Advanced Outlook Email Search Techniques | Generated by AI
Question: How to use “AND”, “OR”, or other advanced techniques to search in Outlook emails?
Answer:
Microsoft Outlook supports advanced search techniques in both the desktop application and the web version (Outlook on the web) to help you find emails more precisely. The search box is located at the top of the window or page.
Basic Principles
- By default, multiple words without operators act as AND (e.g., “project budget” finds emails containing both words).
- Use quotes for exact phrases: “project budget”.
- Operators like AND, OR, NOT must be in uppercase.
- Use parentheses () for grouping complex queries.
In Outlook Desktop (Windows)
Outlook uses Instant Search with Keyword Query Language (KQL).
Common Keywords (field operators)
- from: sender (e.g., from:john@example.com)
- to: recipient
- subject: in subject line
- body: in message body
- hasattachment:yes or hasattachment:no
- received: date (e.g., received:2025 or received:>01/01/2025)
- category: color category
Using AND and OR
- AND (default or explicit): project AND budget (both words anywhere)
- OR: project OR budget (either word)
- Combine fields: (subject:project OR body:project) AND from:john
Examples
- Emails with “report” in subject from John: subject:report from:john
- Emails with attachments containing “invoice” or “bill”: hasattachment:yes (invoice OR bill)
- Emails received last week with “meeting”: received:lastweek meeting
- Complex: (from:alice OR from:bob) AND (subject:urgent OR category:red)
Additional Techniques
- Click the search box to open the Search tab on the ribbon, then use Refine options (e.g., From, Subject, Has Attachments) – these add operators automatically.
- For very complex searches: Go to Search Tools > Advanced Find (Ctrl+Shift+F). Use the Advanced tab to add multiple conditions, or enable Query Builder via registry for full AND/OR control.
- Search scope: Choose Current Folder, All Subfolders, Current Mailbox, or All Mailboxes.
In Outlook on the Web (browser version)
Uses Advanced Query Search (AQS), similar but with some differences.
Common Keywords
- from:
- to:
- subject:
- body: (may vary)
- Others like attachments:, received:
Using AND and OR
- AND is implied for multiple terms.
- Explicit AND, OR, NOT.
- Examples often use colon syntax.
Examples
- subject:report
- from:john subject:(project OR budget)
- hasattachments:yes invoice
Additional Techniques
- Click Filters next to the search box for options like From, To, Date, Attachments.
- For more: Type keywords directly (e.g., subject:keyword).
Note: The web version may have slightly fewer advanced fields than desktop, but basic AND/OR work similarly. Search is often faster in the web version for large mailboxes.
These techniques work across most recent versions (Outlook for Microsoft 365, 2021, etc.). If results seem incomplete, ensure indexing is complete (desktop: File > Options > Search > Indexing Options).
References:
- How to search in Outlook - Microsoft Support
- Search Mail and People in Outlook on the web - Microsoft Support
- Instant Search query commands reference