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Techniques to Fix Email Search Not Working In Outlook for Mac Issue

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Written By Nimisha Ramesh  
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh 
Published On May 23rd, 2024
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

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Nowadays Outlook is the most popular email application that is used to send and receive bulk of emails in an organization as well as personal level. It must be maintained and upgraded timely otherwise many issues may arise. like email search not working in Outlook for Mac. Many times, it is difficult for users to execute and understand Outlook search with updated edition of application. 

As Search option, is the most important feature of the Outlook application. It helps to perform a specific search of a defined criterion. It helps in navigating through mails and other components quite proficiently. In the following section, we will discuss email search not working in Outlook for Mac.

Mac Outlook users keep on searching for some alternative because of the multiple issues faced by them like email search is  not working. Therefore, users want some solution to move from Mac Outlook to Windows Outlook. Now, to do the same in a proper way, you can try SysTools Outlook Mac Exporter tool. It is one of the simplest and efficient way of migrating from Mac Outlook to Windows Outlook in just a few simple clicks.

Problem Description

In Outlook 2016 for Mac, users receive a message “No Results,” when they try to search specific mail message or task items are not displayed in Task folder. Moreover, when users search for mail items by utilizing Mac OS spotlight search, the search is not successful. They face an issue of email search not working in Outlook for Mac:

Note: While performing the search option, user must be aware of the following facts:

  • Operating system must include Spotlight Search Option
  • Spotlight Search should be synchronized with Outlook 2016
  • When new data is introduce, it takes several minutes for indexing

Causes Behind Email Search Not Working In Outlook for Mac

The problem may arise due to following reasons as mentioned:

  • Indexing of Spotlight Search is incomplete
  • The name contains the special characters
  • Profile or its parent folders are in privacy tab in Spotlight
  • Index Search of Spotlight is corrupt

Way to Resolve the Problem

Until now, we have discussed the issue and causes behind its occurrence. Now, we will be discussing the methods to solve the problem faced by the users. There are some solutions mentioned below which helps to resolve the issue, i.e. email search not working in Outlook for Mac.

Solution 1: Complete Spotlight Indexing

When the user creates new Outlook profile in Outlook 2016 for Mac or they have imported the new data from PST or OLM files. Then the Spotlight indexing is not complete. In this situation, “No Results” message will display. To solve this problem, user should wait for a time to finish the indexing and then search again.

Solution 2: Eliminate Special Characters To Solve “Email Search Not Working In Outlook for Mac” Error

If Outlook for Mac 2016 has some special characters such as *, /, >, +, @, etc. then you will get this email search not working in Outlook for Mac. So, users need to change the identity name by following the steps mentioned below:
  • View Profile Name
    1. Select Go >> Applications.
    2. Click on MS Outlook >> Show Package Contents
    3. Increase Contents, SharedSupport >> Outlook Profile Manager
  • Change Profile Name
    1. Open Identity folder of Outlook 2016 from the mentioned location:
    2. Now, rename the identity name by removing the special characters
    3. Confirm the changes by again viewing the profile name.

Solution 3: Remove the tab of Privacy

If the Outlook 2016, profile folder is add to the Privacy tab then, then Spotlight will not index that folder location. Now, remove the location of these folders from the Privacy tab in the spotlight and wait for the time until these folders to finish indexing.

Solution 4: Fix Spotlight Index Corruption

If the user is still facing the problem “Email Search Not Working In Outlook for Mac” then, the Spotlight index may get corrupted. To resolve this, the user needs to re-index the Spotlight Index by following a few steps:
  1. Select the Apple menu then, go to system preference >> Spotlight
  2. Click on the privacy tab and now drag the folder, which the user wants to index to a list of locations that are prevented from Spotlight search
  3. Choose the folder that is added and remove it from the list by clicking on the remove (-) button
  4. Now, quite the preferences of the system and the Spotlight will re-index folder contents.
After following the mentioned solutions, if the users still face an issue then, they can uninstall Outlook 2016 from a Mac machine and again reinstall.
 
Read more:  How to Extract PDF File from Outlook.

Additional Automated Solution 

Well, issues with Mac Outlook also happened due to the corruption of data files. And to fix the corruption of the Mac Outlook. We suggest you choose the SysTools Mac Outlook Recovery.

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This is one of the most trusted and effective solutions that give you the option to repair the Mac Outlook database like OLK, or OLM data file. So, if you are getting an error due to the corruption issue then this automated solution is the right choice for you.

Conclusion

In the above discussion, various methods to resolve the occurrence of the issue, i.e. Email search not working in Outlook for Mac are discussed. According to experts, a user can try these solutions as they will surely improve the functioning of Mac Outlook. In addition, all these workarounds help in boosting the search process.

Frequently Asked Question

Q 1. Why is my Outlook for Mac search not working properly?
Ans-
There can be several reasons behind it such as:
  1. Spotlight search indexing is incomplete.
  2. Your email name contains special characters.
  3. Spotlight Index search is corrupt.

 

Q 2. How to turn on Spotlight on Mac Machine?
Ans-
  1. Go to Finder on your Mac machine.
  2. Then, choose Apple Menu >> System Preferences
  3. Now, you need to choose Spotlight from the top row
  4. Select the items that you want to allow Spotlight to index.

 

Q 3. How to open Spotlight on Mac Keyboard?

Ans-

There are a few shortcuts that you can use for Spotlight:

  1. Command+Space: Open Spotlight menu
  2. Command+Option+Space: Open Spotlight in the Finder
  3. Escape: Clear Spotlight search box
  4. Escape twice: Close the Spotlight menu

 

Q 4. How to force re-indexing on Spotlight?

Ans-

  1. Go to the System Preferences from the Apple menu.
  2. Then, click on the Spotlight >> Privacy tab
  3. Simply drag Macintosh HD into this window
  4. After that, click on the OK button as the message pop-up
  5. Here, choose the drive that you have just added click on the “-” minus button and remove it from the list.
  author

By Nimisha Ramesh

Nimisha Ramesh is a dynamic professional known for her expertise in content and brand strategy. With a passion for crafting compelling narratives, Nimisha excels at creating content that not only engages but also aligns with brand objectives. Her strategic approach to content development and brand management has made her a valuable asset in reaching broader audiences and driving business success.