How to search for an exact match to character strings/phrase in Outlook?
When working with Outlook, users often need to locate emails containing specific words or exact phrases. For example, when you type Image with (without quotes) in the Instant Search box, Outlook returns messages that contain both the words Image and with anywhere in the message — not necessarily next to each other. This behavior can be frustrating and inefficient, especially if your mailbox contains a large volume of messages and you need to perform precise searches for auditing, legal, or project-related reasons.
To help you solve this issue and obtain results that strictly match your search criteria, below are four practical methods:
- Search for an exact phrase using quotation marks
- Search for an exact match to character strings (whole word only) in an email
- Search for an exact match to character strings/phrase in a mail folder
- Use VBA code to search exact phrase in selected mail items
Search for an exact phrase using quotation marks
- Go to the folder where you want to perform the search (for example, Inbox, Sent Items, or a custom folder).
- Click in the Instant Search box at the top of the message list.
- Type the exact phrase you want to find, enclosed in double quotation marks. Example: type "Image with".
- Press Enter.
Outlook will return only the emails that contain the exact phrase Image with as a whole — not messages that merely include the individual words Image and with separately.
- By default, Outlook searches all mail folders in the current mailbox. If needed, you can manually change the search scope to Current Folder to limit the results to that specific folder.
- This method works across subject lines, body text, and attachments (if “Include messages with attachments” is enabled in your search options).
Search for an exact match to character strings (whole word only) in an email
If your search needs are limited to individual email contents and you want to locate a specific word or phrase precisely, Outlook offers a built-in tool with its Find and Replace function. This approach is suitable for manual checks, proofreading, and verifying details within a single message—such as reviewing contracts or confirming keyword usage.
Follow these steps to perform an exact match search for a character string (whole word only) within an email in Outlook:
1. Switch to the Mail view and double-click to open the target email that you want to search.
2. While in the open message window, select Message > Find on the ribbon. Refer to the screenshot:
3. In the Find and Replace dialog box that appears, click the More button to access advanced search options. Review the screenshot for clarity:
4. Configure the search settings:
(1) Tick the Find whole words only box in the Search Options area.
(2) Enter the desired word in the Find what box.
(3) Use the Reading Highlight > Highlight All feature to visually mark every occurrence of the exact word in your email.
Note: If your search string contains spaces—i.e., you enter a phrase rather than a single word—the Find whole words only setting will not function as intended. In this scenario, Outlook will disregard the "whole word only" restriction and may match portions of your phrase or separate words, potentially returning inaccurate results. To search for an exact multi-word phrase within an email, you may need to search without using the "whole word only" option and manually verify highlighted results, or try one of the folder-wide or advanced solutions below.
5. After checking the highlighted results, close the Find and Replace dialog box. Remember to review for formatting or case sensitivity issues that may influence your results.
This method is quick and intuitive but best suited only for individual emails. If you need to perform searches across entire folders or multiple emails, continue reading below for suitable alternatives.
If you notice unexpected results—for example, missing matches or partial matches—ensure the exact spelling and spacing of your search term, and consider opening the email in a separate window for easier review.
Search for an exact match to character strings/phrase in a mail folder
If your goal is to find emails that contain an exact phrase within an entire folder—for example, extracting correspondence with a particular project name or phrase—Outlook’s Advanced Find feature lets you customize search conditions beyond simple keyword matching. This is especially valuable when dealing with bulk emails, shared project mailboxes, or archival folders where precise filtering is required for analysis.
Here’s a detailed guide on how to set up an exact match search for a character string or phrase within a mail folder:
1. Switch to the Mail view and open the folder where you want to search. Place your cursor in the Instant Search box to bring up the Search Tools tab (shown in screenshot below).
2. Navigate to Search > Search Tools > Advanced Find to open the Advanced Find dialog box. The screenshot above depicts this process. Alternatively, quickly access Advanced Find by pressing Ctrl + Shift + F simultaneously.
3. In the Advanced Find dialog box, switch to the Advanced tab and define your search criteria as follows:
(1) Click Field > All Mail fields > Subject. You can also select other fields (such as “Body”) if you want to search in the message text.
(2) Choose phrase matches in the Condition drop-down. This condition restricts your search to emails containing the entire phrase exactly as typed.
(3) Enter your phrase in the Value field. For example, type Image with.
(4) Click Add to List to include the criterion.
Your criteria will now appear in the Find items that match these criteria box.
4. Click the Find Now button. Every email whose subject contains the complete phrase Image with will be displayed at the bottom of the Advanced Find dialog box.
5. Once you have finished reviewing, close the Advanced Find dialog box.
Tip: You can modify the Field to search within the body, recipient, or other metadata for broader or more targeted results.
When searching for phrases, be careful with spelling, spacing, and punctuation—the phrase must match exactly as it appears in the message field, including capitalization if you previously enabled "Match case" in search options.
If your search yields no results or misses expected emails, confirm that the search field and phrase match the original email’s formatting. Also, double-check folder selection and that the active mailbox is indexed for search.
This Advanced Find method is ideal for batch processing, periodic compliance checks, or sorting project-related emails. For automation or more complex multi-field phrase searches, consider using a VBA solution below.
Use VBA code to search exact phrase in selected mail items
For users comfortable with automation or needing advanced search across multiple selected emails, VBA scripting can offer a custom solution to locate messages containing an exact phrase—even in the message body. This approach is most useful for technical users and those handling large volumes of messages where manual search is cumbersome.
1. Select one or more emails in any Outlook mail folder that you want to scan for an exact phrase, then press Alt + F11 to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window.
2. In the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications window, click Insert > Module. Copy and paste the following VBA code into the new module.
VBA code: Highlight emails containing exact phrase in selected items
Sub FindItemsWithExactPhrase()
Dim ns As Outlook.Namespace
Dim fld As Outlook.MAPIFolder
Dim itm As Object
Dim SearchPhrase As String
Dim FoundCount As Long
Dim xTitleId As String
On Error Resume Next
xTitleId = "Kutools for Outlook"
' Ask user for phrase
SearchPhrase = InputBox("Enter the exact phrase to search:", xTitleId)
If Trim(SearchPhrase) = "" Then Exit Sub
Set ns = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI")
Set fld = Application.ActiveExplorer.CurrentFolder
FoundCount = 0
' Loop through items in the current folder
For Each itm In fld.Items
If TypeName(itm) = "MailItem" Then
' Search both plain text and HTML body
If InStr(1, itm.Body, SearchPhrase, vbTextCompare) > 0 _
Or InStr(1, itm.HTMLBody, SearchPhrase, vbTextCompare) > 0 Then
FoundCount = FoundCount + 1
itm.FlagStatus = olFlagMarked
itm.FlagRequest = "Contains phrase: " & SearchPhrase
itm.Save
End If
End If
Next itm
MsgBox FoundCount & " email(s) flagged containing: '" & SearchPhrase & "'", _
vbInformation, xTitleId
Set ns = Nothing
Set fld = Nothing
Set itm = Nothing
End Sub3. Press the F5 key or click Run to execute the code. You'll be prompted to enter the target phrase; the macro scans the selected emails and flags those containing the exact phrase in the message body.
After running the code, flagged emails will have a visible mark so you can filter or identify them easily. This technique is helpful for follow-up, quality control, or preparing flagged items for export or advanced processing. Be sure to select only mail items, as other items (appointments, tasks) may trigger an error. For best results, review a few test runs before large-scale applications.
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