Instant Search is not available in Outlook
Restarting Outlook did not help. I had run Outlook without administrator permissions – although I may have been signed in as an administrator. In any case here are a few steps you can try to help troubleshoot and fix the issue: 1] Shut down Outlook. Ensure that its process has stopped, using The Task Manager. Restart Microsoft Outlook. 2] Restart your Windows computer and see if the problem goes away. 3] Check if Run as Administrator option has been inadvertently checked in Compatibility options. To do this, open the following location: In case of 32-bit Windows, the path will be C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14. In case of 64-bit Windows, the path will be C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14. Right-click on OUTLOOK.EXE and click on Properties. Under Compatibility tab, uncheck the option “Run as Administrator” and click OK. Launch Outlook and see if it is resolved. 4] Change your user account and see if the problem persists. Try using a Standard account. 5] Verify that the Windows Search is running in Services Manager. To do this, open Run, type services.msc and then double-click on Windows Search service. Check if it is set to Automatic (Delayed) and Started. 6] Check your Outlook add-ins. Try disabling some selectively and see. You will be able to do it as follows : File > Options > Add-ins. If you have the Sharepoint and TeamViewer add-ins, disable them and see. 7] Ensure that Outlook is set as the default email client. Did this help? You will be able to do it here: File > Options > General > Make Outlook the default program for E-mail, Contacts, and Calendar check box. 8] Rebuild the Indexing cache. 9] Re-register the mssphtb.dll file. This is the Outlook MS Search Connector file. It is to be noted that the Windows Search Email Indexer is not needed for Outlook 2010 searches. If you are using Outlook 2007 then you may need to do this. 10] This post will help you if the Instant Search Box missing in Outlook. If any of this helped you, please let us know which suggestion. See this post if Microsoft Outlook Search is grayed out or not working.
