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Mail App search not working

Since upgrading to Big Sur (which I dislike generally, by the way) the search feature in Mail App does not work properly: 0 results for all searches.


I can get it working by quitting Mail, restarting Mail while holding down the shift key (twice), then restarting the iMac. Search works beautifully. But then after a while it stops working again.


This problem occurred when I upgraded to Big Sur from Catalina. In an attempt to fix the issue I did a clean install of Big Sur. Same issue.


I have attempted to 'rebuild' the mailboxes by clicking on 'Rebuild' under the Mailbox menu. This hasn't help (obviously). It's not even clear that anything happens when I click on 'Rebuild': there is no indication that anything is happening or acknowledgement that I have clicked on the menu item.


iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017), 4.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7


Big Sur 11.2.2


I would be very grateful if anyone please has a solution.

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 11.2

Posted on Mar 13, 2021 10:59 PM

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Posted on Apr 2, 2021 3:42 PM

My Mail completely stopped reacting to anything I typed in the search field.


In summary, follow the following steps:

quit all the app on your mac

hold down the shift key and launch the Mail app, then quit it.

repeat step 2.

restart your mac


Hope this helps


[Link Edited by Moderator]

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10 replies

Apr 6, 2021 10:40 AM in response to WilshO

This has worked for some:


Boot into Safe Mode according to Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.


NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 10 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files


Apr 6, 2021 12:01 PM in response to Old Toad

Thanks for that "Old Toad". I hadn't found this recommendation before, and it seems useful so far. Summary:

  1. Initial state ... in normal mode: mail search didn't work
  2. After booting into Safe Mode: mail search worked again !!
  3. Rebooting normally afterwards: mail search didn't work
  4. Quick Mail and started it again: mail search worked again !!
  5. Tried quitting & restarting Mail a few more times and it stayed working !!


I'll keep testing this for a bit, and try a further reboot or two later to see if search keeps working.

I will aim to give a further update here on how it goes, but let's say "no news is good news" ... so if I don't post back here soon then assume it stayed working.

May 3, 2021 11:04 AM in response to Berthos Too

Download and run Etrecheck. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC and recommended by Apple Support  to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.


IMPORTANT:

Before running Etrecheck assign Full Disk Access to Etrecheck in the Etrecheck's Privacy preference pane so that it can get additional information from the Console and log files for the report:


Also click and read the About info to further permit full disk access.



Copy the report



and use the Additional Text button to include the report in your reply.



Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine what might be causing the problem.


Apr 6, 2021 10:29 AM in response to Berthos Too

I have this too, and I interpret that the issue is not yet addressed by the answer so far from Hilal Halawi.


Mail search stops working; yes the shift-key / Mail & Mac-restart gymnastics gets it working again *temporarily*, but it very quickly stops working again.


Also, same as reported by Berthos Too, the mailbox 'rebuild' (which I have seen recommended elsewhere for this sort of issue), and sounds intuitively as though it could be relevant, but it doesn't make any improvement on this issue for me, and doesn't visibly seem to do anything as far as I can tell.


Is there a full and long-lasting solution known yet for this mailbox search issue?

Apr 11, 2021 2:00 AM in response to WilshO

Yes, still monitoring this thread. Thanks all for the responses. I'm still having the issue. Tried Hilal's method several times (this had been suggested in other places too)--didn't work for me. I dad to restart again today to get search working. Which it does for a while then stops again.


I haven't yet tried Old Toad's 'safe mode' method yet. I will give that a try. Fingers crossed.

May 2, 2021 6:40 PM in response to CJESOLDO

Tried Old Toad's 'safe mode' method (as well as the other methods). Problem returns after a few days.


This is actually very un-Mac-like. I have been a Mac user since about OS 7.? back in the mid-90s . Big Sur has been the most problematic upgrade yet. Very unimpressed. I'm starting to feel like I'm a Windows user.


I would switch back to Catalina but it's too difficult.

Mail App search not working

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