How To Fix Outlook Search Not Working: 9 Simple Solutions

Dealing with a broken Outlook search can be a real pain, especially when hunting for that one email buried deep in your folders. Sometimes, Outlook’s search just flat out refuses to find anything, even though you’re pretty sure the message is there. It’s frustrating enough to make you want to throw your phone or PC out the window. Luckily, there are a few tried-and-true methods to get things back on track. These fixes target common problems like indexing errors, outdated software, or corrupted data files — the usual suspects. With a bit of patience, you should be able to restore Outlook’s search and avoid that sinking feeling of endlessly scrolling through your inbox.

How to Fix Outlook Search Not Working in Windows and Mac

Method 1: Repair Microsoft 365 to Fix Search Glitches

Microsoft sometimes sneaks in bugs or corrupted files during updates, which can break Outlook’s search. Repairing the Office suite can often resolve these hiccups without deleting your data. It’s kind of a low-effort fix — doesn’t reset everything, just attempts to fix what’s broken.

  • Open the Control Panel
  • Go to Programs > Uninstall a program
  • Find Microsoft 365 (or Office 2019/2021, depending on what you have)
  • Click Change
  • Select Quick Repair — it’s faster and less invasive — then hit Repair
  • Restart your computer after it finishes and test Outlook’s search again

This sometimes works on the first try, but not always. On some setups, it might need a restart or even a re-repair. Just don’t skip this one — it’s easiest to try before diving into more complicated fixes.

Method 2: Adjust System Power Settings to Ensure Indexing Runs Smoothly

Outlook relies heavily on indexing your emails so search results pop up quickly. But if your PC sleeps too early, or if indexing gets paused, Outlook search might go AWOL. Morning coffee was supposed to jumpstart your day, not backup your search function, right?

  • Open the Control Panel
  • Navigate to Hardware and Sound > Power Options
  • Click on Change plan settings next to your current plan
  • Set Sleep to Never or increase the timeout (like several hours).This prevents your PC from going into sleep mode during busy indexing periods.
  • Apply changes and give Outlook some time to rebuild or index emails in the background

On some machines, this helps—once the system stays awake longer, Outlook’s search starts behaving again. Sure, it’s a bit of a workaround, but hey, if your laptop sleeps during the day, how’s Outlook supposed to find anything?

Method 3: Update Office to the Latest Version

Microsoft pushes updates regularly for a reason — they fix bugs, improve performance, and tighten security. Outdated versions can cause search problems because the index might be incompatible or broken. Keeping Outlook fresh is kinda like giving it a shot of adrenaline and bug spray at once.

  • In Outlook, go to File > Office Account
  • Click on Update Options > Update Now
  • Wait for the updates to install. You may need to restart Outlook afterward

If no updates show up or if it says you’re up to date but search still sucks, it’s worth pulling the latest build directly from Microsoft’s website.Reinstall Microsoft 365 might be a last-ditch option.

Method 4: Confirm and Reconfigure Indexing Settings

Sometimes Outlook’s indexing just goes haywire. To check if all your mail folders are being indexed:

  • Open Outlook’s File menu, then Options
  • Navigate to Search > Indexing Options
  • Click Modify and then select Show all locations
  • Ensure that your Outlook data files and folders are checked — don’t miss those personal folder files (.pst or.ost)
  • Click OK and close out

Sometimes, just toggling these settings or adding missing locations wakes up the indexing engine.

Method 5: Rebuild the Outlook Search Index

If the index corrupts, Outlook’s search can become completely useless. A rebuild forces Outlook to reindex everything from scratch — it’s kind of like giving it a fresh start.

  • Go again to File > Options > Search
  • Click on Indexing Options
  • Hit Advanced
  • Under Index Settings tab, click Rebuild
  • Confirm and let it run. It can take a while — from several minutes to hours, depending on your mail volume
  • Once done, restart Outlook and check if search works properly

On a Mac, you might need to go into Preferences > Search > Rebuild Index. Either way, patience is key.

Method 6: Disable Windows’ Desktop Search to Use Outlook’s Built-in Search

Kind of weird, but sometimes Windows’ own search interferes with Outlook’s search engine. Disabling it can help Outlook rely solely on its native search tech.

  • Press Windows + R and type regedit, then press Enter
  • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
  • Right-click the window, choose New > Key, and name it Windows Search
  • Inside that key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it PreventIndexingOutlook
  • Double-click it and set the value to 1
  • Close regedit and restart your computer

This disables Windows Search for Outlook, forcing Outlook to do its own thing. Not always needed, but worth a try if nothing else works.

Method 7: Repair or Reinstall Outlook Data Files

If your PST or OST files are corrupt, Outlook’s search will struggle. Use the built-in scan tool (SCANPST. EXE) to fix these files.

  • Locate SCANPST. EXE — typically found in your Office installation folder:
    • Outlook 2016 & newer: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
    • Outlook 2013: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office15
    • Outlook 2010: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14
  • Run SCANPST. EXE
  • Select your Outlook data file (.pst or.ost — usually located in your Documents\Outlook Files folder or encrypted cloud storage)
  • Click Start and wait for the scan to finish
  • If errors are detected, click Repair
  • Restart Outlook and check the search again

Method 8: Verify Group Policy Settings (Windows Pro Users)

If your PC is managed by a corporate IT department, group policies might be blocking indexing. To check:

  • Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter
  • Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search
  • Ensure Default excluded paths and Prevent indexing certain paths are Not configured. If you see custom settings, talk to your IT admin or reset them

As always with group policies, messing around without knowing might cause more chaos, so proceed cautiously.

Method 9: Last-Resort — Reinstall Microsoft 365

When all else fails, totally reinstalling Microsoft Office might fix stubborn issues. Be sure to back up your Outlook data files (.pst/.ost) first, just in case.

  • Uninstall Office from Control Panel > Programs
  • Follow the official guide on Microsoft’s support page
  • Reinstall and reconfigure Outlook

If you’re on a Mac, the process is similar but through Applications and the Microsoft AutoUpdate tool.

Wrap-up

Outlook’s search not working is annoying but fixable. Most issues boil down to indexing problems, outdated software, or corrupt data files. Doing a combination of repairing, updating, and rebuilding that index usually sorts things out. Not sure why it’s so convoluted — probably just Windows and Office being overly complex as always — but these steps cover most scenarios. If your search still acts up after that, it’s probably worth looking at system policies or even reinstalling everything.

Summary

  • Repair Outlook or Microsoft 365
  • Check and tweak indexing settings
  • Make sure Office is up to date
  • Rebuild the search index
  • Disable Windows Search if needed
  • Fix corrupt data files with Scanpst
  • Reinstall Office if nothing else helps

Wrap-up

Once all these are tried, chances are good that Outlook’s search will be back to normal, making your life a lot easier. Sometimes, these issues pop up out of nowhere, but they can usually be fixed with a bit of troubleshooting. Fingers crossed this helps someone save hours and avoid the headaches. Good luck!