Search in 2 folders with their subfolders

[zvidan]

Hi all,
I try to find the trick how manage search in 2 different folders (1) located in different data files and (2) with their subfolders.

I need it, as my company (Intel) uses MailCloud as a backup for our Outlook mail system, and all folder has 2 parts: containing last year (365 days) messages, and earlier ones (backup), located in different places (and datafiles).

To search in them both together I need the combination, described above.

I know, how to search in several folders (with their subfolders), but it seems to be impossible when

trying to select folders in different datafiles:

I know the trick, how to search in different datafiles, but NOT in subfolders of selected folders - it works:

So - how can I combine these 2 approaches together ?
The second one seems to be more promising, but how can I widen the search to subfolders as well ?

 

[Diane Poremsky]

You won't be able to limit it to folders, but if you know the data range and keywords, you can search by date.

Add this to the query to only find messages between these dates: received1/1/13..1/1/15)

See Instant Search Queries for other examples. (Kind won't work in Outlook anymore- it works in win7 / Outlook 2010.)

 

[Diane Poremsky]

That's supposed to be

received:(1/1/13..1/1/15)

 

[zvidan]

As you can see from my examples, I can limit it (1) to folders with subfolders, but within the same datafile, or (2) to folders only (without subfolders) in different datafiles - both approaches do work !
The 2-nd approach is almost what I want, and I'm looking for how to widen this search to subfolders.
Some trick, combination ... ?

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Does it work if you select subfolders in the Search bar?

 

[zvidan]

No, in this case ("Subfolders" is selected) the search is performed in ONE FOLDER ONLY (with its subfolders), when the goal is to search in 2 folders with the same name (that actually are ONE logical folder in MailCloud backup - its last and past parts).
To search in two folders (with the same name) the AllMailboxes should be selected.

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Yeah, not sure what i was thinking. You need to use allmailboxes and either search all folders or list each folder in the query.

 

[zvidan]

Yes, I understand. But as we know, the list of folders (with subfolders) for some reason is restricted by one datafile only - so I cannot search in 2 parts of one "logical" folder ...
How it can be overcome ?

 

[Diane Poremsky]

You can't use search folders, but instant search supports all data files.

I thought Instant Search could search multiple folders by name, but either i remembered wrong or I'm not using the correct format for the query.

 

[zvidan]

This is exactly the reason of my question - to find the expert who knows different approaches of Outlook search and is able to build the "killing" combination.
It seems to me, that you are such an expert !
In my primary question I've described 2 approaches I've found by myself, and both of them are not what I finally want.
With your knowledge and experience, maybe you can find out the right format of the quarry, providing the search in the folders with given name (and their subfolders) located in 2 distinct datafiles ?

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Well shoot - i thought it was this format, then my test search failed. But it was just outlook acting goofy. It's working this morning - (typical Outlook! )

Multiword folder names need quotes:

folder:(clutter) OR folder:(inbox)
folder:(inbox) OR folder:("sent items")

Adding a 3rd folder fails - i don't recall if i ever tested it with more than 2.

 

[zvidan]

O, it looks interesting and highly promising !

Let me ask you specific question:
I have the 2 folders with the same name, but located in 2 different distinct datafiles:
(1) MyFolders\Work\Companies
(2) OnlineArchive\MyFolders\Work\Companies

Could you kindly build the search query for searching in both, but with their subfolders ?
(I know by my self how to do it withOUT subfolders).

Thanks in advance !

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Assuming Work is the folder name and Companies is subfolder:

folder:(work) OR folder:(companies)

You'll need to use the all mailboxes scope too.

This is the results from 2 Exchange mailboxes and 1 IMAP.

 

[Diane Poremsky]

If you need to search subfolders under companies, you'd use those names instead. This will only search the two named folders though - it won't do a wildcard search of all subfolders like you'd get via the include subfolders option. It is totally limited to the 2 named folders.

Oh, and it's not whole words - so if you have two folders with similar names (my example is folders named old stats and stats), searching for stats will return results from both.

 

[zvidan]

Yes, I know: if I use <folder: (Companies)> as search command (in All Mailboxes), I'll find messages of "Companies" in both branches - \MyFolders\Work & \OnlineArchive\MyFolders\Work - and it is part of what I want.
As I want to search not only in 2 "Companies" folders, but - in addition ! - in their subfolders as well !

And this is my question to you: what could be a way/trick/... to make Outlook to search in subfolders for the example above ?

 

[Diane Poremsky]

you can't search the subfolders - the Folder: (name) search is limited to the folders that have that word in their name.

You can search Companies and 1 other folder. If the subfolders all have a common word - "Company: A", "Company: B", then you could search all of the folders that have the common word in their name: Folder: (company).

 

[zvidan]

I see... It is really pity, I hope that it could be some additional, not commonly known parameter/trick causing search in subfolders...
But if you know, that there is no such a trick ...