Outlook search stops working properly after every few months

Seema Kanwal Gurmani 321 Reputation points
2022-01-28T05:24:48.877+00:00

Dear Community,

I have two users who are having this issue. Their Outlook Search stops working after sometime, then we have to manually rebuild the Index again. Why is is happening so frequently?
Kindly help me with this issue.
They are using Outlook 2013 application on windows 10.

Windows 10
Windows 10
A Microsoft operating system that runs on personal computers and tablets.
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Outlook Management
Outlook Management
Outlook: A family of Microsoft email and calendar products.Management: The act or process of organizing, handling, directing or controlling something.
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2 answers

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  1. Joy Zhang-MSFT 1,046 Reputation points
    2022-01-31T06:05:18.547+00:00

    Hi @Seema Kanwal Gurmani ,

    According to my research, there are many causes why the Outlook search function stops working, you could follow below troubleshooting steps to narrow down this issue:

    1. Check the Windows Search service to make sure it is running and the startup type is "Automatic (Delayed Startup)". Try restarting the service.
    2. Go to the Control Panel, check under Indexing Options to see if Outlook has been indexed, and try to rebuild the index.
      Control Panel > Indexing Options > select Advanced > Click Rebuild:169748-1.png
    3. Use the windows troubleshooting tools: Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Search & Indexing
    4. Recreate a new outlook profile to check if this issue continues.
    5. Update outlook to the latest version.

    For more details: Troubleshooting Outlook search issues

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  2. Zenifer Smith 10 Reputation points
    2023-05-31T17:27:36.22+00:00

    Hi Seema Kanwal Gurmani,

    If you're experiencing frequent issues with Outlook Search, where it stops working, try the following solutions:

    1. Keep Outlook Updated: Make sure you are using the updated version of Outlook. Updating the application can address search-related issues.
    2. Repair Outlook Data Files: Use the Microsoft Inbox Repair tool (scanpst.exe) to check and repair any problems with your Outlook data files (PST or OST). This can help resolve undesired issues affecting the search functionality.
    3. Check for Add-ins: Disable any third-party add-ins in Outlook to identify and resolve conflicts that may be impacting the search feature.

    If the answer is helpful, please help others in the community who are facing the same issue.

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