Finding an attachment someone sent you

Finding a file from an old email in Outlook and Apple Mail, including the search syntax most people never learn.

You remember who sent it and roughly what it was. You do not remember the subject line, which is what Outlook wants you to search for.

Outlook: search by sender and attachment together

Type this into the Outlook search box:

from:"Jane Smith" hasattachments:yes

Add a file type when you know it:

from:"Jane Smith" attachments:pdf

Set the scope to All Mailboxes from the ribbon first. Outlook defaults to the current folder, which is the reason most searches come back empty.

Apple Mail

Search for the sender, then use the filter bar to narrow to messages with attachments. Apple Mail does not offer the same keyword syntax, so you are mostly scrolling a result list.

When you do not remember who sent it

This is where both programs run out. Searching by file name only works if the file name is indexed and you remember it, and names like Final_v3.xlsx are no help. Searching by date range narrows it a little.

The approach that works is to stop searching messages and start from the person. Pull up everyone who has ever sent you a file, pick the name, and look at the files themselves rather than the threads they arrived in. Neither Outlook nor Apple Mail presents mail that way, which is the gap KAM-Q's People view was built for.

---

KAM-Q builds a private search index of your mailbox on your own computer, so results appear as you type. It works with classic Outlook on Windows and Mac, and with Apple Mail. Your mail never leaves your machine. Try it free for 7 days.