How to search emails by sent/deleted/received date and time in Outlook?
Generally, when you type a date such as 2016/5/1 in the "Instant Search" box in Outlook, it will return all emails created, modified, received, or sent on 2016/5/1. This article will show you how to narrow the search scope and find only emails that were sent, modified, or received on that specific date.
- Search emails by sent/deleted/received date and time with Instant Search feature
- Search emails by sent/deleted/received date and time with Advanced Find feature
Search emails by sent/deleted/received date and time with Instant Search feature
You can type search criteria into the "Instant Search" box to quickly find emails by sent, deleted, or received date in Outlook.
In the "Mail" view, open the mail folder where you want to search emails, then type one of the search criteria from the table below.
Search by | Sent date | Deleted date | Received Date |
on 2016/5/1 | sent: 5/1/2016 | modified: 5/1/2016 | received: 5/1/2016 |
Before 2016/5/1 | sent: <5/1/2016 | modified: <5/1/2016 | received: <5/1/2016 |
After 2016/5/1 | sent: >5/1/2016 | modified: >5/1/2016 | received: >5/1/2016 |
Between 2016/5/1 and 2016/5/31 | sent: 2016/5/1..2016/5/31 | modified: 2016/5/1..2016/5/31 | received: 2016/5/1..2016/5/31 |
For example, if you need to search emails that were sent before 2016/5/1, you should open the "Sent Items" folder and then type the search criteria sent:<5/1/2016 into the "Instant Search" box. See screenshot:
Quickly search and delete duplicate emails in Outlook
With "Kutools for Outlook"βs "Duplicate Emails" feature, you can quickly find and delete them from multiple mail folders, or locate and remove all duplicates from the selected folders with just two clicks in Outlook.

Search emails by sent/deleted/received date and time with "Advanced Find" feature
If you do not prefer to type search criteria directly in the "Instant Search" box, you can specify the criteria in the "Advanced Find" dialog box.
1. In the "Mail" view, open the mail folder where you want to search emails, then press "Ctrl" + "Shift" + "F" simultaneously to open the "Advanced Find" dialog box.
2. In the "Advanced Find" dialog box, go to the "Messages" tab, and then:
(1) Select "Sent" (or "Received", "Modified" as needed) from the "Time" drop-down list;
(2) Choose the time range from the second drop-down list, such as "This Week";
(3) Optionally, specify other criteria such as a keyword in the "Search for the word(s)" box.
Note: On the "Messages" tab, you can only select time ranges like Today, Yesterday, This Week, or Last Month. To define a custom date range, switch to the "Advanced" tab as shown in the screenshot below:
(1) Click "Field" > "Date/Time fields" > "Sent" (or "Received", "Modified" as needed);
(2) Choose a condition from the "Condition" drop-down list, such as "on or before";
(3) Enter the custom date in the "Value" box;
(4) Click the "Add to List" button.
3. Click the "Find Now" button.
All emails that meet the search criteria will be listed at the bottom of the "Advanced Find" dialog box.
Related Articles
Count the total number of search results in Outlook
Best Office Productivity Tools
Breaking News: Kutools for Outlook Launches Free Version!
Experience the all-new Kutools for Outlook FREE version with 70+ incredible features, yours to use FOREVER! Click to download now!
π€ Kutools AI : Uses advanced AI technology to handle emails effortlessly, including replying, summarizing, optimizing, extending, translating, and composing emails.
π§ Email Automation: Auto Reply (Available for POP and IMAP) / Schedule Send Emails / Auto CC/BCC by Rules When Sending Email / Auto Forward (Advanced Rules) / Auto Add Greeting / Automatically Split Multi-Recipient Emails into Individual Messages ...
π¨ Email Management: Recall Emails / Block Scam Emails by Subjects and Others / Delete Duplicate Emails / Advanced Search / Consolidate Folders ...
π Attachments Pro: Batch Save / Batch Detach / Batch Compress / Auto Save / Auto Detach / Auto Compress ...
π Interface Magic: πMore Pretty and Cool Emojis / Remind you when important emails come / Minimize Outlook Instead of Closing ...
π One-click Wonders: Reply All with Attachments / Anti-Phishing Emails / πShow Sender's Time Zone ...
π©πΌβπ€βπ©π» Contacts & Calendar: Batch Add Contacts From Selected Emails / Split a Contact Group to Individual Groups / Remove Birthday Reminders ...
Use Kutools in your preferred language β supports English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, and 40+ others!

