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Best Practice to Resolve Outlook Search Slow Issues

/ Exchange Server, Microsoft, Microsoft Outlook, Outlook, outlook error, recovery, Technology / By

Due to various features and functionality to manage emails and other tasks, Outlook is the most sought-after email client among business and enterprise users. Microsoft Outlook provides a search option using which the user can quickly filter and search for specific emails. However, sometimes, users face issues with the search function, such as Outlook search option getting slow or not completing, and others. In this article, I will share all the potential users who may get this issue and provide the best procedures to solve Outlook search slow issues.

Reasons behind the Outlook Search Slow Issues

These are some possibilities for Outlook Search Slow Issues:

  • Users are using outdated Outlook version
  • If the Outlook file size is heavy
  • Due to Indexing issue
  • When OST/PST files become corrupted
  • Issues with Indexing Limited or insufficient system resources

Also Read: How to Convert OST to PST Free Using PowerShell Commands

How to Resolve Outlook Search Slow Issues?

To easily resolve this Outlook issue, follow all below-listed techniques one by one:

1: Update Outlook 

If Outlook does not update properly users can face this issue. To resolve this and update the Outlook, follow the below steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook >> Go to the File tab and click on Office Account.
  2. After that visit to the Update Option and click on Update Now.
  3. If any update is available, Outlook will automatically update it.

2: Enable Chache Exchange Mode:

When the cache exchange mode is enabled, users can quickly access the Mailbox data and find emails and other items faster. So, to enable it, follow these steps:

  1. In Outlook go to the File tab >> click on Accounts Settings and select Account Settings.
  2. Choose the E-mail tab and then click on Change.
  3. Now in the Change Account window, enable Use Cached Exchange Mode.
  4. After that click Next >> Finish and then restart Outlook.

3: Check Indexing Status:

Use may face this problem if the indexing is pending or not complete. So, to check the indexing status in your Outlook, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Outlook and click in the Search section.
  2. Now in the search tab, click on Search Tools and select Indexing Status from the dropdown.
  3. If the indexing is pending, Outlook will begin indexing. After indexing click on OK.

4: Rebuild the Index

If still the indexing status is not working properly, rebuild the search index. For this:

  1. Open Outlook, navigate to File tab >> Go to Options >> Click on Search.
  2. After that click on Indexing Options >> Select Microsoft Outlook and then click on the Advanced tab.
  3. Hit on Rebuild and then click OK to start the Outlook Index Rebuild process.
  4. Here wait till the Indexing process is complete. When the process is complete, check if the search issue is resolved or not.

5: Archive Older Mail Items

If the OST file becomes large you may face Outlook slow search issues. In such a case, you can reduce the OST file size by archiving older mail items to a PST file. For This:

  1. Open Outlook >> Go to File >> click on Info and select Tools.
  2. Now, in the drop-down list click on Clean Up Old Items.
  3. After that in the Archive window, select Archive this folder and all subfolders.
  4. Select your Mailbox >> Enter a date in the Archive items older than: field.
  5. Disable the “Include items with ‘Do not AutoArchive’ Checked” checkbox
  6. Now click on Browse to select the desired location to save the Archive PST file. Click OK to finish.

6: Rebuild Outlook Data File (OST)

Sometimes, Due to volatility in OST files, users face Outlook slow search issues. For this rebuild the OST file to resolve the issue. Follow the steps given below to rebuild the OST file:

  1. In Outlook, go to File.
  2. Select Account Settings and then click on Account Settings.
  3. In the next window, click on the Data Files tab.
  4. Now select the email account and click on Open File location.
  5. After that copy and move the OST file to another location for backup.
  6. Now delete the original OST file and restart Outlook. Outlook automatically recreates a new OST file and fetches all email data items from the server.

Note: After recreating the Outlook data file, if you are missing any mailbox items then you can convert your backup OST file to PST format and import it into Outlook. For this, you can confidently go for a reliable and professional solution MailsDaddy OST to PST Converter. This software easily fixes all bugs of OST files and converts them into PST format without any data loss.

Wrap It Up:

So, this is the process using which users can successfully solve Outlook search slow issues. Hope this article will be very useful for you. If you feel any difficulty or need any help, contact the MailsDaddy support team.

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