How to add multiple Outlook accounts to Windows 11 search index

Question

Hi everyone,

I'm having an issue with Windows 11 Search and haven't been able to find an answer anywhere on the net.

First off, I use Windows 11 and Outlook 2021. There are 7 Exchange accounts linked to Outlook from 5 separate domains:

In the Windows Search options however, only the default Exchange account (indicated by the red arrow) can be added to be indexed:

If I try to add the remaining 6 Exchange accounts to be indexed, they simply don't show up on the list of locations that can be added:

The result of all this is that searches in Outlook only work on the default account, which is the one that's indexed. If I try to do a search in any of the other 6 accounts, the search results turn up empty, even with valid search parameters that should be yielding dozens of results.

My question is, how can I add the remaining 6 Exchange accounts to the list of search locations to be indexed? As a programmer myself, I find it hard to believe that only the default Outlook account can be indexed and searched, especially since we've been able to add multiple Exchange accounts to Outlook since version 2010 or so.

By the way, I've already tried rebuilding the index, twice - but that's not the issue anyway since the search function works as expected. The issue is getting Windows Search to index all my Exchange accounts (not just the default one) so that they're all searchable.

Regards,
Curt

Answer 1

Hi @Curt Lee ,

Welcome to our forum!

What's the version of your Outlook2021? (File > Office Account > About Outlook). Please make sure you have upgraded your Outlook to the latest version.

In the Windows Search options however, only the default Exchange account (indicated by the red arrow) can be added to be indexed

Based on my test, when I configure several Exchange accounts in an Outlook profile, I can search emails in all mailboxes successfully. And as I know, Microsoft Outlook is an included location and it doesn't mean which account in Outlook, which is the same in my Window Indexing Option.

Please refer to the following troubleshooting methods:
1.Verify indexing is complete:
Start Outlook and click in the Search box > Select Search Tools > Indexing Status from the Search menu > When the Indexing Status dialog appears, you should see the following image > If Outlook has not finished indexing, note the items remaining to be indexed, wait five minutes, and then check again.

2.Check data files are selected:
Start Outlook and click in the Search box > Select Search Tools > Locations to Search from the Search menu > Ensure all data files/stores listed are selected.

If the issue still exists, please refer to the resolution mentioned in this article and try to check if there're any differences:
Troubleshooting Outlook search issues

Hope the above help!

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Answer 2

Hi there ChristyZhang,

And thank you SO MUCH for such a thorough and prompt reply! I apologize for the time it has taken me to reply, but I've been inundated over the past few days with an important client project.

To get back to the topic, I did what you requested:

1. Indexing is indeed complete, Outlook version is 2108
2. All accounts are selected under Search box > Select Search Tools > Locations to Search. I did discover however, that the reason my searches yielded no result was because I selected "Current Folder" in the search field. After selecting "Subfolders", lo and behold all the results showed up.

This makes no sense to me whatsoever, but at least I now know that all locations have been indexed and are searchable.

Thanks a lot for your help!!

Regards,
Curt