Make search look and work like it does for Windows
The search function for the Windows version of Outlook is fast, easy to use, and in a convienient location. The version for Mac is in the upper right corner, not easy to quickly select search options, and overall is not as easy to use.
Move the search box to the same location on the Mac client and allow for quick drop downs on what to search for. Overall make search on the Mac just as fast and easy to use as the Windows version

69 comments
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Nick Golding commented
Frustratingly some emails just do not seem to be picked up by searching/filtering. Having to trawl through is just horrendous!
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Anonymous commented
The search box no longer works in this last update (not only on full screen but as window either). Please fix it
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Jim Diaz commented
If you do this it would help if the search feature also worked. It is next to useless on my MacBook Pro
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Bob commented
Can I vote against an idea?! I have found the search option in Outlook for Windows very clunky, whereas the version on the Mac seems much more straight forward.
I would like it if one could control reindexing one's mailbox. -
Anonymous commented
Agree with this request. functionality and location of search bar needs to be aligned with Windows version where it works perfectly. Thanks for your work.
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Vikram Kamath commented
Search needs to be on top of the mailbox and not at the top right corner. It's easily one of the most used features and cannot imagine using mailbox software that does not have a good search. Need this soon please - real soon!
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Tomlin Coggeshall commented
It seems silly to hid this all-powerful search window in the title bar of the Outlook window on a Mac. While annoyingly counter-intuitive for experienced users, a new user may go for days before realizing where it is at all. One logical place for it would be in a frame at the top of the mailbox (on, sent, draft, whatever) currently being viewed. Bring it in from the cold on the title bar!
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Brooke commented
Please please please! I was forced to upgrade my Outlook to be compatible with OSXMojave... and I can no longer 'search' my emails at all. "From:***" or "To:YYY" no longer pulls up anything useful, and even going into the search functionality doesn't yield the same results that the search function used to. Like many people below have said, this is an essential function for people who receive a kabillion emails per day...
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Larry Liddiard commented
How about a mail search function that ACTUALLY works! I can do a search for a keyword contained in the subject and body of the first email at the top of my inbox and it STILL can't find it! Utterly useless!!! I have used this suite for 4 years and the whole thing is subpar and has been since day one. The difference in usability between Mac and Windows is day and night. If I want to search my emails I have to fire up outlook in windows to do it! Is there anyone even working on this suite for Mac? Ridiculous!
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Joao Silva commented
Search is not reliable at all, fundamental for the incredible amount of emails received a day. I'm running Outlook Search Repair tool almost on a daily basis. Will setup a cron for it. :(
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Anonymous commented
When searching i simply don't get all the results, even from the inbox until I run the "outlook search repair tool". A number of people in our organization have the same issue where they have to run the tool to get recent emails to show up. It seems to happen when email is received and outlook isn't open, then you open outlook and the messages populate, but the index doesn't get updated
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Robert commented
It's embarrassing when I'm telling others in meetings I did not receive their emails when in reality, I received it, but Outlook's search is not finding their email when I search with their exact name, email, subject, etc. Outlook's search is totally unreliable. The Search Repair utility doesn't resolve the issue.
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Steve Doyle commented
I also completely agree with Damien's comment. I've just installed Office 2019 after being happy with using 2013 until it got corrupted. 'Search' is a very important function for me to keep track of past client emails. This needs to be fixed to work as Damien suggests pronto please
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Ankit commented
I agree. I won't search in each and every folder. But same if you use on web mail. it works fine. Looks like something is missing for mac outlook. If its fixed then it will make life more easier :)
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Anonymous commented
restore the ability to search Sent items in mac outlook
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Lee Harker commented
I completely agree with Damien Dallemagne's comment; this change is useless for me and makes using Outlook much slower and more frustrating.
It's sheer arrogance to assume that an algorithm is going to predict what I need accurately for this – instead it just gets in the way.
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Damien Dallemagne commented
The search function (to retrieve messages) was much better/simpler to use in the previous version (compared to the new 16.18 for Mac version. With previous version, you could type a key word and decide whether the search was "to", "from" or "word included in message". In the new version, the system automatically assumes one of these options and you do not have the choice anymore. For example, if it type "katy", it proposes all emails sent BY katy, while I may be interested to find all emails sent TO katy or CONTAINING katy in the text or in the title. I would propose to revert to the previous version where the user was in control of his search (it is wrong to assume that the system knows better than me what I am looking for !!)
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Anonymous commented
fix the search function in outlook for MAC. It's been ****** since the last update.
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John commented
Make Search work again!
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Max commented
fix your search in microsoft outlook for mac 2016. your search function does not work properly