Quick answer: To search in Apple Mail on a Mac, type in the search field in the toolbar and choose one of Mail’s suggestions. Refine the results by adding more search filters, typing a header such as from:, using AND, OR or NOT in capitals, or typing a date range like 04/02/23 to 04/19/23. To keep a search, rebuild it as a Smart Mailbox. On iPhone and iPad, tap the search field and pick All Mailboxes or Current Mailbox above the results.
This guide covers every search option Apple documents in the Mail User Guide for macOS 27 and the iPhone and iPad guides for iOS 27, with examples you can copy. If search returns nothing at all, the problem is usually indexing rather than your query; our guide to Mac Mail search not working covers those fixes.
Apple Mail search syntax at a glance
These are the search patterns Apple lists for Mail on Mac. Type them in the search field, then pick a suggestion where Mail offers one.
| What you want | What to type on Mac | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Messages from one person | from: Ashley Rico | Searches the From header, then pick the suggestion |
| High-priority messages | priority: high | Searches the Priority header |
| Both words | yellowstone AND cascades | Finds messages that contain both |
| Either word | meeting OR call | Finds messages that contain one or the other |
| Exclude a word | yellowstone NOT teton yellowstone -teton | Drops messages that contain the second word |
| A date range | 04/02/23 to 04/19/23 | Finds messages from that period |
| Flagged mail | flag | Choose “Message is flagged” |
| Unread mail | unread | Choose “Message is unread” |
| Mail with attachments | attachment | Choose “Message with attachments” |
How to search in Apple Mail on Mac
- Open Mail and select the mailbox you want to search, or select several mailboxes in the sidebar or the Favorites bar.
- Start typing in the search field in the toolbar. If you don’t see the field, click the Search button in the toolbar.
- Choose one of Mail’s suggestions. Mail turns it into a search filter (a small token) and lists matching messages.
- If the current mailbox has no results, click Search all mailboxes below the search field.
- When you’re done, click the Clear button in the search field.
Mail shows Top Results first. Apple says this section reflects messages you’ve read and replied to recently, your VIP senders and contacts, and other factors. The full results follow below it.
Advanced search techniques in Apple Mail
Each of these steps comes from Apple’s page on searching for emails in Mail on Mac.
Combine several search filters
Click after the first token, type more text, and choose another suggestion. Repeat as often as you need. Mail only shows messages that match all of the filters, so each one narrows the list. If the results look too thin, remove a filter.
Many tokens have a small down arrow. Click it to change what the token searches, for example from the sender to the recipient, or from the subject line to the entire message.
Search a specific header field
Type the name of a header field, a colon and the value, then pick the suggestion. Apple’s examples are from: Ashley Rico and priority: high.
Use AND, OR and NOT
Apple Mail supports Boolean operators, as long as you type them in capitals:
- AND finds messages that contain both words: invoice AND march
- OR finds messages that contain either word: meeting OR call
- NOT excludes a word: yellowstone AND cascades NOT teton
A minus sign also excludes a word, so cascade AND yellowstone -teton gives the same result as the NOT version.
Search by date or date range
Type a range in the search field, such as 04/02/23 to 04/19/23, which is Apple’s own example in month/day/year order. Add a keyword or another filter to narrow the period further. To browse instead of search, choose View > Sort By and sort the mailbox by date. Our guide to sorting messages in Mac Mail covers the other sort options.
Find flagged, unread or attachment emails
Mail has built-in attribute searches:
- Type flag and choose “Message is flagged” to see every flagged email.
- Type unread and choose “Message is unread” to see unread mail.
- Type attachment and choose “Message with attachments” to see mail that has files attached.
You can combine these with other tokens, for example an attachment search plus a sender, to find one person’s files quickly.
Choose where Mail searches
By default, Mail searches the mailbox you have selected. Select one or more mailboxes in the sidebar or Favorites bar to change that, or click Search all mailboxes below the search field.
Searching all mailboxes doesn’t automatically cover everything. In Mail > Settings > General, the option “When searching all mailboxes, include results from” controls whether Trash, Junk and encrypted messages show up in results (Apple’s General settings page explains it).
Search by meaning, not just keywords
Apple says Mail can return results based on what you mean, not only the exact words you type. Its example is searching NYC business trip, which brings up itineraries, travel details and event locations. Apple also suggests typing a three-letter airport code to find travel booking confirmations.
Narrow the message list with filters and sorting
Filters are separate from search. They hide messages in the current mailbox that don’t match, which is useful when you just want to scan a short list.
- Click the Filter button at the top of the message list, or choose View > Filter > Enable Message Filter. The keyboard shortcut is Command-L (see Apple’s Mail shortcuts).
- The default filter is Unread. To change it, choose View > Filter and pick another option, such as Only from VIP or messages with attachments.
- If you have several accounts in Mail, you can also filter a mailbox by account, for example to show only unread mail in your iCloud inbox.
- Choose an active filter again to remove it.
With Apple Intelligence on a supported Mac, View > Show Priority Messages also moves time-sensitive emails to the top of your inbox. For more on what Apple’s AI does in Mail, see our guide to Apple Mail AI.
Save a search as a Smart Mailbox
A Smart Mailbox is a saved set of search conditions. It shows every matching message, wherever the message is stored, and updates as new mail arrives. These steps follow Apple’s page on Smart Mailboxes in Mail on Mac.
- Choose Mailbox > New Smart Mailbox.
- Enter a name, such as “Invoices from accounting”.
- Set the first condition. Pick an option in the first pop-up menu, such as From, Subject or “Sender is member of group”, then complete it. For From, you can choose “contains” or “begins with” and type a name.
- Click the Add button to add more conditions, or the Remove button to delete one.
- With two or more conditions, choose whether a message must meet any or all of them.
- Tick the checkboxes if you also want messages from Trash or Sent.
- Click OK. The Smart Mailbox appears in the sidebar under Smart Mailboxes.
To change it later, double-click the Smart Mailbox in the sidebar, or select it and choose Mailbox > Edit Smart Mailbox. Deleting a Smart Mailbox doesn’t delete the emails it showed. Mail also includes a default Smart Mailbox called Today, which lists emails you viewed today.
Older Mail guides, up to macOS Sequoia, described a Save button that turned the current search straight into a Smart Mailbox. Apple’s guides for macOS 26 and macOS 27 no longer mention it, so building the mailbox from the Mailbox menu is the reliable route. For more ideas, see our guide to Mac Mail Smart Mailboxes.
How to search Mail on iPhone and iPad
Search works the same way on iPhone (Apple’s iPhone guide) and iPad (Apple’s iPad guide), with a few differences from the Mac.
- Open Mail and tap the search field at the top of a mailbox list. On iPad, tap the Search button to reveal it.
- Type what you’re looking for. Mail searches the address fields, the subject, the email body, documents and links.
- Choose between all mailboxes and the current mailbox above the results list.
- Tap a message to open it. The most relevant messages appear in Top Hits above the suggestions as you type.
Search by timeframe
Type a timeframe such as “September” and tap the suggestion to see all emails from that period. Tap the search field again and add a keyword, such as “meeting”, to narrow it. You can then refine the period with the Date, Before or After options above the message list.
Find flagged, unread and attachment emails
Type flag, unread or attachment, then tap “Message is flagged”, “Message is unread” or “Messages with attachments” under Suggestions.
Filter a mailbox on iPhone
Tap the Filter button in a mailbox list, tap Filtered by, and turn on the criteria you want. Tap the Filter button again to turn all filters off (Apple’s iPhone filter steps). Apple’s iPhone guide doesn’t include Smart Mailboxes, so filters and the Flagged mailbox (tap Edit in the Mailboxes list, then select Flagged) are the closest equivalents.
What changed in iOS 27
Apple reworked Mail search in iOS 27. Its description says a new ranking system brings the most relevant results to the top, even if a message is buried deep in your inbox, as reported in this iOS 27 Mail roundup. Apple’s iPhone guide also notes that Mail can find results based on what you mean, not only the words you type.
When search can’t find an email
If a search you know should work returns nothing, check the scope first: switch to all mailboxes and remove extra filters. If results are still missing, the Spotlight or Mail index is the likely cause; the FAQ below links to the full fixes.
If you search across several accounts every day and want one search for all of them on Mac, iPhone, Android and Windows, our own app, Canary Mail, is one option.
Frequently asked questions
Can you do an advanced search in Apple Mail?
Yes. On a Mac you can combine several search filters, search a header such as from: or priority:, use AND, OR and NOT in uppercase, type a date range, and save the criteria as a Smart Mailbox. On iPhone and iPad you get suggestions, a mailbox scope switch, and Date, Before and After options.
How do I search Apple Mail by date?
On a Mac, type a range such as 04/02/23 to 04/19/23 in the search field. On iPhone or iPad, type a month such as “September”, tap the suggestion, then use the Date, Before or After options above the results.
Does Apple Mail support Boolean search?
Yes, on the Mac. Type AND, OR or NOT in capital letters between your words, for example invoice AND march NOT draft. A minus sign in front of a word also excludes it.
How do I search all mailboxes in Apple Mail?
On a Mac, click “Search all mailboxes” below the search field if the current mailbox has no results. On iPhone and iPad, choose all mailboxes above the results list instead of the current mailbox.
Does Apple Mail search Trash and Junk?
Only if you allow it. On a Mac, choose Mail > Settings > General and use “When searching all mailboxes, include results from” to add Trash, Junk or encrypted messages.
Can Apple Mail search inside attachments?
On iPhone and iPad, Apple says Mail searches the address fields, the subject, the email body, documents and links. To list every message that has an attachment, type attachment and choose the attachments suggestion.
How do I find all emails from one sender?
Type the person’s name or address in the search field and choose the sender suggestion, or type from: followed by the name. To keep that list permanently, create a Smart Mailbox with a From condition.
Can I save a search in Apple Mail?
You save it as a Smart Mailbox. Choose Mailbox > New Smart Mailbox, enter the same criteria, and click OK. The mailbox updates by itself as new matching mail arrives.
Does Apple Mail have natural-language search?
Apple says Mail can return results based on what you mean, not just the words you type, for example “NYC business trip”. In iOS 27, Apple also reworked how iPhone search ranks results so the most relevant messages come first.
How do I search for a word inside one email on a Mac?
Open the message and press Command-F, then type the word. Apple documents this in its Mail guide for macOS Sequoia, where arrows next to the field jump between matches.
Why is Apple Mail search not working?
Missing or empty results usually point to an incomplete Spotlight index or a damaged Mail index. Follow the fixes in our guide to Mac Mail search not working.
Why does Mail search miss emails after a macOS update?
After a major update, your Mac re-indexes mail in the background, so results can be incomplete for a while. If it does not catch up, see how to fix Mac Mail search.