Tip of the week # 484
26 May 2016


What to do when no search results are found (Microsoft Outlook) *

Since the Introduction of the search box in Outlook version 2007 searching is really simple and powerful. Yet time and time again, I see people not using this functionality, sticking to old habits of sorting by From or Subject, by clicking on the relevant column. Preparing for a seminar on diary management I found a quick way to expand the search to include All Mail Items, All Calendar Items or All Contact Items, depending on the view that you are in. So I feel it's time to dust off searching in Outlook.

Here's how:

  1. Open the item you want to search in, such as your inbox or calendar.
  2. Press CTRL + E or click in the Instant Search box in the right hand corner.
  3. Type one or more search terms. (Don't forget to put exact phrases or specific word in quotes.)
  4. If no matches are found, click on the Try searching again in All Mail Items link that appears or on the All Mail Items button, but here's the real tip for today .. press CTRL + ALT + A.

See the following tips about searching in Outlook:

tip_292.html
tip_294.html
tip_376.php
tip_406.php


* Unless stated otherwise, these tips were written for Microsoft Office 2010.