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Outlook’s search feature can save your life by keeping you from having to look through hundreds of emails to find something. But what happens when the search function in ‘Outlook Search Not Working’ on android, iPhone and windows? Outlook is a useful tool that lets you send messages, keep track of your schedule, and do other things automatically.
It helps a lot when you need to find important mail quickly. But when the “search” feature doesn’t work, important information can’t be found. But there are several ways for users to scan their inboxes effectively. We’ll show you nine ways to fix Outlook search in this article. We’ll start with the easiest and most likely fix, so try these solutions in the order they are listed.
Outlook Search Not Working On Windows

Repair Microsoft 365
- Open Control Panel.
- Go to Programs>Uninstall a program.
- Look for and select Microsoft 365.
- Click the Change button.
- Select Quick Repair.
- Allow Microsoft 365 to repair and restart the system.
Update Microsoft 365
- Open the Settings app with the Win+I keyboard shortcut.
- Go to Update & Security.
- Select the Windows Update tab.
- Click Check for updates.
- Install the available updates.
- Open Outlook.
- Go to File>Office Account.
- Choose Update Options>Update Now.
- Install available updates.
- Restart Outlook and allow it to index emails.
Check indexing settings
- Open Outlook and go to File>Options.
- Select the Search tab.
- Click the Indexing options button.
- Click Modify and then Show all locations.
- Select them all and click OK.
- Allow the locations to be indexed and Outlook search will start working.
Rebuild search index
- Open Outlook and go to File>Options.
- Select the Search tab.
- Select Indexing options>Advanced.
- Go to the Indexing Settings tab and click Rebuild under the Troubleshooting section
Enable Outlook Indexing by Windows Search Service
- In Outlook, open File -> Settings;
- Select Search -> Indexing Options;
- Click Change
- Disable the indexing for Microsoft Outlook;
- Close Outlook, and using the Process Manager, make sure there is no
outlook.exeprocess running on your computer.
Rebuild Outlook Search Index Catalog
- Click on the Start menu and type Indexing Options in the search box
- In the Indexing Options dialog box, select Advanced
- In the Advanced Options dialog box, select Rebuild and select OK
Use Programs and Features
- To rebuild the Outlook index when Outlook search isn’t working:
- Type “control” into the Windows search bar and select the best match to open the Control Panel.
- Head to Programs > Programs & Features.
- Scroll down and select Outlook 2019, Microsoft Office [your version], or Microsoft 365.
- Now, select Change from the top menu. You can now choose Quick Repair or Online Repair, as highlighted in the image below.
- Choose Quick Repair, then Repair, to fix the Outlook indexing issue without using your internet connection.
Fix Outlook Search Not Working On ANdroid: 4 Simple Ways

Restart your Phone
- Many common problems with Outlook and other mobile apps can be fixed quickly and easily by turning off and on your phone. When you use your phone, it does a lot of things in the background that can make it slow or unresponsive.
- Restarting the phone helps get rid of these processes, which frees up resources and makes the phone run better.
- Also, restarting the phone can fix any glitches or errors that might be causing the Outlook app to stop working. By restarting your phone, you give it a chance to fix any problems that may be causing the Outlook app to not work as well as it should.
Clear Cache Files To Fix Outlook
- Head to App page of the Outlook app as we did earlier.
- Scroll down and go to Storage.
- Tap Clear Cache to clear the cache files of the Outlook app from the phone.
- Then launch the Outlook app and it should work without any issue.
Reset Your Email Account in Outlook
Resetting the permissions for an email account in the Outlook app can help fix problems with how the app works. Over time, the settings and permissions for your email accounts may become outdated or corrupted, leading to errors or performance issues.
- Open the Outlook app and head to settings through the gear icon in the sidebar.
- Choose the email account which you want to remove from the Email Accounts section. We can remove multiple accounts one by one if there are multiple emails on the app.
- Scroll down in the chosen email account’s settings and select reset account.
- Confirm the action by tapping continue and then your account will be reset. This will also restart the account and all your settings on the Outlook app for this email account will reset. You will get a fresh start and this should fix the Outlook problem.
Reinstall Outlook App
If you have tried everything we have suggested above then it is time to reinstall the Outlook app. This is because reinstalling the app can clear out any corrupted files or settings that may be causing the app to malfunction. Additionally, reinstalling the app ensures that you have the latest version installed, which may include important bug fixes and improvements.
Reinstalling the app is a simple process that involves deleting the app from your phone and then downloading and installing it again. If you are experiencing problems with the Outlook app on your phone, reinstalling it is a simple and effective step that can help you get back to using the app as intended.
Outlook Mail Not Working on iPhone
Update to The Latest iOS
- In order to update to the latest iOS version, you have to plug your iPhone into power and connect to the Internet with Wi-Fi.
- Launch the “Settings” app on iPhone, tap on your name, and go to “General” > “Software Update”.
- If an update iOS version is available, tap “Download and Install”, and follow the onscreen instructions to update the iOS.
Check Mail Settings on iPhone
- Go to “Settings” > [your name] > “Account & Passwords”, choose the “Outlook” option and touch your email account.
- Check the settings and correct it if something is wrong.
- Plus, select “Mail Days to Sync” on the mail settings screen and make sure to choose the “No Limit” option.
Re-install Outlook App
- Tap the Outlook app on your home screen until it starts shaking.
- Press the “Delete” icon on the app and confirm the deletion.
- After that, go to your App Store, search for Outlook and get it again
- Next, open the app and sign in your account.
Enable Fetch New Data
- Go to Settings -> Passwords & Accounts.
- Tap on Fetch New Data.
- Toggle on “Push“. This will push new data to your iPhone from the server
If the problem persists and you are unable to resolve it by following the steps outlined above, the new can visit their official website and request additional information.
FAQ
How do I move the search bar in Outlook
You can’t change where the search bar is in Outlook right now. Any changes to the position are caused by updates to the interface and not by a setting that can be changed. If you really want to move the search bar back to where it was before, your only choice is to use an older version of Outlook where the bar was in a different place.
Why is Outlook 365 search not working
Well, if your Outlook 365 search isn’t working, it’s probably because of an indexing problem, which you’ll need to fix for the search to work again. The problem could be that you lost your Outlook index when you installed Office 365.