How do I search for a message?

In early 2021, an update to Microsoft Office resulted in the ‘Search bar’ moving to the top of the Outlook window into the title bar.

Method One:

To search the current mailbox for particular word/words.

1. Click in the search box.
2. Your last 3 search terms are listed. Click on one of these to rerun the search or type your search term.
3. Press <Enter> or <Return>.

All folders and subfolders will be searched and any occurrences of the term will be listed. The search term can appear in the sender field, subject, body of the message etc.

Method Two:

1. Click in the search box.
2. Click the drop down menu at the right hand side of the search box to display the search options.
3. Complete the relevant search fields as required.

• SEARCH IN - Current folder, subfolders, current mailbox or All outlook items.
• ATTACHMENTS - Choose if the email should contain an attachment.
• ATTACHMENT CONTAINS - the attachment file name and where possible the content, will be searched.
• FROM - Only the ‘from’ field will be searched.
• BODY - Only the main body of the email will be searched.
• RECEIVED - Use the drop down menu to select an option (today, yesterday, last week etc).
• SUBJECT - Only the subject line will be searched.
• TO - Only the ‘to’ field will be searched.

4. Click ‘Search’.

How do I know in which folder a message is stored?

If you create many subfolders, then search your full mailbox for a message you may not be sure which subfolder it is stored in.

1. Complete your search.
2. Use the ‘Field Chooser’ and add the ‘In Folder’ field to your mail view.  (For more information please refer to the ‘Field Chooser’ section of this guide).

You can then see at a glance the location of the email.

How do I use the Search ribbon?

When you complete a search the ‘Search’ ribbon is displayed. You can use this to limit your search rather than completing a new search.

For example, to limit the search results to those that contain attachments, click the ‘Has Attachment’ button. Click again to return to your full list.

How do I close the Search window?

1. Click the ‘X’ in the search bar, the ‘Close Search’ button in the ribbon or click on any folder to close the search.