How to Fix Mac Mail Search Not Working on Mac PC?

Written By

Published on
September 8th, 2021

Updated on
March 28, 2023

6 minutes Read

Many unexpected errors may occur right after upgrading to a new macOS version 12 and above. Some of these errors seem to display on almost every new macOS release. Sometimes, many macOS users face the mac mail search not working issue after installing the latest macOS version. Let’s get familiar with how you can fix these Mail search issues on Mac.

Why is Mail Search Not Working on Mac?

If you have many emails in your account, then it is hard to track them manually. The mail app on macOS has a search function that allows you to view emails from a specific person. So that you don’t need to go through the entire inbox mails.

Unfortunately, after the release of the new macOS version, many users encounter the issue that the search function is not working. This issue is creating problems for those users who rely on emails in their daily routines. In this post, we will provide you with different manual solutions and an automated iCloud Backup Tool to fix Apple Mail search not working errors.

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Top Ways to Fix Mac Mail Search Not Working

The search box on mac mail not working issues can be resolved by various techniques. Here, in the below write-up, you can find eight absolute and reliable techniques that help to overcome the issue of OS X mail search not working.

  1. By Restarting the Mail App
  2. Reload your Mac Operating System
  3. Add a New Account
  4. Update your macOS
  5. Boot in Safe Mode
  6. Reset PRAM/NVRAM
  7. Rebuild your Mailbox
  8. Contact Customer Support

1. Restart Mail App

If the Apple Mail search not finding all messages, then to fix this issue, you can restart the Mail app to reload all of its resources.

  • On our Mac, Tap on the search icon at the top right corner of the screen.
  • Type Activity Monitor on the search icon and open it.
  • Under the Activity Monitor, press on the Memory tab.
  • At last, Choose the Mail app from the list and close it by using Activity Monitor.
  • Now, again open the Mail app and try to use the search function again.

2. Reload your Mac

If the above solution doesn’t work, try restarting the whole system to remove the issue causing the error. This solution allows your computer to reload from all its resources and eliminates its memory of unnecessary applications.

To solve the mac mail search not working issue by reloading the mac, follow the steps listed below:

  • Press the Apple logo on your Mac on the top of the screen.
  • Now click on the restart option.
  • At last, wait for the system to respond and reboot completely.
  • Now, reload the Mail app and search for some emails to see if everything is stable or not. However, if the search bar is still not working, try to do another method below.

3. Add a New Account

Another method you can do is to eliminate your existing account and add a new account to your macOS. It helps you to reload the account data and refresh the connection to the Apple server.

Steps to add the new account in macOS.

  • Locate the Apple logo on the upper left corner of the screen.
  • After that, tap on the System preference.
  • Press on the Internet account under the system preferences.
  • Finally, click on your account and hit the minus(-) button to remove the mac.

4. Update your macOS

You can update your operating system. Usually, the new version of macOS installed on your computer contains an error. It is related to the mail app, which causes the search feature to malfunction.

Follow the below-listed steps to update your macOS.

  • Press the Apple logo on the upper left corner of the screen.
  • Choose the system preferences and click on the software update.
  • At last, click on the update button if available.

Once the app is installed, then try to use the search again in the mail app.

5. Boot in Safe Mode

In case your macOS is not working properly, then try to boot it in safe mode. It allows you to check possible errors in your system and repair it automatically.

You can boot your mac through a step-by-step process:

  • Firstly, power off your computer completely.
  • Then, tap the shift key on your keyboard and press the power button.
  • Keep holding the shift key until your mac boots up completely.

Once your mac computer is in safe mode, use the search function again to see if it is still working or not.

6. Reset PRAM/NVRAM

Change some of the settings on your macOS unknowingly, which causes other features on your computer to crash. It is also possible that the applications you have installed changed some system preferences, which causes the problem. To fix this, try resetting your NVRAM or PRAM to restore the default preferences on macOS.

Follow the below process to reset PRAM/NVRM.

  • Turn off your computer completely.
  • Now, press the power button and continuously tap & hold the Option+Command+ P+R keys for 20 seconds from the keyboard.

Now, restart your macOS and check if the search function is working properly or not.

7. Contact Customer Support

If you continue facing the mac mail search not working after following the above methods, we suggest taking professional help. You can try visiting the Apple Support Page and find out how to contact their Customer support. Make sure you provide them with the necessary details and also the methods used by you to solve your problem.

8. Rebuild Mac Mailbox

You can also rebuild your mailbox, which helps you to solve your problem. For this, you have to redo the steps below for each of your mailboxes.

  • Choose your mail app and move to the mailbox menu.
  • Now, hit the rebuild option under the mailbox.
  • At last, wait until the process is complete.

All these processes take time depending on the size of your mailbox. However, we recommend professional software to migrate or backup your data from your iCloud account. MacSonik iCloud backup Tool is one of the most trusted and virus-free utility that can import MBOX files to different email clients like Office 365, Live Exchange, IMAP, and many more email clients on macOS. This software also allows you to convert iCloud emails into PDF, CSV, PST, EML, MBOX, DOCX, and multiple file formats.

Also Read: How to Fix iCloud Error 0x800706ba on Mac Device?

Conclusion

The Mail app on macOS has a search function that is an instant way to locate any email. If in case it doesn’t work, you can try the above methods that will help you to fix mac mail search not working error. Sometimes, it also doesn’t work due to the corrupt MBOX files in your Mail app. Therefore, In that case, you can download the professional software tool that allows you to convert your MBOX files into different email clients like Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud accounts, etc. Thanks for reading this article.

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