Microsoft Acknowledges Search Bug in Classic Outlook for Microsoft 365

Microsoft has confirmed a defect in the search functionality of the classic version of Outlook for Microsoft 365. According to updated support documentation, the Server Assisted Search feature does not accurately refresh search results when emails are relocated.

The issue specifically impacts Outlook's online mode, where the application directly interacts with Exchange Online or an on-premises Exchange server. In this configuration, search results do not dynamically reflect changes such as an email being moved to a different folder.

Users experiencing the bug may find that an email remains listed in search results even after being dragged to another folder. Attempting to open the moved email from the outdated search result triggers an error message.

Microsoft stated that the problem has been escalated to the Outlook team and is marked for a hotfix. While a repair is in progress, no release date for the fix has been provided. As a temporary workaround, users can disable Server Assisted Search, reverting Outlook to use Windows Desktop Search.