How To Search Email Files by Date, Folder & Attachments?

Find Item using Instant Search in Outlook

The Instant Search option helps you in quickly finding items in Microsoft Outlook. It is available in all of your Outlook views, such as email, contact and calendar. However, you can use search techniques to find Outlook items. Within the “Make Changes” area, modifying the search will help you to uncover the details which also includes the data file as well as its subfolder and altering the search parameters.

Also Read: How to Search PST Files in MS Outlook?

Shortcut Key for Instant Searching Outlook Data!!

• CTRL + E – Find the shortcut instant search option.
• CTRL + ALT + A – All Mail Items.
• CTRL + ALT + w – Expand and query Builder.
• CTRL + Shift + F – Advanced Find
• F11 – Find a Contact / Search People

Find a Message

• In the Mail application, tap on the mailbox that you want to search within.
• Type search text in Instant search box.
  • A message that carries the typed text is displayed in the Instant Search Results pane with highlighted search text.
  • To narrow the search result, type more characters.
• To enlarge your search to comprise all mail folders, at the end of search result, click on Try Searching Again in all Mail Items.

Add more Search Criteria

You can search by adding criteria.

• In the Instant Search pane, click on Expand Query Builder.
• To narrow a search, refrain from including a search for the words From, Subject, To or Body.
• To exhibit more search fields in Query Builder, click on Add Criteria and after that select the search field you require in the list.
• Enter search criteria in new search fields.
• View search results in the list below Instant search pane.

Reuse Recent Search

• MS Outlook displays for most 10 recent results in search.
• In the Instant Search pane, click on Head Instant Search Pane: Menu, position the pointer to the option Recent Searches, and in the list that appears select the necessary search.

Make Change to Search

• Include Subfolders in Instant Search
• Instant search helps you in finding subfolders and folders in Outlook Folder list, but the option to search all folders is not set by default, you must turn on search option.
• On the Tools menu, point to Instant Search and click on Search Options.
• Under the Instant Search Pane, select All folders.

Include Deleted Items folder in Instant Search

Deleted Items folder is not comprised in Outlook by default, to include deleted items in folder follow the given below steps:

• On the Tools menu, Point to the Instant Search pane and after that click on Search Options.
• Under Deleted Items, Select checkbox Include messages from the Deleted Items folder in each data file when searching in All Items.

Include Data files in Searches

By default following data files are included in Outlook search of All Mail Items:

• All index data files that include personal folders files (.pst).
• Outlook data file for default mail account, regardless of whether it is indexed or not.

Choose Data file to be included in Searches

• In the Mail in Navigation Pane, click the arrow in All Mail Items.
• Select name of that file that you wish to exclude or include in searches.

Change Instant Search Options

• On the Tools menu, click on Instant Search and then click on Search Options.
• Select options that you require.