Search in Outlook for Mac returns limited or no results for macOS Big Sur

Last Updated: April 20, 2021

ISSUE

If you are using macOS Big Sur, search in old Outlook for Mac returns limited or no results.

STATUS: FIXED 

Apple has released macOS Big Sur version 11.4 which addresses this issue. Follow the link below to update your version of macOS

How to update the software on your Mac

You can continue to workaround this issue by changing file association and Reindex Spotlight or you can  switch to the new Outlook for Mac. To do this, follow the steps below:

Reassociate Outlook for Outlook email files: 

1. Drag and drop any email to the Desktop from Outlook.

2. Right click / Control click on the email you dragged to Desktop and select 'Get Info'.

3. Expand 'Open with' and select 'Other' in the dropdown.

4. In the Finder application, choose 'Microsoft Outlook'.

5. Check the box that says 'Always open with'.

6. Select 'Add', and then choose 'Change All'.

7. Select Continue when asked “Are you sure you want to change all similar documents to open with the application “Microsoft Outlook”.

Re-index Outlook email files in Spotlight: 

1. Open the Apple menu.

2. Select System Preferences, and then choose Spotlight.

3. Select the Privacy tab.

4. In Finder:

   1. On the Go menu choose Go to Folder...

   2. Copy and paste the following location into the "Go to the folder:" dialog box and select Go:
      
      ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/

5. Drag the ‘Main Profile’ folder or the folder with your primary profile name to the Privacy tab. Once added, remove the folder, and Spotlight will re-index the folder.
   
   Note: You must perform this step for any additional profile folders you may have. Please note depending on the amount of email you have this could take several hours to fully index your email files.

Switch to the new Outlook for Mac

To switch to the new Outlook for Mac, follow the steps listed in this link:

• Switch to new Outlook for Mac

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