Reindex your email when webmail search fails

If a message is in the mailbox but does not show up when you search, the search index may need a review. Before reindexing, check that you are searching the right folder and that no date, sender or status filter is excluding it.

A search by subject or sender can behave differently from a search in the message body. Not every server offers full-text search; some use Apache Solr for it.

Request a reindex if it is available

1. Sign in to webmail.
2. On the tools page shown before Roundcube, look for Search Index. If you go straight into Roundcube, go back to that page.
3. Open the tool and click Reindex once to request the scan.
4. When it finishes, repeat a search you know should work, with the same folder and criteria.

The request confirmation does not mean the process has finished. How long it takes depends on the volume of mail and the server; running it over and over does not speed it up.

If it still fails

Check whether you can find the message by browsing the folder or from another client. If the message exists and only search fails, tell support the account, folder, search criteria used and the time of the test, without copying private content unnecessarily.

If Search Index does not appear, it does not mean your account is misconfigured: the feature may simply not be available. A local search problem in Mail or Outlook also requires checking that application's own index.

Reindexing does not restore deleted messages or redeliver a rejected email. If the message is missing in every client, check delivery, rules and folders before blaming the index.