Microsoft Provides Registry Fix for Outlook 2016 Search Issues

Microsoft Addresses Outlook 2016 Issues: Clicking Bug and Search Functionality

Microsoft has officially acknowledged a bug affecting the clicking and scrolling functionality in Classic Outlook. In addition, the technology giant has provided a workaround for another notable issue that has emerged recently concerning the Server-Assisted Search feature in Outlook 2016.

Current Outlook Search Problem

ISSUE

As of January 16, 2025, users of Outlook 2016 MSI have reported that the sender’s name is not visible in search results, nor are the results indicating the status of messages as ‘read’.

For instance, when performing a search in your inbox, the sender details under the “From”column are missing in the preview pane, while search results also appear marked as unread.

Investigation and Tracking

Microsoft is diligently investigating this anomaly, which is listed under ID MC976059 on the Microsoft 365 (M365) Service Health Dashboard. M365 administrators may recognize this ID, as it has also been previously associated with the rollout concerns of the New Outlook on Windows 10.

Temporary Workaround Suggested

STATUS: INVESTIGATING

The service team has identified a recent code modification that seems to be causing this disruption. They are currently working on reverting these changes in an internal testing environment to confirm the fix’s validity. Once confirmed, they aim to deploy this solution across the affected systems.

If immediate relief from the issue is necessary, users can temporarily disable the Server-Assisted Search feature.

WORKAROUND

To disable Server-Assisted Search effectively, users can revert to the legacy Windows Desktop Search by adjusting the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\policies\Microsoft\office\16.0\outlook\search

DWORD: DisableServerAssistedSearch

Value: 1

Further Assistance

For additional guidance, Microsoft offers a detailed support article. You can access it here.

For a comprehensive source of information, visit the follow-up article on the issue Source & Images.

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