Summary: This article outlines the resolution for "No Results" when performing searches in the Legacy version of Microsoft Outlook on macOS after an OS update (e.g., macOS Tahoe).
Symptoms:
- Users are unable to locate emails using the search bar within Outlook.
- The search functionality returns "No Results" even for known, existing emails.
- Issues typically occur immediately following a major macOS system update.
Resolution Steps: Follow these steps to restore Outlook's communication with the macOS search index:
- Close Outlook: Completely quit the Microsoft Outlook application.
- Access Privacy Settings: Open the Apple menu and go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.
- Refresh Permissions:
- Locate Microsoft Outlook in the list.
- If the toggle is OFF, switch it to ON.
- Important: If the toggle is already ON, switch it OFF, wait 5 seconds, and switch it back to ON.
- Restart System/App: Perform a full restart of the Mac to ensure the system applies the updated security permissions to the Spotlight indexing service.
- Verify Search: Open Outlook and allow 2–5 minutes for the application to re-initialize. Perform a test search.
Additional Troubleshooting (If the above fails): If search is still not functional after 30 minutes, force a manual re-index of the system via Terminal:
- Open Terminal (via Spotlight or Applications > Utilities).
- Type the following command and press Enter: mdimport -i ~/Library/Group\ Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/Outlook/Outlook\ 15\ Profiles/Main\ Profile
- Wait for the process to complete in the background before re-testing Outlook.
Escalation: If the issue persists, please escalate to TTS Medford Desktop and include the user’s macOS version and a screenshot of the search error.