Search not working in Outlook 365 on Mac Tahoe

Dilshad Parker 5 Reputation points
2026-03-17T09:14:53.81+00:00

I recently upgraded my MacBook Pro to the new Tahoe OS. Since then, Outlook (New Outlook for Mac) is unable to search or index emails. I get no search results at all. Even Spotlight is unable to search for outlook emails in Finder but can search for everything else. I have updated File Associations, and I have rebuilt the Spotlight index capability several times. But the problem persists. I had the same problem with the previous OS, but it seemed to resolve itself with one of the updates. Please help. I cannot have paid for a version of Outlook that does not work like it should 50% of the time.

Outlook | MacOS | New Outlook for Mac | For home
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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-17T09:15:23.4966667+00:00

    Search issues in Outlook for Mac after an OS upgrade are typically caused by Spotlight indexing or Outlook’s Spotlight importer not working correctly.

    Follow these steps in order:

    1. Run Outlook’s search repair
    • Use the OutlookSearchRepair utility for Outlook for Mac to automatically fix common Spotlight and profile issues.
    1. Confirm indexing has completed
    • If a new profile was created, a new account was added, or data was imported (PST/OLM), Outlook may still be indexing.
    • While indexing is incomplete, Outlook shows “No Results.” Allow time for indexing to finish, then test search again.
    1. Check Outlook profile name and location
    • Profile names with special characters (for example, “/”) can break search.
    • To view the profile name:
      1. Open Finder → Applications.
      2. Right‑click Microsoft Outlook → Show Package Contents.
      3. Open Contents → SharedSupport → Outlook Profile Manager and note the profile name.
    • If the profile name contains special characters:
      1. In Finder, go to: /Users/<Username>/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/
      2. Rename the profile folder to remove special characters.
    1. Rebuild the Outlook Spotlight index specifically If search still returns no results in both Outlook and Spotlight, reindex Outlook’s database via Terminal:
    2. Restart the Mac to restart Spotlight services.
    3. Open Finder → Applications → Utilities → Terminal.
    4. Run: 
         mdimport -L
      • If more than one “Microsoft Outlook Spotlight Importer.mdimporter” appears, delete the unused Outlook app, empty Trash, restart the Mac, then repeat step 3.
    5. Reindex the Outlook profile (replace <user_name> and <my_profile_name>): 
         mdimport -g "/Applications/Microsoft Outlook.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Outlook Spotlight Importer.mdimporter" -d1 "/Users/<user_name>/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/<my_profile_name>"
    6. Wait for reindexing to complete (this can take time), then quit and restart Outlook and test search again.
    7. If search still fails
    • After allowing enough time for Spotlight to finish indexing and completing the steps above, uninstall and reinstall Office for Mac, then re-test search.

    For general search behavior in the new Outlook for Windows (for comparison or if also used):

    • Adjust search scope under Settings → General → Search.
    • Use filters to narrow results so older items are shown.
    • Multi‑account search is not supported; search each account separately using “All Folders.”

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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