search archive emails

Open Archive in Outlook.com, then search by the required year-to-date range using Outlook’s Received or Sent date query.

Search archived email by date

1. Sign in to Outlook.com.
2. In the left folder pane, select Folders → Archive. Archived messages remain accessible there.^1^
3. Enter one of these searches in the search box:
   • Messages received year to date:

          Received:01/01/2026..10/17/2026
     

   • Messages sent year to date:

          Sent:01/01/2026..10/17/2026
     

   Replace the dates with the period you need. Outlook.com requires dates in MM/DD/YYYY format.^2^
4. To narrow the results, combine the date with other criteria:

      Received:01/01/2026..10/17/2026 From:"Sender Name"
   

      Sent:01/01/2026..10/17/2026 Subject:"year to date"
   

5. To return a message to the Inbox, select it, choose Move to, and select Inbox or another folder.^1^

If Archive has no results

• Search from the main mailbox and leave the scope as All folders; Outlook.com uses that scope by default. Also search Sent Items and Deleted Items explicitly.^2^
• If using classic Outlook with a separate Online Archive, select that archive and search its folders directly. Online Archive is not included in searches started from the Inbox.^3^
• If the messages were deleted, open Deleted Items and select Recover items deleted from this folder. Recovery is possible only while the messages remain in the recoverable area.^4^
• If old messages are absent from Outlook.com but were previously accessed through classic Outlook, check for a local archive: File → Open & Export → Open Outlook Data File, then open the relevant .pst file.^4^

References

1. Organize your inbox with Archive, Sweep, and other tools in Outlook on the web | Microsoft Support
2. Search Mail and People in Outlook.com | Microsoft Support
3. [Classic Outlook](https://support.microsoft.com/outlook/mail/archive-in-outlook-for-windows)
4. I lost all my outlook email from the last year. - Microsoft Q&A