---
title: "Improve Outlook Search on Exchange Servers"
url: https://lookeen.com/blog/improve-outlook-search-on-exchange-servers
lang: en
description: "If Outlook search on Exchange servers is not working or only partially working, there are various ways to improve it. Find out how here."
author: "Lena Hofmann"
published: 2015-05-12T15:28:50+00:00
modified: 2026-11-11T06:36:34+00:00
---

# Improve Outlook Search on Exchange Servers

With the PIM software Microsoft Office Outlook®, you can not only send and receive emails but also manage contacts, create appointments, and set up a personal calendar. If you work via a Microsoft Exchange Server®—as is common in many companies—it is also possible to make this data accessible to other users and share it with them—for example, in so-called Public Folders. This significantly simplifies collaboration; on the other hand, this working method generates a massive amount of data available to individual users. In addition to the option of revising the search settings in Outlook, there are several tips and tricks for improving search across all this data.

Improving Outlook Search on Exchange Servers Just the [number of emails](https://lookeen.com/blog/the-flood-of-email-is-overwhelming-your-outlook-search-what-do-you-do) that each user receives and sends every day nowadays runs into the hundreds. In this massive amount of data, there are often information pieces that are extremely important for the execution of business processes. It frequently happens that you are looking on an Exchange Server for a very specific file or a message history regarding a particular project. However, if you search Outlook with the program’s integrated search function for the desired record, it often takes minutes before a result is displayed – or the search remains completely unsuccessful. If finding data needed at that exact moment takes too long or fails altogether, [it costs not only nerves and time, but also money](https://lookeen.com/blog/searching-for-information-in-the-enterprise-a-waste-of-money): According to a study, up to €22,000 per employee per year.

[Simplify searching for important Outlook items with the Lookeen search tool!](https://lookeen.com/solutions/outlook-search/outlook-search)

## Missing or Incomplete Indexing

What should be done in this case? A possible cause of an unsuccessful search when using an Exchange email account is the missing or incomplete indexing of files in Outlook – to ensure that data can be indexed, a connection to the Exchange server must exist and the Exchange cache mode must be used. Which files have already been indexed can be checked within the search options in Outlook under the menu item Tools – Instant Search – Indexing. Only if the desired files have been indexed will they be considered during the search. To ensure that indexing is complete, you must check whether Outlook under the menu item Tools – Instant Search – Indexing Status displays *0 items remaining* in the dialog box. If Outlook search via the Exchange server does not work or only works partially despite completed indexing, the search catalog may need to be rebuilt. For this, close Outlook, open the Control Panel, and click there under System Maintenance – Indexing Options – Advanced on Rebuild.

## Using Search Tools

An alternative to Outlook’s search function is the use of search tools like Lookeen. The desktop search also integrates into Outlook and indexes data using its own method, which significantly speeds up the search. In addition to PST archives, Exchange servers with public folders are automatically indexed in both cached and uncached modes. Even while typing, Lookeen suggests initial matches, with the search terms being color-coded in the results list. The search is also extended to file attachments such as Office documents or PDF files, which can additionally be edited and saved in preview mode without having to open the respective program.