Microsoft search not working

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Discussion

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
Why doesn't file search work on W10 and Outlook 2019?

I've an old W7 machine and if I use the search box bottom left it will find every single file containing the search term. Email, file, whatever.

W10 will stubbornly not find pretty much anything. Outlook 2019 the same.

If I use the magnifying glass bottom left looking for a letter I wrote to Maria Jones it won't find it. I go into docs>personal>letters and there is the letter to Maria Jones correctly saved, but seemingly invisible to search.

Outlook - similar thing. I search for an email about Maria Jones. Enter "Maria Jones" in the search box, nothing. Select "All Outlook Items", nothing. I remember that I forwarded the email to someone else, search the emails I sent to that person and there is the email about Maria Jones.

Outlook also seems to be stripping off attachments from received emails.

I've run the troubleshooter, selected that search doesn't work and Outlook search doesn't work. It makes no difference.

Any ideas chaps please?



mmm-five

11,388 posts

290 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
Did you disable any of the search/indexing functions in W10 for 'privacy or to try and disable Cortana?

Harpoon

1,945 posts

220 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
In Outlook, check the Indexing Status - is anything waiting to be indexed?

On my work laptop, if I click in the search text box in the window header (in Outlook), I can then see Search Tools appear on the toolbar and under that, is Indexing Status.

On my home PC, in the drop down under Suggested Actions, I can get to Indexing Status.

I'd also check the Windows Search service is enabled and running.

LordGrover

33,652 posts

218 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
Not used W10 in a while; does it have enhanced search option?


Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
mmm-five said:
Did you disable any of the search/indexing functions in W10 for 'privacy or to try and disable Cortana?
Not that I am aware of, but it is possible.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
Harpoon said:
In Outlook, check the Indexing Status - is anything waiting to be indexed?

On my work laptop, if I click in the search text box in the window header (in Outlook), I can then see Search Tools appear on the toolbar and under that, is Indexing Status.

On my home PC, in the drop down under Suggested Actions, I can get to Indexing Status.

I'd also check the Windows Search service is enabled and running.
Where is that?

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
LordGrover said:
Not used W10 in a while; does it have enhanced search option?

I've now selected "enhanced" and I seem to be getting more Outlook results.

Harpoon

1,945 posts

220 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
Where is that?
Where is what? The Windows Search service? Click start and type services - in the window that should appear, scroll down and check Windows Search is started and set to Automatic (Delayed)

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
Harpoon said:
Louis Balfour said:
Where is that?
Where is what? The Windows Search service? Click start and type services - in the window that should appear, scroll down and check Windows Search is started and set to Automatic (Delayed)
Thanks. Running and Automatic (delayed start)

Harpoon

1,945 posts

220 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
And the Indexing Status in Outlook?

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Tuesday 22nd August 2023
quotequote all
Harpoon said:
And the Indexing Status in Outlook?
Outlook has finished indexing etc.

0 items to index.

Harpoon

1,945 posts

220 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2023
quotequote all
Might be worth asking Outlook to rebuild in the index from scratch then but indexing might take a bit of time

This article might help get you to the right spot.

https://faqs.aber.ac.uk/index.php?id=1117

Once you set it going, check the Indexing Status to see if the count is changing.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
quotequote all
A bit of an update on this.

MS search still seems flaky. It won't find files that are patently there.

But in the past week or two my PC is starting to do some other annoying stuff.

My machine seems to want to backup everything to the cloud - I haven't changed any settings.

Also, photos aren't showing thumbnails in some folders. I get icons. If I click on an icon and refresh I then get the thumbnail.

The image I've just posted below I saved to desktop. However, when I go to select it, it has a blue refresh icon next to it, suggesting it's saved to the cloud.

It's Windows 10 and up to date. Has MS issued an update that has messed with settings, or something?


Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Saturday 23rd September 2023
quotequote all
I've tried all the solutions on here to no avail, as far as far as 7, which did not work.

https://www.stellarinfo.com/blog/thumbnail-preview...

wibble cb

3,707 posts

213 months

Sunday 24th September 2023
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We recently ‘upgraded’ to office 365 at work, now our entire outlook system is slow, crashes a lot and is often incapable of finding things, I can send an email, try searching for it a minute later and no luck, it’s very frustrating.

Louis Balfour

Original Poster:

27,369 posts

228 months

Sunday 24th September 2023
quotequote all
wibble cb said:
We recently ‘upgraded’ to office 365 at work, now our entire outlook system is slow, crashes a lot and is often incapable of finding things, I can send an email, try searching for it a minute later and no luck, it’s very frustrating.
I share your pain.

A System Restore has at least given me back my thumbnails.