep these tips in mind to supercharge your Outlook search game.

Outlook Search Syntax and Operators

  • Alright, let’s wrap it up with some search syntax wisdom—because mastering the art of search isn’t just about buttons and boxes, it’s about speaking the language.
  • Outlook search is all about prefix matching. Type “plus,” and it’ll find messages with plus, pluses, and plushie. No worries about case sensitivity—plus is plus, no matter the case.
  • To hunt down an exact phrase like “set 1,” throw it in quotation marks. Otherwise, it might unleash all sorts of variations.
  • Use uppercase and logical operators like AND, OR, and NOT. Searching for Leelah AND Garani finds items with both names, while Leelah OR Garani broadens the scope. Add NOT, like Lillah NOT Kirani, to exclude specific terms.i.
  • Get specific with size comparisons. Try “message size: >5 MB” to find items larger than five megabytes.
  • Want to turn back time in your search? Use the syntax “received greater than January 3rd, 2024” to unearth emails after that date.

With these tricks up your sleeve, you’re not just searching; you’re commanding Outlook like a pro. Time to unleash the power of syntax and find exactly what you’re looking for.

If you want to dive deeper into the intricacies of search syntax and operators, head over to the Microsoft website. They’ve got the nitty-gritty details to make you a search maestro. Happy exploring.

That’s the scoop on how to expertly use search in Outlook to swiftly uncover the emails you need. No more hunting, just efficient and precise searches at your fingertips!”

Also read: [SOLVED] Emails Not Moving To Archive

Now it’s over to you:

What tidbit from today’s exploration caught your attention the most? Anything you found particularly interesting or a burning question about what we discussed? Your thoughts, questions, or any insights you have—I’m ready and waiting. Don’t be shy, drop a comment below, and let’s keep the conversation going.

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