Windows 11 bug breaks Outlook searches again TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. Windows 11 bug breaks Outlook searches again By Darren Allan published 10 July 2022 Deja-vu for some Outlook users as search fails to work properly (Image credit: Shutterstock) Audio player loading… Windows 11 users have in some cases found themselves suffering at the hands of a bug which interferes with Outlook search results. As spotted by Bleeping Computer (opens in new tab), the email client can fail to return results pertaining to recent messages when running a search in Outlook on Windows 11 PCs. The issue can happen with POP, IMAP, and offline Exchange accounts, scenarios in which Outlook uses the local Windows Search service to index emails (in most cases). Online Exchange accounts and Microsoft 365 are not affected as they use service search for the majority of searches, and this isn't hit by the gremlin in question. Microsoft explains that it is investigating the issue, and is "currently working on a solution" with an update on any fix to be provided in the support document (opens in new tab) flagging the problem. Meantime, that article offers up a temporary workaround for affected users who are being frustrated by wonky search results in Outlook. Analysis Search bug strikes again &ndash hopefully with a quick fix Bugs are to be expected, even if they are unwelcome – and much too prevalent since Windows 10 arrived – but the situation with this one is a bit more embarrassing for Microsoft seeing as the same kind of Outlook bug happened last year when Windows 11 was first pushed out (before being fixed in January 2022). So, it doesn't look good for Microsoft that the glitch has re-emerged. It's also not great that the provided workaround involves the registry, an area of the system that requires a good deal of care when you're tinkering and making changes (small slips can wreak havoc here). If you do want to apply the temporary workaround, be very careful following Microsoft's outlined steps for troubleshooting (and also bear in mind that the fudged solution involves disabling Windows Desktop Search – basically forcing Outlook to use its own search). This was exactly the same workaround Microsoft aired when this problem first reared its head last year, you may recall. Hopefully given the previous experience troubleshooting this bug, a remedy should be forthcoming in short order – though there's always the chance that this is a seemingly thornier flaw in Outlook than thought, given its reoccurrence. We shall see, but it's worth keeping an eye on that support page where a notification will come through regarding any fix which has been implemented. Today's best Laptop dealsLow Stock (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$584 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)Reduced Price (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$849 (opens in new tab)$799.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)$1,099.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)Show More DealsWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Darren Allan Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013). See more Computing news Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to theTechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie3Google Pixel Tablet is what Apple should've done ages ago4RTX 4090 too expensive? Nvidia resurrects another old favorite5More than one million credit card details leaked online1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2iPhone 15 tipped to come with an upgraded 5G chip3If this feature succeeds for Modern Warfare 2, Microsoft can't ignore it4Apple October launches: the new devices we might see this month5The Rings of Power episode 8 trailer feels like one big Sauron misdirect Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)