outlook 2016 could not search any emails

Pritesh Salve 45 Reputation points
2026-10-06T06:22:04.23+00:00

hello,

i am facing that issue for outlook 2016 after windows upadate the patch of sept will problem outlook 2016 trying to indexing and re-create the profile, but does not resolve

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For business
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  1. Teddie Dang 1,445 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-06T07:01:38.5766667+00:00

    Hi @Pritesh Salve

    Since rebuilding the index and recreating the Outlook profile have not resolved the issue, I would suggest checking the following:

    1.Check the Windows Search service

    • Press Windows + R, enter services.msc, and press Enter.
    • Locate Windows Search.
    • Verify it is Running and its startup type is Automatic (Delayed Start)

    2.Confirm that Outlook is included in Windows indexing

    • Open Control Panel > Indexing Options.
    • Select Modify and confirm that Microsoft Outlook is included among the indexed locations.
    • In Outlook, go to Search > Search Tools > Locations to Search and confirm that the required Outlook data files are selected.

    3.Check the indexing status

    • In Outlook, go to Search > Search Tools > Indexing Status.
    • Check whether the number of items remaining to be indexed is decreasing, remains stuck, or restarts.

    4.Identify the Windows update

    • Go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history.
    • Note the KB number installed immediately before the issue started.
    • Please also provide your Windows version/build and Outlook 2016 build number.

    5.Test with a new Windows user profile

    • Create a temporary local Windows user account and sign in with it.
    • Configure Outlook 2016 and check whether the same indexing behavior occurs.
    • If the issue does not occur with the new Windows profile, this may indicate that the issue is specific to the original Windows user profile.
    • If the issue also occurs with the new profile, it may indicate a system-level issue, an Outlook/Office installation issue, or potentially an update-related issue.

    Please try the steps above and let me know the results.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-06T06:22:18.99+00:00

    For Outlook 2016 search issues after a Windows update, the supported troubleshooting path is:

    1. Check whether Outlook is still rebuilding the index:
      • In Outlook, select the Search box.
      • On the ribbon, select Search Tools > Indexing Status.
      • If items are still being indexed, wait for indexing to complete.
    2. Rebuild the Windows search catalog:
      • Exit classic Outlook.
      • Open Indexing Options in Windows Control Panel.
      • Select Advanced.
      • In Advanced Options, select Rebuild.
      • Select OK, then Close.
    3. Test with a new Outlook profile, since recreating the profile was already tried and did not help:
      • In classic Outlook, select File > Account Settings > Manage Profiles.
      • Or exit Outlook and open Mail in Windows Control Panel.
      • Select Show Profiles > Add.
      • Enter a new profile name and complete account setup.
      • Under When starting Microsoft Outlook, use this profile, choose Prompt for a profile to be used.
      • Restart Outlook, choose the new profile, and test search.
    4. If the issue started after upgrading to Windows 11, this can happen because the search index is deleted during the upgrade and rebuilt afterward. This especially affects locally stored PST or OST data.
    5. If search is urgently needed while Windows Search is not working, a temporary workaround is to make Outlook use its built-in search instead of Windows Desktop Search. Important: this workaround requires a registry change. Incorrect registry changes can cause serious problems. Steps:
      • In Windows, right-click Start and select Run.
      • Type regedit and select OK.
      • Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows.
      • Create a new key named Windows Search.
      • Select that key, then create a new DWORD Value named PreventIndexingOutlook.
      • Modify it and set Value data to 1.
      • Exit Registry Editor and restart Outlook.
      To reverse this workaround, set PreventIndexingOutlook to 0.
    6. If indexing still does not finish after rebuilding, Microsoft Support should be contacted for Windows Desktop Search assistance.

    References:

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