How to Use Outlook Search Operators (Advanced Search Guide)
Outlook’s search box is far more powerful than most people use it for. Instead of typing keywords and scrolling, you can type structured queries — from:jordan subject:invoice received:this week — and get an exact result list. These keyword:value patterns are called search operators (sometimes Advanced Query Syntax, or AQS), and they work in the search bar at the top of every version of Outlook.
Here’s the full operator reference plus how to run advanced searches in New Outlook, classic Outlook, and the web in 2026.
The Outlook Search Operator Reference
Type these directly into the search box. Operators take the form keyword:value with no space after the colon. Separate multiple operators with a space.
| Operator | What it finds | Example |
|---|---|---|
from: | Messages from a sender | from:jordan or from:jordan@acme.com |
to: | Messages sent to someone | to:sarah |
cc: | Messages copying someone | cc:legal@acme.com |
bcc: | Messages you bcc’d | bcc:me |
subject: | Words in the subject line | subject:invoice |
body: | Words in the message body | body:contract |
"exact phrase" | An exact word sequence | "quarterly budget review" |
hasattachment:yes | Messages with any attachment | hasattachment:yes |
attachments: | A specific attachment name/type | attachments:report.pdf · attachments:*.xlsx |
received: | Messages received on a date | received:today |
sent: | Messages you sent on a date | sent:yesterday |
category: | Messages with a category | category:"Follow Up" |
isread:no | Unread (or read) messages | isread:no |
isflagged:yes | Flagged messages | isflagged:yes |
importance:high | High/low importance messages | importance:high |
messagesize: | Messages by size | messagesize:>5 MB |
AND / OR / NOT | Combine conditions (uppercase) | from:jordan AND subject:invoice |
( ) | Group conditions | (subject:invoice OR subject:receipt) |
Tip: Quotes turn a multi-word value into one phrase.
subject:budget reviewmatches messages with “budget” in the subject and “review” anywhere;subject:"budget review"matches the exact phrase in the subject.
Search by Sender, Recipient, and Subject
The everyday workhorses are from:, to:, and subject:.
- Search from a sender in Outlook:
from:jordanmatches a display name;from:jordan@acme.commatches the exact address (more reliable when several people share a first name). - Find what you sent to someone:
to:sarah— useful in your Sent folder or across all mailboxes. - Narrow by subject:
subject:invoiceignores the body and matches only the subject line, which cuts noise dramatically.
Stack them with a space (an implied AND): from:jordan subject:invoice returns invoices from Jordan only.
Search for an Exact Phrase
By default, Outlook treats multiple words as separate terms joined by AND — it returns messages that contain all the words, anywhere, in any order. To match an exact string, wrap it in double quotes:
project phoenix→ messages containing both “project” and “phoenix” somewhere."project phoenix"→ messages containing that exact phrase.
Quotes also work inside operators: body:"signed and returned".
Filter by Attachments
hasattachment:yesreturns every message carrying a file (it also matches inline images and signatures, so it’s broad).attachments:contract.pdfmatches a specific filename.attachments:*.xlsxmatches any Excel attachment by extension — handy forattachments:*.pdf,attachments:*.docx, and so on.
Combine for precision: from:legal hasattachment:yes subject:agreement.
Search by Date and Date Ranges
Outlook accepts both relative and absolute dates.
Relative dates (no typing exact days):
received:todayreceived:yesterdayreceived:this weekreceived:last weekreceived:this monthreceived:last monthreceived:this year
Use sent: the same way for your outbound mail: sent:last week.
Absolute dates and ranges with comparison operators:
- On a date:
received:6/1/2026 - After a date:
received:>=6/1/2026 - Before a date:
received:<6/1/2026 - A range (combine two):
received:>=1/1/2026 AND received:<=3/31/2026returns everything received in Q1 2026.
Tip: Date format follows your Windows/region locale — US installs use M/D/YYYY, most others use D/M/YYYY. If a date search returns nothing, try the other order.
Combine Operators with AND, OR, NOT
The boolean keywords must be uppercase or Outlook treats them as search words.
- AND (also the default between terms):
from:jordan AND subject:invoice - OR:
subject:invoice OR subject:receipt - NOT:
from:jordan NOT category:done - Parentheses to group logic:
from:jordan AND (subject:invoice OR subject:receipt) NOT isflagged:yes
A practical example — unread, high-importance mail from your manager this week, ignoring anything already categorized:
from:manager AND isread:no AND importance:high AND received:this week NOT category:"Follow Up"Run Advanced Search in Each Version
New Outlook for Windows & Outlook on the Web
Both share a codebase (outlook.office.com):
- Click the search box at the top and type your operator query — all the operators above work here.
- For a guided builder, click the filter / “Filters” control or the chevron at the right edge of the search box to open the advanced search pane, where you can set sender, subject, date, and “has attachments” with dropdowns instead of typing syntax.
- Use the scope dropdown to the left of the search box to search the current folder, a subfolder, or All mailboxes.
Classic Outlook for Windows
Classic Outlook has the richest builder:
- Click in the Search box — the Search ribbon tab appears.
- Use Search Tools > Advanced Find (or Ctrl+Shift+F) for a full criteria dialog with More Choices (read/unread, importance, size, categories) and a SQL tab for raw queries.
- The ribbon buttons (From, Subject, Has Attachments, This Week) insert operators into the box for you — a quick way to learn the syntax.
- Set the scope (Current Folder, Subfolders, All Mailboxes) on the left of the ribbon.
Outlook for Mac
- Click the search box at the top of the window; the Search tab appears in the ribbon.
- Type operator queries directly, or use the ribbon’s filter buttons.
- Set the scope with All Mailboxes / Current Folder in the search bar.
Note: Classic Outlook’s Advanced Find and the SQL query tab don’t exist in New Outlook — the web-based engine uses the dropdown filter pane instead.
Turn a Query into a Search Folder
If you run the same query constantly — say, unread mail from your top client — save it as a Search Folder that updates itself.
Classic Outlook for Windows:
- In the folder pane, right-click Search Folders > New Search Folder.
- Scroll to the bottom and pick Create a custom Search Folder, then click Choose.
- Name it, click Criteria, and build the conditions (sender, words, date, importance, categories).
- Click OK. The folder now lists every matching message automatically.
New Outlook / web: Custom-criteria Search Folders aren’t supported. You can use Favorites and folder pinning, but to recreate a saved query you’ll re-run the operator string or keep classic Outlook for this. See our full walkthrough on building one in how to create a search folder in Outlook.
Troubleshooting
My search returns nothing even though the email exists
Your search index may be incomplete or corrupt. Rebuild it — full steps are in how to fix Outlook search not working. Also widen the scope (you may be searching one folder instead of All Mailboxes) and double-check the operator has no space after the colon.
Outlook ignores my operator and searches the literal text
You probably typed a space after the colon (from: jordan instead of from:jordan), or used lowercase and/or/not. Remove the space and capitalize the boolean keywords.
A date search returns nothing
The date format follows your region. Try the other order (M/D/YYYY vs D/M/YYYY), or switch to a relative date like received:last month to confirm the field works.
Quotes don’t seem to match an exact phrase
Use straight double quotes ("), not curly/smart quotes pasted from a document. Some apps autocorrect them and Outlook then treats the string differently.
Advanced Find is missing
You’re in New Outlook, which has no Advanced Find dialog. Use the filter pane (chevron at the right of the search box) or switch to classic Outlook for the full criteria builder and SQL tab.
Quick Reference
| Task | Query |
|---|---|
| From a sender | from:jordan@acme.com |
| Exact subject phrase | subject:"contract renewal" |
| Has any attachment | hasattachment:yes |
| Specific attachment type | attachments:*.pdf |
| Received this week | received:this week |
| Date range (Q1 2026) | received:>=1/1/2026 AND received:<=3/31/2026 |
| Unread only | isread:no |
| High importance | importance:high |
| Combine + group | from:jordan AND (subject:invoice OR subject:receipt) |
Stop Searching and Just Ask
Operators are powerful, but they still mean remembering syntax and digging through results yourself. Carly is an AI assistant that works over email — you can ask it in plain language to find “the signed contract Jordan sent last quarter” or “every invoice with an attachment from this month,” and it surfaces what you need and acts on it. Carly connects to 200+ apps, so it can pull the file, log the deal, and schedule the follow-up in one go. Carly starts at $35/month.
More on Outlook: How to fix Outlook search not working · How to create a search folder in Outlook · How to filter emails in Outlook · How to create rules in Outlook · How to categorize emails in Outlook · How to clean up your inbox in Outlook · How to reach inbox zero in Outlook
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