Outlook desktop client suggested searches question

[D.Moore]

Operating system::    windows 11
Outlook version:     Outlook classic
Email type or host:    exchange

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Hi,

I would like to clear outlook desktop client suggested searches. So NOT outlook.com, NOT search suggestions, etc. but the outlook main search bar suggested searches. After loads of reading, it seems it is not possible, directly or indirectly (eg. for a registry hack), so I thought I reinstall windows and outlook to see whats happen. Shockingly even after a a fresh install it shows:

@Diane Poremsky : may I ask if you know by any chance which cache file should be removed to clear this Suggested Searches ?

I even tried MS 365 admin center, but no luck:

This data must come from somewhere.

Many thanks for your time and help in advance!

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Suggested searches are stored in the Microsoft account online. The Delete History button only clears the entries with the magnifying glass icon. And it clears them for web and all Outlook apps.

The won't clear it for IMAP accounts -

The reg keys for the search entries are here - but it should only work for non-microsoft accounts.

Clearing Outlook's Most Recently Used (MRU) Lists | Slipstick Systems

How to remove the Most Recently Used (MRU) lists from Outlook 2013. This includes the Location field in Appointments and the Recent Searches list.

www.slipstick.com

 

[D.Moore]

Suggested searches are stored in the Microsoft account online. The Delete History button only clears the entries with the magnifying glass icon. And it clears them for web and all Outlook apps.

The won't clear it for IMAP accounts -
View attachment 4499

The reg keys for the search entries are here - but it should only work for non-microsoft accounts.

Clearing Outlook's Most Recently Used (MRU) Lists | Slipstick Systems

How to remove the Most Recently Used (MRU) lists from Outlook 2013. This includes the Location field in Appointments and the Recent Searches list.

www.slipstick.com

.
Thank you for your quick reply! I am a bit confused, allow me to explain/ask further for clarification:

Background:
- My exchanged account is on Sherweb (Canadian provider) and it is a hosted exchange account.
- I can access MS 365 portal through their platform for licensing reasons, but exchange setup (mailboxes, mailbox users, aliases, shared permissions, etc) and OWA is all reached and configured within sherweb platform.
- So though my "license/domain" account is admin@************.onmicrosoft.com, my email account at sherweb admin@***.hu

Kind questions:
- Does my email account considered Microsoft account or not ?
- REG entry: I checked it, but it is empty (Also the Outlook ribbon/Search/Magnifiy button search history shows nothing), I assume, because I only have general text search suggestions not poeple/email ones:

Is that a correct assumption?
- The screenshot you shared is outlook.com setting, correct? Because I tried to login at outlook.com with both with (admin@************.onmicrosoft.com and admin@***.hu) and none of them worked, so it seems I cant access that. Or should I ?

- So does it conclude, that I am unable to clear these Suggested Searches (image above) or if they are stored online, I should contact Microsoft/Sherweb and request to clear it or I missunderstood you and there is a way to clear it?
- In case I should contact Microsoft/Sherweb, may I ask what technical term at exchange 2016/2019 level I should request to do ? (as in my experience with e.g. Sherweb support, if I would ask to clear 'Suggested Searches' they would start to miss talk about it)

BIG heartfelt thank you for your time and help in advance!

 

[Diane Poremsky]

- Does my email account considered Microsoft account or not ?

The fact that you have an onmicrosoft address for admin, indicates it's a Microsoft 365 mailbox, not hosted on their exchange servers. When you use web mail - is the url outlook.office.com or a sherweb url? If the url is office.com, it's definitely not hosted - sherweb is reselling Microsoft 365. (They used to run their own exchange servers but like a lot of companies, are moving accounts to Microsoft 365 as a reseller.)

Does this link work for you? That is where the dialog in the screenshot is from.
https://outlook.office.com/mail/options/general/export

I assume, because I only have general text search suggestions not people/email ones:

Is this in Outlook? The key for email is

Recent Mail Searches history

101f0445

It is only added/updated *after* Outlook is closed. If you do a first search or delete the key and then search, the key is not added until Outlook is closed.

That would remove the text searches only in non-ms account- this is from an IMAP account - the 101f0445 value would remove 'testing' (after restarting outlook)

It won't clear search keywords in Microsoft mailboxes or the entries with contact icons. I did the testing search in my Microsoft 365 mailbox - the entry is available in both that account and in the IMAP but the key only removes the IMAP entry (which has the magnifying glass icon).

This is from my Microsoft 365 account.

 

[D.Moore]

Many thanks for your response! Trying to answer all your points:

- This: Outlook doesn't work:

- The onmicrosoft address for admin at sherweb only used to create 365 users:

- But the mail accounts indeed created in shwerweb own interface:

- After I closed outlook, the 101f0445 simply not exist, look:

May I ask if you have any other idea ?

 

[Diane Poremsky]

According to this, the account doesn't have a mailbox - I'm assuming you tried signing in with the custom domain address that has a mailbox. If you signed in with the onmixrosoft address, the error is correct if it does not have a mailbox.

This looks like the older on-prem interface (or it could be a customized interface). But it appears they are using a hybrid setup of local Exchange and some online services.

According to their help desk files, it looks like the OWA path is webmail.example.com, where example.com is your domain name.

This is what OWA looks like in 365 (View > View Settings is how I go into the dialog to clear the search results) - older versions of OWA don't have the ribbon.

Depending on the Exchange server it could be almost as pretty or down right ugly as the two below - or somewhere in between. (The bottom sacreenshot is from a really, really old OWA - which you shouldn't have but it's the only screenshot I could find quick.)

Settings in the prettier version should be accessible from a gear icon on the far right. But it is unlikely to have the option to clear the search. (But I could be wrong - forget when they added that.)

 

[D.Moore]

Thank you again! Answering your question:

- Indeed here: Outlook I was logging in with my onmicrosoft account, as it was (bad) logic from my side, that s my normal email admin@***.hu has nothing to do with it, BUT now, i tried it with admin@***.hu too:

- As you can see, unfortunately, it created a brand new outlook account for it, so my admin@***.hu at Microsoft has nothing to do with admin@***.hu at Sherweb.

- I also checked Sherweb OWA interface I have access too (I also wanted to do earlier just skipped my mind, forgive me for it).
- The access url is: Outlook
- It is exchange 2016 interface running on 2019 exchange (whatever it means, I digged out from an earlier sherweb support email)
- it looks like this:

an the option menu looks like this:

But I do not find any clear/delete search history option here.

I wonder if sherweb support might could do it at side? How should i ask them in technical language? Or you may have some new idea to try ?


VERY big thank you for your time and help!!

 

[Diane Poremsky]

ndeed here: Outlook I was logging in with my onmicrosoft account, as it was (bad) logic from my side, that s my normal email admin@***.hu has nothing to do with it, BUT now, i tried it with admin@***.hu too:

Close / Delete that account - you created a Microsoft account (consumer side). While it isn't an issue now, if sherweb ever moves accounts to Microsoft 365, it will be annoying.

How to close your Microsoft account - Microsoft Support

Learn about what effect closing a Microsoft account might have on your other apps and services.

support.microsoft.com

exchange 2016 interface running on 2019 exchange

That is an "on-prem" server. Is the 2016 a typo? If not, they are running a mix of servers - your mail is apparently stored in exchange 2019 but the front end - aka Outlook web mail - is on the older server.

But I do not find any clear/delete search history option here.

I wonder if sherweb support might could do it at side? How should i ask them in technical language? Or you may have some new idea to try ?

The older versions don't have the option to delete it. I don't know if sherweb (why do I always want to type 'Sherwood'? ) would be able to delete it. I'll check in the morning - you might be able to delete it from classic Outlook using MFCMAPI.

 

[D.Moore]

Thank you! So:

- Deleting my MS account would be interesting, as I am using it for windows account, etc. LOL! May I ask whats problems will it make? Just curious.
- No, 2016 is not a typo, indeed they use mix of servers. But in theory I can request to migrate it to fully 2019, if that make sense? Is there any negative difference compared to 2019 ?

- "The older versions don't have the option to delete it. " you mean 2016 ? But 2019 would allow it ? Or you mean something else?

- BIG thank you for checking on it, can wait and hope you may find an other solution like e..g: MFCMAPI.

 

[Diane Poremsky]

- "The older versions don't have the option to delete it. " you mean 2016 ? But 2019 would allow it ? Or you mean something else?

2016 definitely doesn't support and I'm, pretty sure 2019 doesn't. It's a fairly new option in exchange online. the on-prem servers are quite a few builds behind the online servers.

I don't think fully migrating to 2019 will make a difference - its interface is behind what is available in Microsoft 365 accounts.

I found some hidden files that might hold the values but need to test with a mailbox other than my own. I have a bunch of test accounts, but didn't have time to set them up in Outlook yet.

 

[D.Moore]

Thank you again!

Would be super awesome to solve this issue with some hidden files. Thank you for your time to check it when suits you.

 

[D.Moore]

Hi @Diane Poremsky may I ask if you bay any chance could have a look at those files for a possible solution? Or kindly tell me which ones you suspect to be good, so i could try myself? Many many thanks in advance!

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Hi @Diane Poremsky may I ask if you bay any chance could have a look at those files for a possible solution? Or kindly tell me which ones you suspect to be good, so i could try myself? Many many thanks in advance!

No, sorry, I did not have time to test with a test mailbox (and I don't want to screw up my own mailbox. ) I'll try and do it tomorrow.

 

[D.Moore]

No, sorry, I did not have time to test with a test mailbox (and I don't want to screw up my own mailbox. ) I'll try and do it tomorrow.

Many many thanks! Fully understand, and looking forward to your reply.

 

[D.Moore]

No, sorry, I did not have time to test with a test mailbox (and I don't want to screw up my own mailbox. ) I'll try and do it tomorrow.

May I ask if you could be so kind to let me know what files you may think to be a solution? Because i know you very busy as well as I dont want to cause any harm to your mailbox, but I would be very happy to try these files on my mailbox. BIG heartfelt thank you for your time and help and sorry for bothering you with this. I dont want to be impolite, but you are my only hope literally.

 

[Hornblower409]

I can't test (no Exchange). And it doesn't clear your Search History, just stops asking Exchange. Any help?

How Outlook 2016 utilizes Exchange Server 2016 FAST Search | Microsoft Community Hub

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\search
DWORD: DisableServerAssistedSuggestions

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\search
DWORD: DisableServerAssistedSuggestions

 

[Hornblower409]

For your Exchange Admin.

How to delete Search History in Exchange Server OWA? - Microsoft Q&A
Answer by Kael Yao-MSFT.

 

[D.Moore]

I can't test (no Exchange). And it doesn't clear your Search History, just stops asking Exchange. Any help?

How Outlook 2016 utilizes Exchange Server 2016 FAST Search | Microsoft Community Hub

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\policies\microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\search
DWORD: DisableServerAssistedSuggestions

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\search
DWORD: DisableServerAssistedSuggestions

First of all, forgive my late response, somehow I did not received the reply notification.

Secondly, you are a genius! THANK YOU, it is working like charm!! You are awesome!!!

Finally, may I ask your kind help if you have similar trick/solution for:

"Recently Used Actions" and "Suggested Actions" by any chance ?

Would be VERY much appreciated.

 

[Hornblower409]

"Recently Used Actions" and "Suggested Actions"

Are you asking about the "New Search" (Microsoft Search) bar in 365?
New Search bar in Outlook
Find what you need with search in Microsoft 365 apps - Microsoft Support.

 

[D.Moore]

Are you asking about the "New Search" (Microsoft Search) bar in 365?
New Search bar in Outlook
Find what you need with search in Microsoft 365 apps - Microsoft Support.

Exactly, I would love to eliminate these two (just like your amazing trick with Suggested search):

May I ask if possible somehow ? BIG thank you in advance!!