How do I search for text within an email in Outlook?

J G 0 Reputation points
2026-10-12T21:08:25.8166667+00:00

I have an email open and want to search for text within that singular email. How do I do that? CTRL-F, which is "Find" everywhere else, including other Microsoft products such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, instead forwards the email. I've seen elsewhere on this forum that the answer is "you can't". That is a useless answer. What is the helpful answer?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For business
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  1. Jay1 Tran 1,710 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-12T21:20:51.5866667+00:00

    Hi J G,

    Thank you for reaching out.

    In New Outlook, Ctrl + F is assigned to forwarding a message, which is why it behaves differently from Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. You can search for text within a single open email in New Outlook for Windows by using the following shortcut:

    1. Open the message you want to search.
    2. Press Ctrl + Shift + F.
    3. Type the word or phrase you want to locate. Outlook will highlight matching text within the message.

    I hope the information I shared earlier was somewhat helpful in addressing your issue. If you have any further questions or updates, please don’t hesitate to share. I’m always happy to assist further if needed.   

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