Location of email not updating

Question

Hi there, I have been having a problem with emails not updating their folder location once an email is moved. This has been happening for a few weeks now. When searching on outlook when first logging in, it defaults to 'all mailboxes' but does not show all mail content. I am having to change it to 'all outlook items' and then having to change it back to 'all mailboxes' before it shows all related emails.

Once this search is updated, the search works fine for the rest of the day as outlook is opened. When searching for emails, it come up with the email location on the bottom right hand corner of the email. I.e. inbox, sent items, deleted etc. However, when in the search and you move an email from the folder it currently in, to another, the folder location doesn't update. I.e. search for 'email 1', move 'email 1' from inbox to 'folder A', but still shows the email as being in inbox. We are having to then close the search bar, then re search for 'email 1' to then show it is in 'folder A'.

Up until a few weeks ago, emails would instantly update location when in the search function and you could still read and access the email without having to close and re open the search function.

It is negatively impacting efficiency and productivity at work and not sure what to do. We have contacted our company IT, have had several calls with them but they are also unable to figure out a solution.

Outlook Version: 2508

Answer 1

Hi @J MacDonald

From the symptoms you described, this appears to be related to stale Outlook search results or the Outlook search index/cache, rather than the emails actually failing to move.

The fact that the message location remains as Inbox immediately after moving it to another folder, but shows the correct folder after you close and run the search again, suggests that the existing search results are not being refreshed properly. The issue with All Mailboxes initially not returning all results until you switch to All Outlook Items and back also points toward a search/indexing issue.

I would suggest a few additional tests:

1.Test the same mailbox in Outlook on the web.

Search for an email, move it to another folder, and check whether the folder location updates immediately.

• If the issue also occurs in Outlook on the web, it could be related to the mailbox/account or a service-side issue.
• If it only occurs in Classic Outlook, this would point more toward the Outlook client

2.Go to File > Options > Search >Indexing Options and verify that Microsoft Outlook is included and that indexing has completed.

3.If Microsoft Outlook is included in the indexed locations and indexing has completed, try rebuilding the search index.

Go to File > Options > Search > Indexing Options > Advanced > Rebuild. After rebuilding, allow the indexing process to complete, then restart Outlook and test the search again. You can also refer to Microsoft's guide: Fix search issues by rebuilding your Instant Search catalog | Microsoft Support

4.Test Outlook in Safe Mode by pressing Win + R, entering outlook.exe /safe, and repeating the search/move test. If the issue does not occur in Safe Mode, an Outlook add-in could be involved.

5.Test with a new Outlook profile. This can help determine whether the existing Outlook profile has become corrupted or is retaining stale search information.

6.Update Outlook/Office to the latest available version. You mentioned that you are currently using Outlook version 2508. My Outlook is currently on version 2607, and the search results update correctly when I move an email between folders. I would recommend updating Outlook and then testing the same scenario again.

Please try these steps and let me know the results.