Search in Outlook is great but only if it is working properly and returning results.
A lot of people posted online on various forums that their search was not working or returning no results. A message
appears in Outlook stating “We coudnt find what you’re looking for” for every search query.
If your outlook search is not working, try to rebuild your search index following the steps below:
Note: This process takes a long time. I suggest you run it just before you leave the office for the day (or just before
you go to sleep at night):
Bring up the Indexing Options screen. (Instructions below depending on your version of Windows)
Windows 7/Vista:
- Click the Windows Start button and type “index” in the Search box. Indexing Options should appear under programs.
- Click Indexing Options to bring up the Indexing Options screen.
Windows 8:
- Open My Computer
- Click the computer tab on the menu bar > click Control Panel
- In the search box on the top-right-hand corner, type “Index“
- Click Indexing Options
- Click the Advanced button on the Indexing Option screen.
- Click the Rebuild button.
Your current Search Indexes will be deleted and rebuilt.
Once the rebuilding process is complete (I told you that this will take some time so hopefully you’re doing this just before you leave the office or go to bed) you should find Search working perfectly again.
I hope this tip helps to fix your Outlook search problem.
Let us know by leaving a comment on this blog.