Tip of the Day - Outlook 2007: Finding Related Messages in Your Insanely Unorganized Inbox

This is usually not a big issue with me because I use Xobni which has similar functionality coupled with the way they handling email threads.  Sometimes, Xobni doesn't quite give me accurate chronological order of the emails in a simple UI so the method below has helped me on occasion.

Find Related Messages
Searching for related messages in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 is easy.

 

1. Open an e-mail message, and in the Find section of the Ribbon,
2. click Related, and then
3. click Related Messages. Outlook quickly displays a list of related messages.

 

Comments

• Anonymous
  November 06, 2009
  I use Find All by right clicking in the message in my message listing, before opening the message.  Is there a way to add the Find All to the Standard Toolbar? lockhaca@collier.k12.fl.us

• Anonymous
  January 04, 2010
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  January 12, 2010
  I have exactly the same problem as the one above fro January 04, 2010. It only sometimes finds the related messages but not always. Very strange as the setting is the same for all.

• Anonymous
  January 23, 2010
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  January 28, 2010
  If you STOP the search that starts initially, then BROWSE and change the settings to look in your entire mailbox, (remove Inbox and Sent, etc), then it may work better.  I have the same problem with it not find all the emails in the string.  Perhaps we need to research how to get our mail re-indexed.  That's usually the problem with a "find command".  But I don't know how to do that either!

• Anonymous
  March 23, 2010
  I used to use a ALT keyboard shortcut to find related messages in Outlook 2003, but in 2007 it no longer works. I believe the short cut was ALT-T, then t, then a, then r, but somehow the Related Messages cannot be gotten to with the keyboard.  And, asking me to use the mouse for that very common operation is a non-starter.

• Anonymous
  April 07, 2010
  Similar to the comments above I've experienced problems with finding messages since I moved to Outlook 2007 - both from Desktop Search and using Find Related Messages (right click on an unopened messag). I followed the instructions under Outlook Help - see item 'Instant Search is not finding items'. I tried all of the options with the exception of the last and still got nothing from any search. The last option was to rebuild the indexes - answering Jamie Jan 28 - I'm on XP where you find this on the Control Panel > Indexing Options > Advanced > Rebuild - takes quite a time (less than an hour).  I'm happy to say that I can now find Outlook Items from the Desktop Search and I can now use 'Find Related Messages' as I did under Outlook 2003. On the Outlook Help there are also details on how to rebuild for Vista. It appears that maintaining the indexes is performed on a 'Nett Change' basis i.e. ongoing only new items are addressed.

• Anonymous
  June 29, 2010
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  September 26, 2011
  Before my PC was recently re-built, there was an orange "Find related messages" feature in the message header. It's not there now and I can't find how to restore it.

• Anonymous
  June 26, 2013
  What if you also want to have the search pull up names under 'To' ?  Can use either Field Chooser, or Customize and select fields wanted BUT the choices made don't stay when doing a new search.  Have to start it all over again.  Is there a way to 'save' it to make the changes made stay?