The other day, I received an error message I had not seen earlier. After I clicked on the Microsoft Outlook icon on my Windows PC to open it, I wanted to search for a particular email. I clicked in the search bar – and as soon as I had done that, I received the following error box:
Instant Search is not available when Outlook is running with administrator permissions. To use Instant Search, exit and restart Outlook without administrator permissions.
Fix Instant Search is not available in Outlook
Restarting Outlook did not help. I had run Outlook without administrator permissions – although I may have been signed in as an administrator.
In any case, here are a few steps you can try to help troubleshoot and fix the issue:
1] Restart Microsoft Outlook
Shut down Outlook. Ensure that its process has stopped, using The Task Manager. Restart Microsoft Outlook.
2] Restart PC
Restart your Windows computer and see if the problem goes away.
3] Check Compatibility mode
Check if Run as Administrator option has been inadvertently checked in Compatibility options. To do this, open the following location:
- In case of 32-bit Windows, the path will be C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14\.
- In case of 64-bit Windows, the path will be C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\Office14\.
Right-click on OUTLOOK.EXE and click on Properties. Under Compatibility tab, uncheck the option “Run as Administrator” and click OK.
Launch Outlook and see if it is resolved.
4] Change user account
Change your user account and see if the problem persists. Try using a Standard account.
5] Check status of Windows Search Service
Verify that the Windows Search is running in Services Manager. To do this, open Run, type services.msc and then double-click on Windows Search service. Check if it is set to Automatic (Delayed) and Started.
6] Disable Outlook add-ins
Check your Outlook add-ins. Try disabling some selectively and see. You can do it as follows: File > Options > Add-ins. If you have the Sharepoint and TeamViewer add-ins, disable them and see.
7] Set Outlook as the default email client
Ensure that Outlook is set as the default email client. Did this help? You can do it here: File > Options > General > Make Outlook the default program for E-mail, Contacts, and Calendar check box.
8] Rebuild Indexing cache
9] Re-register this DLL file
Re-register the mssphtb.dll file. This is the Outlook MS Search Connector file. The Windows Search Email Indexer is not needed for Outlook 2010 and later searches. However, if you are using Outlook 2007 or earlier, you may need to do this.
TIP: This post will help you if the Instant Search Box is missing in Outlook.
If any of this helped you, please let us know which suggestion.
See this post if Microsoft Outlook Search is grayed out or not working.
