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Using Outlook.com Search Operators

When a simple search isn't sufficient, try again with search operators

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 8, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Wokandapix / Pixabay Tweet Share Email MS Office Outlook Word Excel Powerpoint Outlook and Outlook.com offer a simple search to find certain emails, but when your search is complicated, construct queries using search operators. Search by sender, subject, folder, date, and date range. Or, search for messages with attachments. Then, combine operators and terms using AND and OR and parentheses for precedence and grouping. Instructions in this article apply to Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010; Outlook for Microsoft 365, and Outlook Online.

How to Use Outlook Search Operators

To search for emails in Outlook precisely using search operators, enter your search keywords in the Search box. The Search box in Outlook Online is at the top of the page, in the header. The Search box in Outlook desktop apps is above the Message List. Employ the following search operators to construct a query: subject: — Searches the Subject of all emails for a specified word. Example: subject:test finds emails containing the word test in the Subject. from: — Searches the From line for emails from a specified sender or domain. Example: from:@example.com searches the From line of every email message and finds emails from sender@example.com as well as those from newsletter@example.com, and other emails that include @example.com. to: — Searches the To line for emails addressed to a specified recipient. Example: to:me@outlook.com searches the To line of every email message and finds emails addressed to me@outlook.com. cc: — Searches the Cc line for specified email recipients. Example: cc:me@outlook.com searches the Cc line of every email message and finds emails addressed to me@outlook.com. before: — Searches for emails sent or received before the given date. Example: received<01/01/2019 finds emails that were sent or received before January 1, 2019. after: — Searches for mail sent or received after the given date. Example: received>12/31/2017 finds emails that were sent or received after December 31, 2017. Combine before: and after: to find emails sent or received during a specified time period. Example: Received<12/31/2017 >01/01/2019 finds emails sent or received during 2018. date: — Searches for mail sent or received on the given date. Use <, <=, >= and >, to search for dates less than (before) and greater than (following) the given date. For received:, specify the date in the form mm/dd/yyyy or use yesterday or last week however, if using Outlook.com for the latter, you have to put it in quotes (received:"last week"). folder: — Searches for mail in the specified folder. Example: folder:archive finds emails in the Archive folder. This command won't work on Outlook.com. has:attachment: — Searches mail messages that have at least one file attachment. Examples: hasattachment:true and has:attachment return all messages containing attachments. hasattachment:false — Searches only those messages that have no files attached. AND (uppercase) — Combines terms in the search so that both must be present. This is the default if no combination operator is present. Example: cat AND dog displays results that have both the word cat and dog. OR (uppercase) — Combines search terms so that either of the terms or both of the terms are returned in the search results. Example: cat OR dog displays results of either cat or dog. () — Specifies the precedence of search terms. Use parenthesis to specify a date, date range, address, or other information. Example: from:john (received:1/1/19 or received:2/2/19) searches the From line for messages from John that were received on January 1, 2019 or on February 2, 2019. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use Search Operators to Find Emails in Gmail How to Find All Mail Exchanged With a Contact in Gmail How to Fix Outlook Search When It's Not Working Using Mac OS X Mail Search Operators to Find Mail How to Search Twitter Images What Are Advanced Search Options? How to Create a Gmail Alias How to Send Email From a PHP Script How to Forward an Email as an Attachment in Outlook How to Recover Missing Emails in Gmail How to Postpone an Email in Outlook for iOS Quickly Find Your Oldest Gmail Messages 10 Best Free Email Accounts for 2022 Learn How to Properly Redirect an Email in Outlook How to Search Mail in iPhone Mail How to Make a Screenshot in Windows and Mail It Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies