Forum Discussion
Search not working in Outlook 2019 since updating to Monterey 12.1 on the Mac
There appears from other sites to be a very widespread problem with search not working in Outlook - no results obtained in Monterey- since the latest OS update. Rebuilding spotlight does not work and many people cannot change to the new version of outlook as they are served by older versions of Exchange Server.
It looks like a bug, but any ideas gratefully received.
202 Replies
I have just upgraded to 16.58 (beta) but now it brings up the "new" design with all limitations I did not want.
Are you experiencing the same behavior?
Have you been able to switch back to old design?- There should be a tab to switch back. It is NOT required for the beta so you must have opted for the new design.
- I've held off as wasted too much time, using GMail search until bug is fixed
- You need to go to updates and then advanced and then beta channel and install the beta. That is Microsoft's current fix to the problem in beta form for now. Make sure you have the most current version of Outlook installed first (by checking if you are up to date before switching channels). Check my prior replies for more specific instructions.
- The beta Outlook 16.58 (Build 22010406) did not work for me. Still nothing coming up in search. I can find emails using Spotlight directly but not really a usable workaround. Just proves that it probably isn't a spotlight indexing issue. It's a Microsoft issue.
- Try rebuilding you spotlight using the following terminal command. Give it a bit of time.
I would do it with Outlook closed and then restart after an hour or so (but that is likely just superstition). It should then work!
sudo mdutil -a -I on
A couple of people have needed to do it a couple of times which means that they are either being impatient whilst the indexes rebuild or there is some other glitch.
good that i found this discussion, i thought i was the only one because i upgraded to office 2021 on Mac
is there gonna be any update to fix this issue ? its really bothering me as i cant search for old emails.SCSW_2021
Check previous replies. It is resolved in Beta and "Current (Preview)" update channels. Not sure what the rollout plan is for regular-old-Current.
Hi Hawkar1915 !
Thanks !
And what is the difference between "Current (Preview)" and “rollout” version? Do you know?
I can confirm the version 16.58 (22010406) fixed the search problem on Microsoft Outlook for Mac, update your Microsoft Office from the beta channel install everything that is available, wait until it's done, restart your Mac whatever version you have, right after is back on again click on the Spotlight icon type something to start the search process and there you will see a thin blue bar under showing you the indexing process, wait until it's done and then open the Outlook, click on the outlook search bar (right corner on the top) type something after that go to Advanced (Search tab) and click on Index Status to see how long is going to take to complete the Outlook emails re index process, wait until it's done and then search away, hopefully your issues will be solved.Microsoft Outlook for Mac beta version that fixed search issues. SCSW_2021
I can confirm this is in Current Channel (Preview) as of today. THANK GOD IN HEAVEN.
Help -> Check for Updates -> Advanced -> Update Channel
Works like a champ.
- Works great Thank you....
Victor_Flores,
Great tip!!! Thanks a lot!!
Do you know when the final 16.58 version will be available?
It’s quite easy to fix, but it may not work for everyone. You can fix Outlook search errors with these steps.
- Via Registry
- Check group Policy settings
You can also read more on https://www.thewindowsclub.com/outlook-search-grayed-out-or-not-working.
- Seriously ... ?
Tito_titan this is about macOS, not Windows.Matthias_Wagner If it's a Mac OS you, you can try.
- Moving message to another account
- Check Spotlight Privacy Tab
- or Fix Corrupt Spotlight Index.
learn more on https://appuals.com/fix-outlook-for-macs-search-not-working/.
- Same problem since the update to Monterey
- I switched my Microsoft AutoUpdate to Beta Channel and upgraded to Outlook for Mac 16.58 (22010406). I figured out Search working again. Understanding running the beta is not a solution for everyone but could be one of workarounds.
- Hi, can You please Point how to switch to beta build?
1. Run Outlook
2. In the main menu, click on "Help" and then "Check For Updates"
3. Click on the "Advanced..." button
4. Change "Update Channel" to "Beta Channel"
5. Hit the "OK" button to confirm the disclaimers of running Beta versions
6. Then it will install an updated "Microsoft Update" utility to download all the beta versions of Office. Then run the Microsoft update and you are good to go.
Remember you are running beta versions which means they are not fully approved by Microsoft to run in a production environment. For me, I didn't care since the full versions were not working anyway - so no harm - no foul.
Good luck!
- Worked for me too! I hope this is a stable beta build. Hopefully it will be released soon.
- May I add to the voices here. MS - you need to work with Apple to fix this indexing issue. Many of us who receive tens or a hundred emails a day need a working search function. New Outlook does not work if you are managing people / have a lot of contacts and need to retrieve emails from some time back. Yes, you can use a corporate server but **bleep**, those things can fail when you are traveling.
- May I add to the voices too, we are getting fed up! I do receive tens or a hundred emails a day and need a working search function urgently. Accessing the corporate server on line is not a solution and my folders are not accessible when I am there. I keep moving back and forth from old to new outlook and back, having to go through MS double / triple authentication. This is unbearable and has been going on for too long. Please ....
same issue here, since I downloaded Monterey on my new MacBook Pro 2021 with M1 chip, the outlook is not resulting anything in search result. Big trouble as have so many mails and can't scroll through to find one mail. Really a poor piece and really it need to be looked at asap by MS
