If your Outlook is freezing when searching emails or contacts, read this post. We will show you how to fix the issue using effective troubleshooting steps. The Outlook Search feature is crucial in helping users find specific emails, contacts, or important information within their inboxes or large mail folders. It lets them quickly locate their needs, saving time and boosting productivity. However, at times, it may not function as expected.
If you’re experiencing issues with Outlook freezing or becoming unresponsive while using the search functionality, you’re not alone. Many users have reported similar problems, such as Outlook hanging when searching for a specific user.
Why is Outlook not responding when searching?
If the search index is corrupted or not properly configured, it can cause Outlook to freeze or become unresponsive during searches. Using an outdated version of Outlook, corrupted PST or OST files, or corrupted cache can lead to freezing during search operations. Some third-party add-ins may also interfere with Outlook’s search functionality, causing it to hang or become unresponsive.
Fix Outlook freezing when searching emails or contacts
If your Outlook freezes when searching emails or contacts, follow these suggestions:
- Rebuild the Search Index
- Disable Windows Desktop search
- Repair corrupted Outlook data files
- Clear Cache and create a new Outlook profile
- Disable certain Outlook settings
Let us see this in detail.
1] Rebuild the Search Index
Rebuilding the search index refreshes the indexed data, eliminating any corrupt or outdated entries that may be causing performance problems during searches.
To rebuild the Search Index in Outlook, click on the File tab in the top-left corner of the Outlook window. In the left sidebar, select Options. This will open the Outlook Options dialog box.
Next, navigate to the Search section and click on the button labeled Indexing Options.
In the Indexing Options dialog, you will see a list of locations being indexed. Select Microsoft Outlook and click the Advanced button. This opens the Advanced Options window.
Under the Troubleshooting section, click the Rebuild button to start rebuilding the search index. Confirm the action in the dialog that appears, and wait for the indexing to complete.
Once finished, restart Outlook and check if the search functionality has improved.
2] Disable Windows Desktop search
You can work around Outlook search issues by disabling the Windows Desktop Search service, which forces Outlook to use its built-in search.
To disable Windows Desktop Search for Outlook, open Run (press Win + R), type regedit, then hit Enter.
Navigate to the following key in the Registry Editor:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
Right-click Windows, select New > Key, and name it Windows Search.
Right-click the Windows Search key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it PreventIndexingOutlook.
Double-click PreventIndexingOutlook, set its Value data to 1, and click OK.
Restart Outlook to apply the changes.
This will disable Windows Search for Outlook and use the built-in search instead. To revert the changes, set the DWORD value to 0.
3] Repair corrupted Outlook data files
Corrupted Outlook data files, including PST and OST files, can negatively impact search functionality by causing incomplete indexing or preventing Outlook from properly accessing and retrieving data during searches.
Use Outlook’s Inbox Repair Tool (ScanPST.exe) to repair corrupt Outlook PST & OST personal data files and see if it helps.
4] Clear Cache and create a new Outlook profile
Outlook cache stores indexed copies of emails, contacts, and other data, allowing for quicker retrieval when you perform searches or access these items. However, if the cache becomes corrupted or outdated, it can lead to incomplete search results or even cause Outlook to freeze during searches.
To clear the Outlook cache, press Win + R, type %localappdata%\Microsoft\Outlook, and hit Enter. Then, navigate to the RoamCache folder and delete all files inside it.
After deleting the cache, open Outlook, click the File tab, then go to Account Settings > Manage Profiles. In the Mail dialog box, select the old profile, and click Remove.
Then, click Add and follow the prompts to create and set up a new Outlook profile.
Re-open Outlook with the new profile and add your email account(s) by following the prompts. Then rebuild the search index and test the search functionality.
5] Disable certain Outlook settings
A few users have been able to resolve the issue by disabling certain features that affect the search functionality in Outlook. These include:
A] Disabling the display of contact photos
Disabling contact photos reduces the graphical load, which can help Outlook perform more efficiently during searches or when navigating through emails and contacts.
Go to File > Options > People and uncheck ‘Show user photographs when available‘.
B] Disabling indexing for online archive
Indexing a large online archive can slow down search operations and cause Outlook to freeze. By disabling this feature, Outlook can focus on indexing only the main mailbox, reducing the likelihood of lock-ups during search operations.
Go to File > Options > Search, then click Indexing Options. In the window that opens, select Modify, uncheck ‘Online Archive‘, and save the changes.
C] Managing iFilter conflicts
An iFilter is a software component that enables Outlook to index and search the content of specific file types, such as PDFs or Word documents. If you’ve installed third-party software, they may include their own iFilters. Conflicts between different filters can cause Outlook to freeze during search operations.
Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Attachment Handling, and then uncheck ‘Turn off Attachment Preview‘. This prevents the application from trying to display a preview of attachments using potentially conflicting iFilters.
D] Turning off automatic downloads
Turning off automatic downloads prevents Outlook from automatically fetching potentially large files or content that might cause it to hang during search operations.
Go to File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Automatic Download, then check ‘Don’t download pictures automatically in standard HTML e-mail messages or RSS items‘.
I hope that implementing these changes will resolve issues with your Outlook search and lead to a smoother and more efficient Outlook experience.
Read: Outlook is very slow to load; takes long time to start.
Why does my Outlook email keep freezing?
Outlook can become unresponsive or hang if it has insufficient memory (RAM) available to perform its tasks. Even modern and high-end PCs can encounter this issue if they are overloaded with too many applications or if Outlook is trying to perform a resource-intensive operation. Archiving old emails, limiting your mailbox size, and disabling automatic syncing of large folders can effectively reduce the amount of data Outlook needs to process at once, making it work as expected.
Read Next: Outlook stuck on verifying data integrity.
