Forum Discussion
Search function in Outlook is terrible
Here are some suggestions to troubleshoot and improve the search functionality for the PA to the CEO:
- Rebuild the Search Index:
- Close Outlook.
- Go to Control Panel > Indexing Options (or use the Windows search bar to find it).
- Click on "Modify" and ensure that Microsoft Outlook is selected for indexing.
- Click on "Advanced" and then the "Rebuild" button to rebuild the search index.
- This process may take some time, so be patient. Once it is done, restart your computer and open Outlook to check if the search issue is resolved.
- Check the Outlook Search Options:
- In Outlook, go to File > Options.
- In the Outlook Options window, click on the "Search" tab.
- Make sure the "Include results only from" option is set to "Current Mailbox."
- Also, ensure that "Improve search speed by limiting the number of results shown" is unchecked.
- Use Advanced Search Queries:
- Encourage the PA to use more specific search terms and advanced search operators to narrow down search results. For example, using quotation marks to search for an exact phrase: "search term".
- Teach her how to use keywords along with other search operators like "from:", "to:", "subject:", "received:", etc., to refine search results.
- Update Outlook:
- Ensure that Outlook is up to date with the latest updates and patches. Sometimes, Microsoft releases updates that address search issues.
- Check for Add-Ins:
- Third-party add-ins in Outlook can sometimes interfere with search functionality. Disable any unnecessary or suspicious add-ins and see if it improves search performance.
- Check for PST Files:
- Ensure there are no PST files added to Outlook that are causing search issues. PST files are not indexed by default, and they can slow down searches.
- Check Exchange Server Configuration:
- Ensure that the Exchange server is configured correctly and up to date. If there are issues on the server side, it can affect Outlook's search functionality.
- Check Windows Updates:
- Ensure that Windows itself is up to date with the latest updates and patches. Sometimes, Windows updates can impact Outlook's performance.
By following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot and resolve the search issue in Outlook and improve the PA's experience with email searches. The text and steps were edited with the help of various AI’s.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
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It's so bad that it's laughable. I had to search for any and all e-mails referencing "referral" today but if the e-mail in question has "referrals" plural it won't show up in results. If there was an option to relax case or exact match I couldn't find it, but to say that's a "me" issue and not a "this search sucks" issue is a joke. Google had this solved over a decade ago.
PMarohombsar1 This is the reason that so many of us use Outlook to manage task assignments (our own and delegated) but use Gmail for emails. Outlook has never had a good search engine. It should have licensed Google Search way back when......
- I agree. Thhat is the worst search engine I have ever seen and I worked with Texass Document Search under DR-Dos.. Microsoft has to make that working or eM Client, Mailbird and Linux will be a way better to work with.
