Applies ToOutlook for Microsoft 365 for Mac Outlook 2024 for Mac

In Microsoft Outlook for Mac, you may receive a "No Results" message when you try to search for an email message or apply a filter to a folder, and task items are not displayed in the Tasks folder. Additionally, when you search for mail items by using the Mac OS native Spotlight Search, your search may be unsuccessful. 

This could happen for any of the following reasons:

  • Spotlight Search indexing is incomplete.

  • The Profile name contains special characters such as the slash mark (/).

  • The Profile or one of its parent folders are added to the Privacy tab in Spotlight.

  • The Outlook 15 Profiles folder is not located under ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook.

  • The Spotlight Search index is corrupted. 

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Run the OutlookSearchRepair utility.

  2. If you recently created a new Outlook Profile in Outlook for Mac, added a new account, or recently imported new data from a source such as a PST or OLM file, Spotlight indexing may not be complete. If so, Outlook for Mac displays a "No Results" message. To resolve this issue, wait for indexing to finish, then search again.

  3. Make sure that your Profile name in Outlook for Mac has no special characters, such as the slash mark (/).

To view your Profile or Identity name in Outlook for Mac, take these steps

  1. Click Go, Applications.

  2. Right-Click Microsoft Outlook and select Show Package Contents.

  3. Expand Contents, SharedSupport, and open Outlook Profile Manager. '

If the Profile or Identity name contains a special character, change the name with these steps:

  1. Open the Outlook for Mac Profile folder located here:  /Users/<Username>/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/

  2. Rename the Outlook for Mac Profile folder name and remove the special characters.

If the issue is still unresolved, the Spotlight index may be corrupted. To reindex the Spotlight index, follow these steps:

  1. Restart the Mac, so that it will restart the Spotlight services.

  2. Navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal

  3. Type mdimport -L

Important: If you see more than one instance of "Microsoft Outlook Spotlight Importer.mdimporter," delete the Outlook application that you are not using, empty it from the Trash, restart your Mac, and go back to step 1. 

In the Terminal, reindex your Outlook database by using the following command. Substitute your own user name for the <user_name> placeholder:mdimport -g "/Applications/Microsoft Outlook.app/Contents/Library/Spotlight/Microsoft Outlook Spotlight Importer.mdimporter"-d1 "/Users/<user_name>/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/<my_profile_name>"

Note: In this command, the path after "-g" is the default path of the Outlook installation. The path after "-d1" is the default path of your profile, where <my_profile_name> is, by default “Main Profile." You'll have to substitute your actual paths if you have renamed your profile or installed Outlook in a different location.

Reindexing will take some time to complete. After the process is complete, exit and restart Outlook. 

If you still cannot search in Spotlight after you have followed these steps and allowed enough time for Spotlight Indexing to complete, you may have to uninstall and reinstall Office for Mac. 

See Also

Troubleshooting Outlook search issues (non-Mac)

Need more help?

Want more options?

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent.