This change is particularly useful for finding out how to do things. The new feature searches everything in Outlook, including Outlook functionality. Regardless of anything else, this is the biggest change in Microsoft Search: it no longer just searches through email. If you want to see the Search tab, you’ll have to click on a blank piece of the ribbon to hide the drop-down Search bar menu.Īs you type in the Search box, the menu will filter down search terms, people, and actions to match what you type. There’s no way to change this behavior, and we don’t expect Microsoft to make it configurable. But on the other hand, it covers up a lot of the tools found on the Search tab ribbon. On one hand, it’s pretty useful to have what feels like a clipboard of recent activity in the app at your fingertips. When you click into the new Search box (or use the keyboard shortcut), a menu that shows recent searches, people, and actions will appear. Microsoft has also added two keyboard shortcuts to help you adjust-CTRL+E and ALT+Q-which is a welcome addition for those of us who like to avoid switching between keyboard and mouse where possible. For people who have the muscle memory of clicking just above the email folder to search, this will take a little getting used to, but it’s not a huge positional leap. The new Search bar gives you more vertical space, which is very handy if you’re using a smaller screen like a laptop or tablet, rather than a larger monitor.
