Fix: Outlook on Mac does not search after Upgrade or Replacement

Symptom:

After transferring data from an old Mac to a new Mac or after an OSx update you find your searches in your Outlook no longer give you any results.

A secondary symptom reported was that they also lost all their tasks in Outlook. Adding a new task also disappears after a short period of time.

Work around:

Searches and tasks work through webmail.

Fix:

Run a couple of commands on Terminal to manually initiate indexing and check if that helps:

  • Open Finder and go to Applications → Utilities → Terminal and type the following commands (Press Enter after typing each command)

    • sudo mdutil -a -i off

    • sudo mdutil -a -i on

Note: When prompted for a password, please type the local Mac user password. What you type will be invisible. Type it and then hit enter

  • Once done, restart the mac computer

  • Wait for about an hour and check for the behavior again

As always, should you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Computer Helpdesk. See the contact information below.

How to Contact the Computer Services Department


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