How to Fix Outlook 2016 Search Problems [Comprehensive Guide]
Microsoft Outlook features a search option that helps you find email items based on keywords. You may further add filters to your Outlook search function to locate specific email items much more quickly. In outlook, Sometimes you get surprised when you find something went wrong and your search couldn’t be completed you encounter problems with the Outlook search function such as Outlook search does not find any matches, won’t work & Other Outlook Problems.
When Outlook search not working in outlook, you may experience any of these issues:
- Outlook fails to return any search results
- Outlook search not showing all results
- Outlook search not showing recent emails or can’t find older emails
- Outlook search does not find any matches
- Search tab not working, turns grey (specific to Outlook 2016)
How to Fix ‘Outlook Search not Working?’
When the Outlook indexing tool is not working or not functioning properly, It is required to check outlook Indexing Status. Like, it may not show the recent email search result due to the outlook email search which is not working. Further, it may display results like Outlook search by date or may show that items based on search criteria waiting to be indexed in the output panel. This indicates a problem with the Outlook Indexing services.
Following are some workarounds that you can try to resolve Outlook 2016 search not working issues:
- Fix Outlook Indexing Status
- Fix Incomplete Search Results Problem
- Fix Greyed Out Search Bar in Outlook 2016
- Fix Personal Folder Outlook Data File (.PST)
- Disable Add-ins
- Inspect Windows Search Service
- Fix Outlook 2016 Search Issue via Windows Registry
1. How to fix Outlook Indexing Status
To check the indexing status in Outlook 2016, follow these steps:
- Open Outlook 2016 and click on ‘Search’ bar.
- Click ‘Search Tools’ drop-down and choose ‘Indexing Status…’
- Click ‘OK’ when the ‘Outlook has finished indexing all of your items‘ message is displayed within the ‘Indexing Status’ dialog box.
When the indexing is complete, Outlook will display mailboxes awaiting to be indexed. You can use the search function but may not find the desired mails or get incomplete results due to incomplete indexing status. So, if the indexing does not finish, try rebuilding the Outlook index.
Steps to Rebuild the Outlook Index
There are two different ways to rebuild the Outlook index and resolve the Outlook 2016 search issue.
a. Repair MS Office Installation
- Go to Control Panel>Programs>Programs and Features.
- Click on Outlook 2016 or Microsoft Office [VERSION].
- Click the ‘Change’ button at the top.
- Select ‘Repair’ and click ‘Continue’.
- This will begin repairing MS Office or Outlook 2016 installation that may fix the Outlook 2016 search issue.
b. Using Outlook Index Repair Option
Outlook 2016 also features ‘Indexing options…’ to fix Outlook index related issues. Follow these steps to rebuild the Outlook Index and fix the Outlook search problem:
- In Outlook 2016, go to File > Options > Search.
- Click on the ‘Indexing Options…’ button.
- Click ‘Microsoft Outlook’ and then click ‘Advanced’ button.
2. Fix Incomplete Outlook Search Results Problem
Outlook search function not working that indicates to if the search results are incomplete or missing older email items, apply the following methods:
a. Increase Email Sync Slider
This will enable Outlook to sync and index the older emails that may be missing in the Outlook search results. Follow these steps:
- Open Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
Conclusion
You may face ‘Outlook search not working’ issue due to incomplete Outlook indexing or corrupt PST file. This blog helps you understand various Outlook search problems and details several troubleshooting methods to fix these problems.
For instance, if the cause of the Outlook search problem is a corrupt Outlook data file, you can repair the PST file by using Stellar Repair for Outlook or Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE). These utilities can repair PST file and recover the entire mailbox data. After the damaged PST file is repaired, the ‘Search’ feature in Outlook should work properly.
Stellar Repair for Outlook is a recommended solution for fixing such issues caused by corrupt PST files as it provides several advantages over the SCANPST.EXE tool. The software supports encrypted Outlook data files, shows a preview of recovered mailbox data before saving, saves the recovered Outlook data file in multiple file formats, and more.
It works in almost all situations when the Inbox repair tool fails to resolve the issue. Check what the other MVPs and other experts have to say about this software: Click Here.
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