New Mac with latest version of macOS. Installed MS office. Problem is in MS Outlook, the search is not working, coming back with no results.

Michael C 0 Reputation points
2026-10-28T17:39:41.53+00:00

Tried following the troubleshooting steps but says that mdimport can't be reindexed using the -d command. Any other options?

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

    2026-10-28T17:40:01.13+00:00

    If mdimport ... -d1 is failing, there are still supported Outlook for Mac search fixes to try:

    1. Wait for Spotlight indexing to finish if this is a new Mac, a new Outlook profile, a newly added account, or recently imported data. Outlook for Mac can show "No Results" until indexing completes.
    2. Check the Outlook profile name for special characters.
      • Open Go > Applications.
      • Right-click Microsoft Outlook > Show Package Contents.
      • Open Contents > SharedSupport > Outlook Profile Manager.
      • If the profile name contains special characters such as /, rename the profile folder under: /Users/<Username>/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/
      • Remove the special characters.
    3. Make sure the Outlook profile folder is in the default location: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles
    4. Check Spotlight Privacy settings.
      • Open Apple menu > System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy.
      • If the Outlook profile folder or one of its parent folders is listed there, remove it.
      • Spotlight will then index that location.
    5. Rebuild Spotlight indexing for the Outlook profile by using the Privacy tab.
      • Open Apple menu > System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy.
      • In Finder, use Go > Go to Folder... and enter: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/
      • Drag the Main Profile folder, or the folder for the primary profile, into the Privacy tab.
      • Then remove it from the Privacy tab.
      • Spotlight will re-index the folder. This can take several hours depending on mailbox size.
    6. If using old Outlook on macOS Big Sur, update macOS to 11.4 or later. That issue was fixed by Apple in macOS Big Sur 11.4.
    7. If using an older Outlook for Mac on macOS Monterey 12.1, install the latest Office for Mac updates. That issue was resolved in Office for Mac version 16.57 (22011101).
    8. If search still does not work after allowing enough time for Spotlight indexing, uninstall and reinstall Office for Mac.

    If the issue is specifically on a new Mac with the latest macOS, the most relevant next steps are:

    • confirm indexing has finished,
    • remove the Outlook profile folder from Spotlight Privacy if present,
    • force reindex by adding and removing the profile folder in Spotlight Privacy,
    • verify the profile folder path and profile name.

    References:

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  2. Chloe-V 15,075 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-29T01:36:45.3766667+00:00

    Hi @Michael C

    Thank you for confirming that the mdimport command did not work.

    Since this issue occurs in Legacy Outlook for Mac, could you please switch to New Outlook temporarily and check whether the same search returns results? You can use the New Outlook toggle in the upper-right corner of Outlook. After switching, please allow some time for the mailbox to finish syncing before testing the search again.

    If search works in New Outlook, the issue is likely limited to the integration between Legacy Outlook and macOS Spotlight.

    If the issue continues, please let me know:

    • Your account type, such as Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, IMAP, POP, or on-premises Exchange
    • Your Outlook version under Outlook > About Outlook
    • The exact message returned by Terminal when you run the mdimport command, with any personal information removed

    This information will help us narrow down the next appropriate step.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.  

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