Outlook Search Operator Cheatsheet
Outlook search uses Keyword Query Language. This page gives the working operators and the ones that look like they should work but don't.
| from:"Sam Smith" | From a specific person (name or address) |
| to:sam@example.com | Sent to a specific recipient |
| subject:proposal | Subject contains the word |
| hasattachment:true | Has at least one attachment |
| received:today | Received today (also: yesterday, this week, last week, this month) |
| received:1/1/2026..3/31/2026 | Date range (US date format) |
| sent:>1/1/2026 | Sent after a date |
| importance:high | Marked high importance |
| kind:meeting | Specific item type (also: contacts, tasks, notes) |
| size:>5MB | Size threshold |
| category:Red | Tagged with a category |
| isread:no | Unread (also: isread:yes) |
| from:sam AND subject:proposal | Boolean AND |
| from:sam OR from:alex | Boolean OR |
| NOT subject:newsletter | Boolean NOT |
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See your numberLists from:, to:, subject:, hasattachment:, received:, sent:, importance:, kind:, plus the date range and size operators. Flags syntax differences between Outlook Web and Desktop.
Auditing Outlook mailboxes. Building Outlook search folders. Compliance e-discovery.
FAQ
Where do I type these operators?+
In the Outlook search box at the top of the mailbox, the same place you'd type a plain keyword. Outlook uses Keyword Query Language, so from:, subject:, and the rest are parsed as operators instead of as literal text.
Does this page search my mailbox?+
No. It's a static reference table of operators and what each one matches. Nothing here connects to Outlook or Microsoft 365, so you copy the operator you want and run it in your own search box.
Do all of these work in Outlook desktop and Outlook on the web?+
Most do, but coverage varies by version and by whether the mailbox is indexed. The list is the same for both surfaces, so test the query in your own client before you build a search folder or a compliance report on top of it.
Keep going
Articles, glossary entries, and other tools on the same topic.
Nate built Outsolvi after watching every email-tracking tool he had ever used lie to him about opens. Outsolvi grades every open as a person or a machine, in Outlook and Gmail, so the number on the dashboard is one a rep can actually act on.
We update these pages when the underlying mechanics change. new mailbox-provider rules, new tracker behavior, new measurement gaps. The dates above are real revisions, not auto-touches.