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Outlook PST File 9 minute read

How to Fix Outlook 2016 Search Problems [Comprehensive Guide]

Eric Simson
Written By
Eric Simson
Kuljeet Singh
Approved By
Kuljeet Singh
stellar calander
Updated on
February 24th, 2023

Contents

  • How to Fix ‘Outlook Search not Working?’
  • 2. Fix Incomplete Outlook Search Results Problem
  • Conclusion

Summary: This blog outlines Microsoft Outlook search problems such as ‘Outlook search not working’ and ‘returns no or incomplete results’. It also describes workarounds on ‘how to fix Outlook problems’. These workarounds apply to Microsoft Office 365, Outlook 2019, 2016, and 2013.

Microsoft Outlook features a search option that helps you find email items based on keywords. You may further add filters to your Outlook search function to locate specific email items much more quickly. In outlook, Sometimes you get surprised when you find something went wrong and your search couldn’t be completed you encounter problems with the Outlook search function such as Outlook search does not find any matches, won’t work & Other Outlook Problems. 

When Outlook search not working in outlook, you may experience any of these issues:

  • Outlook fails to return any search results
  • Outlook search not showing all results
  • Outlook search not showing recent emails or can’t find older emails
  • Outlook search does not find any matches
  • Search tab not working, turns grey (specific to Outlook 2016)
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How to Fix ‘Outlook Search not Working?’

When the Outlook indexing tool is not working or not functioning properly, It is required to check outlook Indexing Status. Like, it may not show the recent email search result due to the outlook email search which is not working. Further, it may display results like Outlook search by date or may show that items based on search criteria waiting to be indexed in the output panel. This indicates a problem with the Outlook Indexing services.

Following are some workarounds that you can try to resolve Outlook 2016 search not working issues:

  • Fix Outlook Indexing Status
  • Fix Incomplete Search Results Problem
  • Fix Greyed Out Search Bar in Outlook 2016
  • Fix Personal Folder Outlook Data File (.PST)
  • Disable Add-ins
  • Inspect Windows Search Service
  • Fix Outlook 2016 Search Issue via Windows Registry
Note: In case, the Outlook search bar isn’t visible, perform the below steps or else proceed with the following workarounds. Go to File > Options > Customize. Select All Tabs under ‘Choose commands from’ section.From the list of tab selections, select ‘Search’, click ‘Add’, and then click ‘OK’ (refer to Fig 1 below).
Go to File > Options > Customize. Select All Tabs under ‘Choose commands from’ section.
Fig 1: Add Search bar to Outlook

Note: If you find that problem is due to damage in an Outlook PST file then, try PST file recovery software to make Outlook error-free and to fix “outlook 2016 search not working” related problems.

1. How to fix Outlook Indexing Status

To check the indexing status in Outlook 2016, follow these steps:

  • Open Outlook 2016 and click on ‘Search’ bar.
  • Click ‘Search Tools’ drop-down and choose ‘Indexing Status…’
click on ‘Search’ bar>Click ‘Search Tools’ drop-down and choose ‘Indexing Status…’
Fig 2: Search Tools
  • Click ‘OK’ when the ‘Outlook has finished indexing all of your items‘ message is displayed within the ‘Indexing Status’ dialog box.
Indexing Status’ dialog box
Fig 3: Loading Outlook Index Status

When the indexing is complete, Outlook will display mailboxes awaiting to be indexed. You can use the search function but may not find the desired mails or get incomplete results due to incomplete indexing status. So, if the indexing does not finish, try rebuilding the Outlook index.

Steps to Rebuild the Outlook Index

There are two different ways to rebuild the Outlook index and resolve the Outlook 2016 search issue.

a. Repair MS Office Installation

  • Go to Control Panel>Programs>Programs and Features.
  • Click on Outlook 2016 or Microsoft Office [VERSION].
  • Click the ‘Change’ button at the top.
Control Panel>Programs>Programs and Features.
Fig 4: Repair Outlook or MS Office Installation
Betboo
  • Select ‘Repair’ and click ‘Continue’.
Select ‘Repair’ and click ‘Continue
Fig 5: Repair Outlook Installation
  • This will begin repairing MS Office or Outlook 2016 installation that may fix the Outlook 2016 search issue.

b. Using Outlook Index Repair Option

Outlook 2016 also features ‘Indexing options…’ to fix Outlook index related issues. Follow these steps to rebuild the Outlook Index and fix the Outlook search problem:

  • In Outlook 2016, go to File > Options > Search.
  • Click on the ‘Indexing Options…’ button.
Go to File > Options > Search
Fig 6: Rebuilding Outlook Index
  • Click ‘Microsoft Outlook’ and then click ‘Advanced’ button.
Click ‘Microsoft Outlook’ and then click ‘Advanced
Fig 7: MS Outlook Index status
  • Click ‘Rebuild’ and then click ‘OK’.
Click ‘Rebuild’ and then click ‘OK’
Fig 8: Rebuild MS Outlook 2016 Index
  • Click ‘OK’ to continue with Outlook Index Rebuild.
Click Ok.
Fig 9: Confirm Outlook Index Rebuild
  • Wait for the Indexing process to complete.
Wait for the Indexing process to complete
Fig 10: Indexing in progress

Once the Indexing process is complete, check if the ‘Microsoft Outlook search not working’ issue is resolved. Once the Indexing process is complete, check if the ‘Microsoft Outlook cannot perform your search’ issue is resolved.

TIP: You may also search and open ‘Indexing Options’ from the Control Panel (as shown in the image below).

open Indexing Options
Fig 11: Access Indexing Options

2. Fix Incomplete Outlook Search Results Problem

Outlook search function not working that indicates to if the search results are incomplete or missing older email items, apply the following methods:

a. Increase Email Sync Slider

This will enable Outlook to sync and index the older emails that may be missing in the Outlook search results. Follow these steps:

  • Open Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
Open Outlook and go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings
Fig 12: Access Outlook Account settings
  • Select your email account and then click ‘Change’.
Select your email account and then click ‘Change
Fig 13: Change the Offline Settings
  • Drag the slider to ‘All’ and then click ‘Next’.
Drag the slider to ‘All’ and then click ‘Next’
Drag the slider to ‘All’ and then click ‘Next’Fig 14: Move Slider to ALL
  • Click ‘OK’ when a prompt appears.
 Click ‘OK’ when a prompt appears
Fig 15: Confirmation message
  • Click ‘Finish’ to close the window and then restart Outlook.
Click ‘Finish’ to close the window and then restart Outlook
Fig 16: Finishing Offline setting wizard
  • After restarting, Outlook will index all the mail items. Once done, you can search for the desired mails.
Outlook syncing older emails (Status Bar)
Fig 17: Outlook syncing older emails

b. Allow Search to Display All Results

When you enter a search query in Outlook, it displays 250 search results by default. To show all results, follow these steps:

NOTE: This will show you all results but the search will be slower.

  • Open Outlook and go to File>Options>Search.
Go to File>Options>Search
Fig 18: Clear Improve search speed … checkbox
  • Unselect the ‘Improve search speed by limiting the number of results shown’ checkbox.
  • Click ‘OK’ and restart the Outlook.

TIP: You may click ‘Include messages from Deleted items folder …’ checkbox to improve search results.

3. Fix Outlook Search bar when it’s Greyed in Outlook 2016

To fix the greyed out search bar, you need to repair the MS Office or Outlook 2016 installation. To do so, follow these steps:

  • In Windows 10 PC, go to Settings > Apps. 
  • Search and click on Microsoft Office.
  • Click ‘Modify’ and then select ‘Repair’ option.
Click ‘Modify’ and then select ‘Repair’ option
Fig 19: Modify MS Office Installation
  • Click ‘Continue’ to repair the MS Office installation which may fix the greyed out search bar issue in Outlook 2016.
Select Repair & press Continue
Fig 20: Repair MS Office Installation

4. Fix Personal Folder Outlook Data File (.PST)

A corrupt Outlook data file (.pst) can cause severe issues including Outlook search problems. However, Outlook provides an Inbox Repair Tool or SCANPST.EXE to analyze and repair a corrupt or damaged PST file. The tool comes integrated with all the versions of Microsoft Outlook email client.

The default PST file location in Windows is: C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook

To access and use the SCANPST.EXE tool, follow these steps:

  • Open File Explorer and go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\

Or C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office16\

Click on  SCANPST.EXE tool
Fig 21: Access SCANPST.EXE tool
  • Find and double-click on SCANPST.EXE
  • Click ‘Browse’ to choose the corrupt Outlook PST file.

NOTE: SCANPST.EXE supports the PST file of size up to 2GB. It doesn’t support an encrypted PST file.

Click Browse to search Outlook Data File (PST) .
Fig 22: Browse Outlook Data File (PST)
  • Click on the ‘Start’ button to begin the Outlook data file scan process.
Press Start to Scan the Outlook PST File
Fig 23: SCANPST.EXE scanning the PST file
  • After the scan, if the Inbox Repair Tool detects any error, it displays the following screen. Click ‘Repair.’
When scan completed, Press Repair
Fig 24: Scan result displays errors in PST
  • After the repair, the following message is displayed. Click ‘OK’ to close it.
PST repair complete, Now Press OK.
Fig 25: PST repair complete

Now you may restart Outlook and check if the search not working in outlook problem is resolved.

Alternatively, you can use a PST repair tool such as Stellar Repair for Outlook to fix a corrupt PST file. The software can also fix oversized, encrypted, or severely corrupt PST Outlook data file.

It not only helps resolve Outlook search problems by fixing corrupt PST files but also lets you save the repaired PST mail items to various file formats such as MSG, PDF, HTML, RTF, and EML.

Stellar

5. Disable Add-ins

Outlook add-ins help add features and improve productivity. However, sometimes an incompatible or outdated Outlook add-in can cause chaos and lead to issues such as Outlook crash, Outlook not responding, or Outlook search problems.

Follow these steps to disable Outlook add-ins and fix the Outlook search issue:

  • In Outlook, and go to File > Options > Add-ins.
  • In Manage list, select COM Add-ins and click ‘Go’.
Go to File > Options > Add-ins
Fig 26: Disable Add-ins in Outlook
  • Clear the checkbox of the add-ins that you want to remove, and then click ‘OK’.
Clear checkbox of all add-ins & Press Ok.
Fig 27: Clear checkbox of add-ins
  • Restart Outlook.

6. Inspect Windows Search Service Status

To inspect Windows Search Service status, follow the given steps:

  • Press Windows+R, type services.msc, and click ‘OK’.
Press Windows+R, type services.msc, and click ‘OK’
Fig 28: Access Services.msc
  • Scroll down and find ‘Windows Search’.
Scroll down and find ‘Windows Search
Fig 29: Check Windows Search status
  • Check if its ‘Status’ is ‘Running’. If not, right-click on ‘Windows Search’ and select ‘Start’.
Check if its ‘Status’ is ‘Running’. If not, right-click on ‘Windows Search’ and select ‘Start
Fig 30: Starting Windows Search service
  • Then double click on ‘Windows Search’ and select ‘Automatic (Delayed Start)’ in ‘Startup Type’ drop-down.
double click on ‘Windows Search’ and select ‘Automatic (Delayed Start)’ in ‘Startup Type’ drop-down
Fig 31: Startup Type of Windows Search
  • Click ‘OK’ and close all windows.
  • Restart Windows PC and Outlook to check if the Outlook search problem is resolved.

7. Fix Outlook Search Issue via Windows Registry

  • Press Windows+R, type Regedit and click ‘OK’. This opens the Registry Editor.
  • Paste the following registry key location in the address bar and press ‘Enter’.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search

  • Right-click on ‘Windows Search’ and select New>Dword (32-bit) Value.
Right-click on ‘Windows Search’ and select New>Dword (32-bit) Value
Fig 32: Adding new registry- Outlook Search
  • Name the Dword as ‘PreventIndexingOutlook’.
Name the Dword as ‘PreventIndexingOutlook’
Fig 33: PreventIndexingOutlook registry entry
  • Double-click on PreventIndexingOutlook. Enter 0 in Value data: field and click ‘OK’.
Double-click on PreventIndexingOutlook. Enter 0 in Value data: field and click ‘OK
Fig 34: Changing Registry value
  • Reboot your system.
For Troubleshooting Outlook search issues here is the Manual Guide

Conclusion

You may face ‘Outlook search not working’ issue due to incomplete Outlook indexing or corrupt PST file. This blog helps you understand various Outlook search problems and details several troubleshooting methods to fix these problems.

For instance, if the cause of the Outlook search problem is a corrupt Outlook data file, you can repair the PST file by using Stellar Repair for Outlook or Inbox Repair Tool (SCANPST.EXE). These utilities can repair PST file and recover the entire mailbox data. After the damaged PST file is repaired, the ‘Search’ feature in Outlook should work properly.

Stellar Repair for Outlook is a recommended solution for fixing such issues caused by corrupt PST files as it provides several advantages over the SCANPST.EXE tool. The software supports encrypted Outlook data files, shows a preview of recovered mailbox data before saving, saves the recovered Outlook data file in multiple file formats, and more.

It works in almost all situations when the Inbox repair tool fails to resolve the issue. Check what the other MVPs and other experts have to say about this software: Click Here.

Check What MVP says about our software:

MVP Recommendation for Stellar Repair for outlook
mvp
Click to See all Recommendations

Also Read:

Top 5 Outlook Problems

Outlook Not Responding?

Outlook error 0x80040154?

How to fix error 0x800ccc0f

About The Author

Eric Simson

Eric Simson is an Email Platform Consultant and is associated with Stellar Data Recovery from last 6 years. He writes about the latest technology tips and provides custom solutions related to MS Outlook, MS Exchange Server, Office 365, and many other Email Clients & Servers.

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192 comments

  1. DirectDeals says:
    July 14, 2022 at 12:02 pm

    Thank you so much. This Blog is so thoughtful.

    Reply
  2. Kalmaste CBD Gummies says:
    February 17, 2022 at 10:31 pm

    You have brought up a very good points, thanks for the post.

    Reply
  3. Robin says:
    November 12, 2020 at 5:50 am

    Hi Eric,

    Thanks for this article. It really helped me out to save my day as I was facing a similar issue with my Outlook 2013 version and while searching on the internet I came for this page. Before that, I tried many times but failed.

    Reply
    1. Eric Simson says:
      November 24, 2020 at 3:53 am

      Thank you so much Robin for sharing your experience.

      Reply
  4. Rubin says:
    November 22, 2019 at 6:00 am

    Hi Eric,
    My outlook hanged when typing in the search box. Can your tool solve this issue?

    Reply
    1. Eric Simson says:
      November 22, 2019 at 7:05 am

      Yes Rubin, try its demo version for your assurance.

      Reply
  5. Edwin says:
    September 19, 2019 at 7:39 pm

    No such luck after upgrading Outlook 2010 to Outlook (office) 2019. Search results always come up with no results. Tried everything: rebuilding, removal windows.edb index file, repairing pst file, repairing office, reinstallation office (after complete removal). Something is obviously broken. Thank you Microsoft :).

    Strangely enough search still works in Exchange / mail server backend environments.

    It is only pst using pop that is giving the problem. hope this is going to be fixed soon

    Reply
    1. Josh says:
      March 26, 2020 at 7:46 pm

      You have to include the PST location in your indexing locations if it anywhere but the default folder.

      Reply
  6. Dmitry says:
    August 17, 2019 at 11:31 am

    gmail.com – mailbox

    outlook2016 – client

    search does not work after all this.

    Reply
  7. Devis Martin says:
    July 29, 2019 at 7:35 am

    Geat!

    My Outlook 2019 is also working again after following the above-suggested recommendations.

    Reply

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Table of Contents    arrow

  1. How to Fix ‘Outlook Search not Working?’
  2. 2. Fix Incomplete Outlook Search Results Problem
  3. Conclusion

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