Developed by Microsoft, Outlook is the top choice among users to manage emails and other data. It is a one-stop destination with the sole purpose of getting things done by the effective organization of emails, contacts, tasks, notes, and calendar. Professionals usually receive various emails from different senders. To ease out the process, Outlook provides an Instant Search feature that instantly finds an email in a crowded mailbox. However, this is also prone to a few errors, which might stop the ongoing work due to an incomplete search. To resolve this error, we will discuss the “Something went wrong, and your search couldn’t be completed” error in Outlook in this article.
Solutions to Fix the Search Error in Outlook
Various reasons could be behind the “Something went wrong, and your search couldn’t be completed” error in Outlook. The prime reasons include issues in Windows Search Service, indexing of Outlook, major damage in PST files, an outdated operating system, and conflicts created due to add-ins. Nevertheless, even these can be easily managed and fixed using the approaches mentioned below-
Check for updates
Certain errors in your Windows operating systems can be easily resolved by installing the latest version which is available. Updates bring along improvements and prevent any bugs in the system. Make it a point to update to any latest version of Windows as well as the Outlook email client.
Remove all add-ins
Many issues arise when various third-party add-ins have been installed with Outlook, including “Something went wrong, and your search couldn’t be completed” error in Outlook. This happens as these add-ins create conflict with the application and its features. Hence, a wise decision would be to remove all such extensions.
Follow these steps to remove all third-party extensions to Outlook:
Open the Outlook application.
Click on “File” and then “Options.”
From the left panel present, select “Add-ins.” Now, on the bottom right window, click on the drop-down menu of “Manage.” Click on “Go.”
Tick on all the checkboxes of all the add-ins and click on “Remove.”
Restart Outlook and check if the error has been resolved.
Check the Windows Search Service
The Windows Search Service maintains an index for all the content and quickly provides any search result. Even a slight issue in this can lead to an error in the Outlook search feature. You can run a troubleshooter to fix any errors in the Search Service.
Follow these steps to run a troubleshooter for the Search Service:
Directly move to the “Settings” of your system.
Click on “Update and Security.”
From the left panel, select “Troubleshoot” and then click on “Additional Troubleshooters.”
Scroll and select “Search and Indexing” and click on “Run the Troubleshooter.”
Rebuild the Outlook Indexing
Indexing in simple terms refers to an index that contains and maintains terms from your email messages. An incomplete Outlook Indexing can result in less or no search results at all. However, users do have an option to rebuild this index.
Follow these steps to rebuild Outlook Indexing:
Close the Outlook application.
In the search box, type “indexing.”
Click on “Indexing Options” and then on “Advanced.”
A new window will be displayed. Under the Troubling panel, select “Rebuild.”
Finally, click on “OK.”
Repair damaged Outlook data files
MS Outlook stores all the user’s data in PST file format which is an advanced format in itself. However, due to certain reasons, these PST files can get severely corrupt. They contain all essential data of the user and hence, must be repaired using a secure tool. Kernel for Outlook PST Repair is such a tool with the ability to repair any corrupt, damaged, or inaccessible PST file. It can troubleshoot and fix common Microsoft Outlook issues. There is no limitation to the size and number of files to be repaired, and its straightforward interface makes the process simpler for all kinds of users.
The software is well compatible with all the versions of the Windows operating system and Microsoft Outlook.
Follow these steps to quickly repair your PST files:
Click on “Browse” to add single or multiple files. It will be added to the tool and click on “Next.”
A comprehensive preview will be displayed of all the contents of the PST file.
From the list of Outlook formats, select “PST file.” Click on “Next.”
You can add a few filters to narrow down the search process.
Click on “Browse” to select a destination for the repaired file. Finally, click on “Finish.”
The repaired PST file will successfully be saved to the preferred location.
Conclusion
The Search feature is one of the most sought-after features in Outlook. But while searching for some email, you might receive a message saying, “Something went wrong, and your search couldn’t be completed error in Outlook.” This issue can put a pause to your break. To begin with, make sure you have updated your Windows system and Outlook to the latest possible version. In addition, remove all the add-ins to Outlook and re-check the search service and indexing. This error is often caused by a heavily corrupted PST Outlook file. So, you need to repair the PST file using Kernel for Outlook PST Tool.
