How to search inside messages in Outlook

what to know

• Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013: In Mail, go to the Format Text or Format Message tab. Select Find . Enter search text next to "Find something."
• Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003: Open the message. Press F4 or Find . (Outlook 2003 uses Edit > Find .) Select a search option and choose Find Next .

This article explains how to search within messages in Outlook. Instructions are provided for Outlook 2019 through Outlook 2013.

If you display email as a conversation in Outlook, the thread may become longer. If you paste the content into a new message, you may need to modify or format this text. When you want to find specific text in a message, use the Outlook Find and Replace tool to highlight the text in the message.

To find specific text within an email message in Outlook 2019, 2016, and 2013:

1. Double-click the message, create a new message, reply to the message, or forward the message.

2. In the message window, go to the Format Text tab or the Message tab.

3. In the Editing group, select Find .

   

4. In the Find and Replace dialog box, place your cursor in the Find what text box, and then enter the word or phrase you want to find.

   

5. Select Find Next to find the first instance of a word or phrase.

   

   To find and highlight all instances of the word or phrase at once, select Find in > Main document .

6. Select Find Next to move to each subsequent instance of the word or phrase.

7. Select Cancel when finished.

To find specific text within an email message in Outlook 2010 and 2007:

1. Double-click the message to open it in its own window.

   You cannot search within messages displayed in the Outlook preview pane.

2. Press F4 or click Find in the Messages toolbar (the Messages ribbon must be active and expanded). In Outlook 2003, select Edit > Find from the menu.

3. Select your search options.

4. Click Find Next to find all occurrences of the search term in the message.

   To use the Edit > Find Next menu item in Outlook 2003, leave the Search dialog box open.

5. Close the Find dialog box when finished.

To visually scan every word or phrase that appears in an email message, instruct Outlook to highlight every instance of a specific word or phrase. Although the word or phrase is highlighted throughout the email, the highlighting does not appear when the document is printed.

Here's how to display highlighted text in messages:

1. Open the message in a separate window.

2. Go to the "Text Format" tab or the "Message" tab.

3. In the Editing group, select Find .

4. In the Find and Replace dialog box, place your cursor in the Find what text box, and enter the word or phrase that you want to highlight.

5. Select Reading Highlight > Highlight All to highlight all instances of a word or phrase.

   

6. The text remains highlighted (even after the Find and Replace dialog box is closed) until you turn off highlighting.

   

7. To turn off highlighting, select Reading Highlight > Clear Highlight .

8. Select Close to close the Find and Replace dialog box.

FAQ

• To recall an email in Outlook, go to the Sent Items folder and double-click the email. Go to the Messages tab, select the Actions drop-down, select Recall this message , and then select Delete unread copies of this message .

• To set up an automatic reply to an out-of-office message in Outlook, select New email , create an out-of-office message, and then select File > Save As > Outlook Template . Next, create the rule: Go to File > Information > Manage Rules and Alerts > Email Rules > New Rule > Apply Rule to My Messages .

• To password-protect and encrypt messages in Outlook, go to File > Properties > Security Settings and select Encrypt message contents and attachments .