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How to find or search emails with PDF/Excel attachment or other types attachments in Outlook?

Author: Sun Last Modified: 2024-08-28

In Outlook, you may receive emails with different type of attachments, such as PDF file, Excel file, Word file and so on. In this article, I introduce the method to search emails based on the attachment type.

Search emails based on one or more attachment types

Search emails exclude one or more attachment types


Search emails based on one or more attachment types

To search emails with one or more attachment types, you can do as these:

Search emails only contain one attachment type:

Select an email folder you want to search emails based on attachment type, type ext:pdf in the Search bar.
doc search by attachment type 1

Then the emails which only contain attachments in this type will be list.

Search emails contain one of attachment types:

Select a folder you want to search emails which contain at least one of attachment types, type ext:(pdf OR docx) in the Search bar.
doc search by attachment type 2

Then the emails which contain attachments in one of these types will be listed.

Tip: You can use OR to add more types.

Search emails contain more attachment types:

Select a folder you want to search emails based on multiple attachment types, type ext:(pdf docx) in the Search bar.
doc search by attachment type 3

Then the emails which contain attachments in all of these types will be list.

Tip: You can use space as separator to add more attachment types in search bar.

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Search emails exclude one or more attachment types

If you want to search emails which contains all attachment types but one or two specific types, you can do as these:

Search emails contain all attachment types but one type

Select a folder you want to search on, and type ext:(NOT docx) hasattachments:yes into the Search bar.
doc search by attachment type 4

In this case, all emails with attachments will be list except the emails contain attachment in docx type.

Search emails contain all attachment types but one or two types

Select a folder you want to search on, and type ext:(NOT docx NOT pdf) hasattachments:yes into the Search bar.
doc search by attachment type 5

In this case, all emails with attachments will be searched out except the emails contain attachment in docx and pdf types.

Tip: You can use NOT to add more types.


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