
Note If Outlook cannot connect to Microsoft Search, an error message is displayed with a link to perform a local search. The Outlook product group is updating current versions of Outlook desktop, web, and mobile clients to migrate more and more scenarios to use Microsoft Search. This section is organized to help you determine which search solution is being used, based on a specific scenario. Scenarios where Outlook uses Microsoft Search For more information about FAST Search, see How Outlook 2016 utilizes Exchange Server 2016 FAST Search Throughout this journey, Outlook has evolved from local and MAPI-restriction searches, to server-based Exchange content indexing, to EWS/FAST search, and now to the most recent service-based iteration, Microsoft Search.įAST Search continues to be used in Exchange Server 20 versions. It fully indexes and searches content, while providing rich and intelligent search features that have become an industry norm. This is where Microsoft Search comes into the picture. This shift has resulted in a clear need for server- and service-powered search solutions. Although WDS provides excellent performance using the indexes on the local disk, mailbox sizes have increased while less mailbox data is synchronized to the local disk. These data files are normally stored on the local disk, as are the WDS search indexes.
#WHERE ARE OUTLOOK FOR MAC ARCHIVES STORED OFFLINE#
Starting with Outlook 2007, Outlook has utilized Windows Desktop Search (WDS) to index Outlook Data (.pst) and Offline Outlook Data (.ost) files. In its earliest versions, Outlook supported basic filters based on MAPI restrictions. It’s hard to imagine an Outlook without search. There are plans for later builds to also query the Calendar, files, and other items within Outlook.įor general information on Microsoft Search, see Overview of Microsoft Search. When searching in Outlook, Microsoft Search is used to search email messages that are in your mailbox. Outlook has a help menu as well as numerous web sites pertaining to email and these works really well for anyone who's trying to access email history.In Microsoft 365, Microsoft Search returns search results based on the context of the application that you are searching from. Windows 7: C:\users\username\Local Application Data\MicrosoftOutlook\ Windows Vista: C:\users\username\Local Application Data\MicrosoftOutlook\ Windows XP: C\:Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\MicrosoftOutlook\ Once the system is determined the paths to stored emails are as follows. It's simply a matter of the path one system takes to find the Search Folders and within those folers is the email data. Next is "why should this make a difference?" No doubt the person trying to access an email folder knows what their operating system is so let's assume that part of the question is cleared up. There's another question in regard to accessing these folders and that is, "what operating system is being used to access the email and why should this make any difference?"įirst of all, the common operating systems for Outlook are Windows XP, Windows Vista and the new Windows 7" So the email files are there and all you need do, in the most basic terms is ask to see them. As for the name "Search Folders" they are called such because they display results of a query, in real time.

The fascinating part is these folders are automatically archived according to their particular functions so the user has that information simply by accessing it. These folders contain your Inbox, Sent Items and Drafts that are saved for later. Microsoft Outlook uses folders called Search Folders to capture and hold email data. The second part, "how does it differ from other data files" is at the very least pretty fascinating. We've already determined the first part of the question. So first question that must be posed is "what is an email file and how does it differ from other data files?" We all understand that files and folders containing data can be stored somewhere but there are differences that give email folders certain unique qualities. In laymen's terms it's a file or folder that contains data regarding emails.

In order to determine where Outlook email files are stored it's necessary define a couple of things.
