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How to Search for Keywords in Outlook with Ease
4 min. read
Updated onFebruary 9, 2024
updated onFebruary 9, 2024
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SomeOutlookusers will have inboxes that include a plethora ofemails. So, it’s just as wellOutlookincorporates advancedsearchtools to help you find specific messages.
Most users will probably utilizeOutlook’s Instant Search box to findemailsby entering keywords. The software will then scan foremailsor attachments that include matching keywords. This is how you cansearchfor keywords inOutlookemails.
How can I search for keywords in Outlook?
1. Basic Outlook keyword searches
The most basic way tosearchwithOutlook’s Instant Search box is to enter keywords independently.
The keywords entered will not be combined with any command.Outlookwillsearchthe subject, body, recipient, and sender fields of allemailsand their attachments and display results for them. It will findemailswith the same or similar keyword phrases to the one entered.
Outlook search is not working on Windows 10? Follow the simple steps from this handy guide and fix the issue quickly.
2. Search for exact keywords
Thus, you might need to configure asearchto search for the exact keyword without any variations. To do that, enter the keyword with quotation marks around it. For example, you would enter “October” in thesearchbox to findemailswith that exact keyword.
3. Search for subject keywords
Tosearchfor keywords inemails’ subject lines, enter the keyword with a command. Enter this advancedsearchinOutlook’s box: subject:. You’ll need to replace ‘’ with the actual keyword tosearchfor.
Tosearchforemailsubject lines that include October, the command would be: subject:October.
4. Search for email body keywords
You cansearchjust emails’ bodies (content) with a body command. Enter this command in the Instant Search box: body:. Outlook will then search for and display emails with the specified keyword in their content.
If Outlook can’t complete your search, check out this awesome guide to solve the issue in no time.
5. Search for attachment keywords
Some users will need to search for files attached toemails. You can search for keywords within attachments by entering this command: attachments:. ThenOutlookwill findemailswith attachments that match the keyword entered.
How do you search for multiple words in Outlook?
You can search for multiple keywords by adding boolean operators to the search. The boolean operators for keyword searches are AND, OR, and NOT.
The NOT operator is added to exclude certain keywords, which isn’t used much for searching multiple keywords. However, the AND & OR operators enable you to find various keywords with a single search.
By including AND in a search query, you can specify two keywords to search for inemails. You can enter an AND search as follows: AND .
The important thing to note is that the AND operator must always be capitalized.Outlookwill then findemailsthat include both the keywords specified in the search query.
OR is an alternative search operator that will findemailswith one or the other specified keyword. The difference from the AND operator is that the OR search query is not restricted to findingemailsthat include both the specified keywords. This is how you enter an OR search: OR .
You can combine the AND & OR operators withOutlook’s search commands. For example, you could enter the following search query: subject: AND . That would find allemailswith subject lines that include both the keywords in the search query.
The above search commands and operators will ensure you can find mostemailsand attachments withOutlook’s Instant Search. There are, however, many more search commands you can utilize inOutlookto refine your searches.
For more Outlook tips, check our guide on how toremove subject prefixes FW and RE.
In case you want to look foremails with special characters in Outlook, we have mentioned the steps in a separate guide; have a look!
Lastly, don’t forget to check our guide on how tochange Outlook view to default if it has changed.
For any other questions and suggestions, don’t hesitate to reach for the comments section below.
More about the topics:email,Outlook Guides,search engine
Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it.
He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes.
In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.
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Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
He is passionate about everything surrounding Microsoft’s OS, focusing on troubleshooting guides & tips for everyday problems.
