Outlook 2026 cannot search for the attached file

Question

DEAR Team

I'm using Outlook 2026 version. This version has an uncomfortable problem.

I rely heavily on the attachments (XLSX. CSV).

In Outlook 2026 version, I can't use the keywords in the attached Excel file to search for past subjects. When I need to find a certain piece of information, I have to open the mail one by one, and then open the attached files one by one, which greatly reduces efficiency.

However, in the 2019 version, this problem is completely absent.

Currently I am temporarily solving this problem by connecting Outlook Exchang via Power Query.

But I still want to use the search method to find the attachment I want, is it because I failed to operate, or is this development flawed?

Answer 1

Dear @Shaw Valerie,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

Based on your description, I understand that you're using Outlook 2026 and are unable to search for emails based on keywords contained within attached Excel or CSV files. This functionality worked in Outlook 2019, but in Outlook 2026 you must manually open emails and attachments to locate information, which impacts your productivity. You're looking to determine whether this is a configuration issue, a limitation of the new Outlook experience, or a product-related change.To better understand the issue, could you please help us with the following information:

• From the 'New Outlook' tag in your question, I assume that you're using New Outlook. May I know the version of your New Outlook? You could check it at Settings > General > About Outlook
  • 
• Does the issue occur with both .xlsx and .csv attachments, or only one file type?
• When searching, are you expecting Outlook to find content inside attachments, or only attachment file names?
• Does the issue occur for all users in your organization or only on your device?

Your confirmation would be very helpful in receiving suitable support!

To better understand the behavior, I performed a test in Outlook by sending a CSV file as an attachment and then searching for the attachment name from the Sent Items folder. In my test, Outlook was able to successfully locate the email when I searched using the attached file's name.

Based on this result, attachment file name search appears to be working as expected in my environment.

To help isolate the issue, could you please try the following and let me know the results?

• Send yourself or ask someone to send you a test email with a .csv attachment and give the file a unique name (for example, TestSearch123.csv)
• After the email is delivered, open the folder where the message is stored (Inbox or Sent Items)
• In the Outlook search bar, search for the attachment file name (for example, TestSearch123)
• Confirm whether Outlook returns the email containing the attachment
• If the email is found, open the attachment and identify a unique word or value contained inside the file
• Search Outlook for that word or value and check whether the email is returned in the results
• Repeat the same test with an .xlsx attachment and compare the results

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful.

I'm here and happy to help! Thank you for your kindness and patience! 

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