Outlook Classic search is not working

Hi @Mayur Gadhiya, 

Thank you for your response.

It appears that the -g parameter in the mdimport command may not be fully supported in current macOS version, which could explain why the command is not working as expected.. The good news is that Spotlight reindexing for Outlook can still be done using an alternative command.

To do this, please try these steps:

1. Run the reimport command in Terminal
   • Open Terminal.
   • Copy and paste the following command, then press Return:

          mdimport -r "/Applications/Microsoft Outlook.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Outlook Spotlight Importer.mdimporter"
     

   • This tells Spotlight to reimport all data associated with the Outlook importer.
2. Allow time for Spotlight to reindex

• The reindexing process runs in the background and may take several minutes to hours depending on the size of your mailbox.
• During this time, search results may be incomplete or missing, which is expected.
• Avoid restarting the Mac or putting it to sleep while indexing is in progress.
• To check if reindexing is still in progress, you can run the following command in Terminal:

    mdutil -s /
  

• When complete, the status should show "Indexing enabled" without any active progress.

3. Restart Outlook

• Once reindexing is complete, fully quit Outlook by selecting Outlook > Quit Outlook from the menu bar.
• Reopen Outlook.

4. Test search

• Search for a known email, such as a recent message with a specific subject line or sender name.
• Confirm that the results are returning accurately and completely.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Please try the steps shared above and share the results with me. Should anything not work as expected, we can absolutely keep troubleshooting together until the issue is sorted out.

I truly appreciate your patience throughout this process. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further clarification or support. Also, if this response addressed your concern, marking it as accepted would be a great way to help others in the community who might run into a similar situation.

I'm looking forward to your update.

Hi @Mayur Gadhiya, 

I hope you are doing well. 

Thank you for reaching out and sharing the details. The issue could happen if the Spotlight Search on your Mac isn't indexed properly or corrupted, the Profile name contains special characters, or the Outlook profile folder isn't in the right place.  

To resolve the issue, please follow these steps: 

1. Remove Microsoft Outlook profile from Search Privacy 

Search Privacy lets you control what Spotlight searches. If Outlook search isn’t working, removing Outlook from Search Privacy may fix the problem: 

• Open Settings > click on Spotlight from the left sidebar. 
• Scroll to the bottom and click on Search Privacy at the bottom-right corner. 

• Check if your Outlook profile appears as an exemption. If yes, select the profile and click the minus icon to remove it. 

• Click on Done to save changes. 

2. Index Microsoft Outlook database 

• Restart the Mac. 
• Navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal 
• Type mdimport –L 
• In the Terminal, reindex your Outlook database by using the following command.   mdimport -g "/Applications/Microsoft Outlook.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Outlook Spotlight Importer.mdimporter"-d1 "/Users/<user_name>/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/<my_profile_name>"    Note that you must replace <user_name> with your Mac account’s name and replace <my_profile_name> with your Outlook account’s name. 

3. Remove special characters from Outlook profile if it has any

• Open the Outlook for Mac Profile folder located here:    /Users/<Username>/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/ 
• Rename the Outlook for Mac Profile folder name and remove the special characters. 

For more information, please refer to this document: Troubleshoot search issues in Outlook for Mac - Microsoft Support 

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow the steps above and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can continue working together to resolve the issue.  

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out so I can continue to support you. If you found the response useful, please consider marking it as accepted, as this may help other community members who are looking for similar guidance.  

I look forward to continuing the conversation. 

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