How to Narrow Your Email Search
How many emails do you get a day? Between my seven inboxes (I know that is crazy in itself!) I received 142 emails today (and the day is not yet over). With so many emails coming in and going out it’s hard to keep track of each email, and find it again when you need it. All email providers have search bars, however at times the basic search functionality just isn’t specific enough and you need to narrow your email search further.
Sometimes emails are like socks in a dryer, you know it’s there, but you just can’t find it. Fortunately, I have an easy and efficient way to search and find emails using some simple search words in your search bar. I save SO MUCH time now using specific search keywords. I want to share this information with you so you can save time (and your sanity) too.
EXCLUSIVE TO SUBSCRIBERS! I also have a free printable that you can download with all of the keywords mentioned below. I keep this right next to my desk and refer back to it throughout the week. In addition, receive access to the Jac of All Things Resource Library for FREE! Simply enter your email address below and it will be sent to you immediately. You will receive a weekly email with the latest posts added to Jac of All Things, as well as a weekly “Did you know” tidbit of information or life hack to make your life easier! To receive this amazingly awesome information and email notifications of new posts, simply provide your email address below. By using this form you agree with this site’s privacy policy.
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Disclaimer: These search tips work with Outlook, Gmail and Yahoo Mail. They may work with other email providers as well; however, I have not tested them personally.
HOW TO SEARCH EMAIL – TIPS TO NARROW YOUR SEARCH CRITERIA FOR BETTER SEARCHES
SEARCHING FOR AN EMAIL WITH AN EXACT PHRASE
How this may be helpful:
When you type a word into the search bar, most email providers use prefix matching which means they will match messages that begin with the word you have typed. Depending on the word you are searching, doing a basic search may cause additional, irrelevant emails to be displayed. For example, if you type in present your search will return you with all emails that contain present, presents, presentation, and presenter. You will need to put the word you are searching for in quotations in order to narrow your search to match the exact phrase.
Example – What to Type | Example – Your Search Results |
| present | All emails with the word present. (Search is not case sensitive.) Words that begin with present, such as presentation and presenter, will be included. |
| “present” | All emails with the exact phrase present. Words that contain present, such as presentation, will not be included. |
SEARCHING FOR AN EMAIL FROM/TO A SPECIFIC PERSON OR COMPANY
How this may be helpful:
You may know part of a person’s email address or the company they are from, but can’t recall their exact email. Or, you may have cc’d or bcc’d someone on an email, but can’t recall the subject of the email.
| Example – What to Type | Example – Your Search Results |
| from:Sue | All emails from Sue |
| from:Amazon | All emails from any email address that includes Amazon |
| to:Sue | All emails that have been sent to Sue |
| cc:Sue (Does not work on Yahoo Mail) | All emails where Sue was cc’d |
| bcc:Sue (Does not work on Yahoo Mail) | All emails where Sue was bcc’d |
Helpful Tip: If you are looking for an email you sent rather than received, first go to your sent folder and then run the search.
SEARCHING FOR AN EMAIL WITH AN ATTACHMENT
How this may be helpful:
You received an attachment in an email, but do not recall who sent it to you. You can use these keywords to segment and display only emails with an attachment. With some email providers, you can also identify which type of attachment was sent.
Note, the search keyword varies depending on the email provider you use.
| Example – What to Type | Example – Your Search Results |
| For Outlook | |
| hasattachment:yes | All emails with an attachment of any kind |
| For Gmail | |
| has:attachment | All emails with an attachment of any kind |
| has:drive | All emails with a Google drive attachment |
| has:document | All emails with a .doc extension |
| has:spreadsheet | All emails with a spreadsheet |
| has:presentation | All emails with a presentation |
| has:youtube | All emails with a YouTube video |
| For Yahoo Mail | |
| has:attachment | All emails with an attachment of any kind |
| has:image | All emails with an image |
SEARCHING FOR AN EMAIL WITH A SPECIFIC SUBJECT
How this may be helpful:
You want to narrow your search to only include emails with a specific subject.
| Example – What to Type | Example – Your Search Results |
| subject:Disney | All emails with the phrase Disney in the subject line |
| subject:“Disney trip details” | All emails with the exact phrase of Disney trip details in the subject line |
SEARCHING FOR AN EMAIL FROM A SPECIFIC DATE/TIME OF YEAR
How this may be helpful:
You may have a general idea of when an email was sent, but not sure of the exact date. Or, you may want to pull all emails that you sent on a specific date.
The search keyword varies depending on the email provider you use.
| Example – What to Type | Example – Your Search Results |
| For Outlook | |
| received:2017 | All emails received in 2017 |
| received:=1/15/18 | All emails received on January 15, 2018 |
| received:yesterday | All emails received yesterday |
| received:thisweek | All emails received this week |
| received:lastweek | All emails received last week |
| received:pastmonth | All emails received in the past month |
| received:Monday | All emails received on Monday |
| received:>=6/15/17 AND received:<=7/15/17 | All emails received between June 15, 2017 and July 15, 2017 |
| received:> 6/15/17 AND received:< 7/15/17 | Emails that were received after June 15, 2017 but before July 15, 2017 |
| For Gmail | |
| after:2017/06/15 | All emails received after June 15, 2017 |
| before:2017/06/15 | All emails received before June 15, 2017 |
| older_than:2m | All emails received more than 2 months ago |
| older_than:5d | All emails received more than 5 days ago |
| newer_than:2m | All emails received less than 2 months ago |
| newer_than:5d | All emails received less than 5 days ago |
| For Yahoo Mail | |
| after:“2017/06/15” | All emails received after June 15, 2017 |
| before:“2017/06/15” | All emails received before June 15, 2017 |
SEARCHING FOR AN EMAIL THAT IS UNREAD
How this may be helpful:
You want to narrow your search to show only emails you have not yet read.
| Example – What to Type | Example – Your Search Results |
| For Outlook | |
| read:no | All emails you have not yet read |
| For Gmail | |
| is:unread | All emails you have not yet read |
| For Yahoo Mail | |
| is:unread | All emails you have not yet read |
COMBINING KEYWORDS, EXCLUDING KEYWORDS, AND USING “OR”
How this may be helpful:
You may have multiple criteria that you want to use to narrow down your search. The possibilities are endless.
| Example – What to Type | Example – Your Search Results |
| from:Sue AND “Disney” | All emails from Sue that contain the phrase Disney |
| from:Sue AND subject:Disney | All emails from Sue with a subject of Disney |
| from:Sue OR from:Sally | All emails from Sue or Sally |
| from:Sue OR from:Sally AND “Disney” | All emails from Sue or Sally that contain the phrase Disney |
| from:Sue NOT “Disney” (Does not work on Yahoo Mail) | All emails from Sue that do not contain the phrase Disney |
Note, AND, NOT, and OR must be capitalized.
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE WITH ALL KEYWORDS/TIPS MENTIONED ABOVE
I have outlined all of these tips in an easy to read table that you can download for your reference. Provide your email address below for your free printable on how to narrow your email search.
Tell us where to send your free Email Search Tips!
Have I missed any tips? Please comment below if you have any tips to share!
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