Proven Ways To Fix Outlook Search Not Working Error

Isn’t it quite annoying when you are in the mid of important work and suddenly your system screen shows “Outlook 2016 search not working” error?  Well, you are not the only user who is encountering the error. 

However, if you just updated the MS Office Outlook email client to the up-to-date version, then you might also encounter “Outlook search not working” technical error. 

Unquestionably, the “Search” feature of Outlook is the most important feature that the email client offers. 

Moreover, this feature not only assists to execute a specific search following a determined criterion but also supports navigating with the help of the emails and other mailbox elements very efficiently. 

So, if you are struggling with this technical error and looking for some fixes to resolve it, then don’t fret. You have just landed on the correct page.

Here, in this post, we have rounded up some effective and useful hacks which can eradicate this error within a flicker of time. 

Reasons for “MS Office Outlook Search Not Working” Error when Outlook Search Shows ‘No Results Found’ Status:

If you are struggling with this “Outlook 2016 search not working” issue, then you must realize that there could be multiple reasons leading to this troublesome error notification.

Moreover, know and understand the possible reasons behind this annoying error of the Microsoft Office Outlook email client to avert such issues in the future.   

Therefore, take a look at the below passage in detail to know some possible reasons that commonly trigger this MS Office Outlook error:

• Backdated OS version of the system which is not compatible with the latest version of MS Outlook email client.  
• You might face this troublesome issue on your MS Office Outlook app due to the data files of the Outlook which are not indexed effectively. 
• “Outlook 2016 search not working” issue can appear abruptly or after updating the MS Office Outlook application to the latest version.
• The “Search” function of the Outlook email client is completely turned off. 
• The data files of the MS Office Outlook email client might be damaged and corrupted. As a result, the search function of the email client is unable to work properly.  
• There is a high chance that the Microsoft Office Outlook application wasn’t launched correctly on the system due to which some components of the email client are not working well.  
• The “No Results Found” error may show up on the “Search” function of the Outlook 2016 email client because of the presence of huge-sized attachments in the PST files.

Outlook Search Not Working Error: Four Easy Ways to Fix it 

Now, that you are aware of the possible reasons behind this ”Outlook application search function not working” issue, therefore, let’s proceed with the solutions which are explained in the below section of this write-up. 

Follow each troubleshooting way inappropriate order until you get a solution that works best for you. 

Thus, without delaying too much, let’s begin.

Way 1: Verify if the Search Function is Working in Outlook Safe Mode

The foremost approach to eradicate this annoying error is to check if the search function of the MS Office Outlook application works in the Safe mode. 

Here are the steps to do so:

1. At first, press and hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and after that, double-click on the MS Office Outlook app to start the email client in the Safe Mode.
2. Alternatively, press down the Windows key and at the same time press down the R key on your keyboard. This key combination will open the Run dialog box. 
3. Write “outlook/safe” in the Run dialog box and tap on the Ok button. Otherwise, you can press down the Enter key on your keyboard to move further. 
4. Now, perform a search in the MS Office Outlook safe mode. In case, now, the search function is working correctly then, disable all the add-ins of the email client. 
5. After completing all the above-stated steps, restart the Outlook application. 

Additional Steps: Disable the Add-Ins in MS Outlook 2016, 2010 and 2013 Version 

Now, disable all the add-ins of the Microsoft Office Outlook email client. To do so, go through the following easy steps:

1. At first, go to the Microsoft Office Outlook email client.
2. Tap on the File menu of Outlook.
3. After that, choose Options in the File menu. 
4. Now, pick the option Add-ins under the Options. You might get this option in the left panel of the window. 
5. Tap on the COM Add-ins option which is at the right panel of the screen. After that, tap on the Go button. 
6. Now, unmark the checkbox that is next to the Add-in which you require to disable and choose the  OK button to move further. 
7. After completing all the above-stated steps, restart the Outlook application. 
8. Lastly, check the Microsoft Office Outlook application that the search function is working properly. In case, the error still persists, then it is suggested to move out to the next troubleshooting way given below.  

Way 2: Repair Microsoft Outlook

Repair the MS Office Outlook application in order to get rid of this troublesome “Outlook search not working” error. 

By performing this method, you can fix several bugs of the Outlook email client. 

Check out the below steps:

1. At first, press down the Windows key and at the same time press down the R key on your keyboard. This key combination will open the Run dialog box.  
2. Write “appwiz.cpl” in the Run dialog box and tap on the Ok button. Otherwise, you can press down the Enter key on your keyboard to move further.   
3. Then, you will get a list of programs which are installed on the system.
4. Next, look for the Microsoft Office or MS Outlook email client application in the list of programs. Tap on the Microsoft Office or MS Outlook email client application.    
5. After that, tap on the Change option. Select the Repair button. 
6. Hit the Continue button to confirm your choice. 
7. Now, the repairing process will begin. This repairing process may take some time to finish. Therefore, you need to wait until the entire repairing process completes.  

Whenever the MS Office Outlook app has been repaired and renewed, restart the system.

Lastly, check the Microsoft Office Outlook application that the search function is working properly. 

In case, the error still persists, completely uninstall, reinstall and configure the Outlook email client again. 

Way 3: Troubleshooting and Simple Index Rebuilding

In case, the above solutions do not work for you, then try to perform this method to fix this error on your own. 

To troubleshoot and rebuild the simple index, follow the below-stated steps: 

1. Go to the MS Office Outlook application. 
2. Next, tap on the File menu. You might get this option in the top left corner of the window. 
3. Hit the “Options” under the File menu. 
4. Now, tap on the Search tab in the Options menu. You might get this tab in the left-side panel of the window. 
5. Pick the Indexing Option. 
6. After that, hit the Advanced option in the Indexing menu. 
7. Whenever you notice the “User Account Control” warning pop-up box on the screen, then tap on the Yes button to approve your selection.  
8. Next, go to the Troubleshooting panel. Choose the “Troubleshoot search and indexing” option in the troubleshooting panel. Verify that the wizard identifies and rectifies any technical error.  
9. In case, a pop-up prompt notification shows up on the screen to pick the issue that you faced, tap on the “all that applies” option and choose the Next button to move further. 
10. Once it is completed, regardless of whether it has noticed any technical issue or not, check to verify if the search function of the MS Office Outlook application begins to work. In case, the issue still continues, then hit the Rebuild option under the Advanced menu. 
11. The rebuilding process may take some time to finish, so, wait until the entire rebuilding process completes. 

Way 4: Ensure that the Indexing Options are Configured Perfectly

If the indexing options are not configured correctly, then there is a high chance that the “Outlook 2016 search not working” error will pop up.

Therefore, you need to ensure that indexing options are configured perfectly. 

To do that: 

1. At first, go back to Indexing Options of the MS Office Outlook application.
2. After that, tap on the Advanced option in the Indexing menu.
3. Now, you might get the UAC pop-up box on the screen. Hit the Agree or Yes button in the UAC pop-up box to confirm your choice.
4. Choose the “File Types” tab. 
5. Now, look for the .msg extension and ensure that the extension is marked. 
6. Also, ensure that the option “Index Properties and File Contents” is chosen in the “How this file should be indexed?”  
7. Tap on the Ok button. 

Wrapping Up…

Hopefully, by performing the above hacks you will surely get rid of this disturbing “search function not working” issue on the Outlook 2016 email client. 

In addition, this article carries an effective guideline to troubleshoot such types of Outlook issues. Hence, try the hacks and see which one is giving you the ultimate troubleshooting solution.