Search not working in Apple's Mail Application in Big Sur

The solution that worked for me:

1 right-click in the toolbar an select "customise the toolbar"

2 remove the search box (by dragging it away from the toolbar)

3 put the search box back (by dragging from the available tools into the toolbar).

That's it.

Hope it helps.

Happy new year

Hello KJBlack,

We would like to see how we can help you with the Mail app. Check the steps in this link, and get back to us with your results: If searching doesn't find the right emails in Mail on Mac

Cheers!

Thanks SnickZ -

Unfortunately, the problem is not with the configuration or the data being searched. The problem is with the Big Sur mail.app. Search eventually fail to work correctly and with it "Smart Folders." Mail was ok before Big Sur. Now, search fails after mail has been running and/or after several invocations of search via Smart Folders. Apple MUST be aware of these issues. I've reported and supplied log files. When is a fix expected?

thanks

Rob

I really, really wanted your solution to work. Unfortunately: no dice.

A "new" search tool on the toolbar did not help -- I immediately made use of it and it immediately failed -- there was no display of "hits" in response to a name I choose from autocomplete. Mail simply does not respond; the list of emails was entirely unaffected by search of any kind, choosing from among any directory.

This symptom often does not appear until after mail has been running and/or used extensively.

There is a glitch in Spotlight search from time to time as well -- I do not know if it is related.

thanks

Rob