How to Search for Emails in Mailbird Next
Mailbird Next offers several effective ways to search for specific emails. In this article, we’ll walk you through the most common and powerful search methods currently available. While these features are robust, we’re actively working to improve and expand them, so stay tuned for future updates that will make email search even more powerful and intuitive.
🔍 Search by Keyword
At the top of Mailbird Next, you’ll find a search bar. Simply type in a keyword and press Enter to display a list of matching emails.
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Searches match partial keywords by default.
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Use quotation marks for exact phrase searches (e.g.,
"project deadline").
👤 Search by Sender (Avatar Click)
You can also search by clicking a sender’s avatar. This instantly filters your emails to show all messages from that specific contact.
🧠 Advanced Search with Operators
Mailbird supports a wide range of search operators, allowing you to fine-tune your results. These can help you locate messages by sender, subject, date, folder, attachment, and more. To begin a search, simply click on the search field at the top of Mailbird Next, as shown in the image below.
📌 Default Search Behavior
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Searches span all folders except Spam and Trash (unless specified).
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You can combine multiple operators for complex queries.
🔧 Common Search Operators
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
keyword |
Finds emails containing the keyword. |
from:TEXT |
Find emails from contacts matching the text (name or email). |
to:TEXT, cc:TEXT, bcc:TEXT
|
Finds emails sent to or copied to contacts matching the text. |
subject:TEXT |
Finds emails with matching text in the subject line. |
in:FOLDER or label:FOLDER
|
Finds emails within a specific folder. |
in:FOLDER/SUBFOLDER |
Finds emails within a subfolder. |
in:anywhere |
Includes results from Spam and Trash folders. |
is:read, is:unread
|
Filters by read status. |
is:starred, is:unstarred, is:important, is:snoozed
|
Filters by status. |
has:attachment |
Finds emails with attachments. |
has:userlabels / has:nouserlabels
|
Filters by presence or absence of user-created folders. |
filename:TEXT |
Finds attachments with names matching the text. |
newer:DATE, since:DATE, older:DATE, before:DATE
|
Filters by message date. Use yyyy/mm/dd or mm/dd/yyyy. |
larger:SIZE, smaller:SIZE
|
Filters by email size (use B, K, or M—e.g., 300K, 2M). |
rfc822msgid:ID |
Finds an email with an exact Message-ID (taken from the message source). |
🧮 Combining Operators
You can create powerful search queries using logical operators:
| Operator | Function |
|---|---|
AND |
Matches all subqueries (e.g., from:John AND subject:Report) |
OR / {}
|
Matches any subquery (e.g., from:John OR subject:Report or {from:John subject:Report}) |
NOT, -, !
|
Excludes matching results (e.g., -subject:Newsletter) |
Notes:
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Operators are case-sensitive:
AND,OR,NOTmust be uppercase. -
Search terms are case-insensitive.
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Use parentheses for complex queries:
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e.g.,
(from:John OR subject:Meeting) AND has:attachment.
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💡 Example Searches
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Find all important emails:
is:important
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Find important emails received before January 1, 2024:
is:important AND before:2024/01/01
🔄 Sync in Progress Message
💡 Note: If you see a message like "We're syncing your messages, so results may be incomplete.", don't worry, as this is normal. Mailbird is still syncing emails from your server or device. More results will appear as syncing continues.
📬 Need More Help?
If you have questions about searching in Mailbird Next, contact our Customer Happiness Team. We’re always happy to assist.