Search and filter email
Applies To
Outlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook 2024 Outlook 2021 Outlook 2019 Outlook 2016Try it!
Search is a powerful tool to help find email messages anywhere in Outlook.
Search email
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Select the search bar, located above the Outlook ribbon.
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Type a name, subject, or phrase which is included in the email message that you want to find. You can use quotation marks around a phase to search on words in that exact order.
Refine your search results
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Select the search bar and type a name or subject.
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Select an option to refine or widen your search: All Mailboxes, Current Mailbox, Current Folder, Subfolder, or All Outlook Items.
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You can also select a category within the Refine group to further filter your search results:
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From – only shows results from a specific person.
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Subject - only shows results based on the subject.
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Has Attachment – only shows emails that have attachments.
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Categorized – only shows results that have a specific category assigned to them.
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Sent To – searches messages Sent to You, Not Sent Directly to You, or Sent to Another Recipient.
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Unread – only shows unread messages.
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Flagged - only shows messages flagged by you.
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Important - only shows emails marked as Important.
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More - filters your results based on more advanced criteria, such as Cc or Sensitivity.
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Select Recent Searches to run recent searches again.
Note: Outlook saves only the recent search query, not the results.
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Select Close Search to close the Search tab.
Want more?
Learn to narrow your search criteria for better searches in Outlook