Search always returns 0 results even if the message is at the top of the mailbox and staring you in the face. It is the same for iCloud and Gmail. It's the same for every mailbox (folder). It's the same for searching within Mail directly or from Spotlight, mail messages no longer show up in search.
MacBook Pro Retina
Hi
please follow these articles
If searching your Macs returns unexplained results
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlp2962/mac
how to Reindex Spotlight Search
Hi
please follow these articles
If searching your Macs returns unexplained results
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlp2962/mac
how to Reindex Spotlight Search
Update. Search in Mail stopped working again after a couple of days.
The latest fix I have found is to go to accounts, iCloud and deselect mail.
Reboot.
Go back into accounts, iCloud and add mail back.
Seems to be behaving now.
Fingers crossed!
I have a fleet of MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) that have this problem. They are not yet deployed as they were replaced by new machines, but they have been reformatted to Big Sur and all we have done to test is set up accounts (and Fast user switching) and connect to our exchange mail. The problem happens for us immediately after logging in the second account and back again. It also breaks Apple Remote Desktop admin. The only way to fix it is to reset the smc. But we have to do it daily. As they are, they cannot be deployed.
I've had this problem also since upgrading to Big Sur. I can get it to work again using the click-openx2 and restart method, but it will break again, immediately, if I switch users and then switch back to the user that was running Mail. It's consistent and reproducible for me -- switch users, and when I switch back, Mail search will no longer work. I've also submitted a bug report.
You're right, it's not solved. The issue returns when you switch users. I'm filing a bug report with Apple since they're not reading what's being posted here. I suggest everybody do the same. https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html
You'll probably find that this is a temporary fix. Restarting works for me, for about a day, then search stops working again.
^This. Fast User switching will break the Mail search immediately. I have filed a Big report with Apple here: https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html
Yes, after restarting the computer it works. For a while. But it breaks again, doesn't it? Mine does. Problem unresolved for me.
Simply not true, works for one search, and then goes back to not working until you reboot.
Mine breaks again after a day or so as well. The 11.1 update did not fix either. Please consider submitting Bug feedback directly to Apple here: https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html
Rebuilding a mailbox does not solve the problem. I picked a small mailbox for the test, just 47 messages. I watched as it deleted and re-downloaded the messages. The old copies were moved to the trash and the new copies are in the mailbox. I still can't search that mailbox.
I'm not sure how suggesting to fix spotlight search would work for mail. I don't have a mail folder I can drag to the privacy window like a documents folder. Or perhaps there is a mail folder somewhere in the system folder but users don't know where that is.
It's broken for me too. Various suggestions from various forums have been tried including mailbox rebuild, spotlight reindex etc and have worked for a while, then the problem returns. I have even re installed Big Sur which helped for a while but the problem persists.
Strangely there are no problems on my MBP (which only has a single profile) and other profiles on my iMac seem OK. It's just my main iMac profile that has the issue.
Never had a problem with mail searching before Big Sur!
Come on Apple - there must be a problem here that you can fix.
The problem is now resolved. The only thing I've done is restart my Mac.
It hasn't broken again for me, at least not yet
Same here... I did a "recipy" fix but the next day it was back to square 1
Mail search is broken after Big Sur update
