How to Use Basic and Advanced Search in Yahoo Mail

Perform a Basic Search in Yahoo Mail

Scanning your inbox for the email you need takes too much time. You can perform a basic or advanced search in Yahoo Mail to more quickly locate a message, and it takes only minutes. Let’s walk through how to search in Yahoo Mail, both on the web and in the mobile app.

Using the basic search functionality in Yahoo Mail works well if you don’t have a lot of emails and folders to look through for the message you need. And you can use two different basic search options.

Search by keyword: Enter a word into the Search box and press Search. For example, to see all emails that mention a meeting, you’d enter meeting into the Search bar.

Search by sender: Hover over a sender name in your message list and press the Search button (magnifying glass) when it appears. This then returns emails that include that sender’s name in addition to messages received from that sender.

Once you receive the results of your basic search, you can use the options at the top to sort or narrow down those results by age, attachment, timeframe, and mailbox (if you have more than one connected account).

Use Yahoo Mail Search Filters

Maybe you have many emails or would like to search by timeframe or attachment. This is the ideal time to use the Yahoo Mail advanced search with built-in search filters.

1. Click Advanced (lines) on the right of the Search box.
2. Enter or select the criteria. You can use From, To, Subject, Date, and/or Contains (an attachment). If you have more than one account connected, you can also pick which mailbox.
3. Press Search and you’ll see all matching results.
4. Sort or narrow down the results using the options at the top.

For example, if you’re wondering how to search Yahoo Mail by year with the filters, open the Date drop-down box, pick Custom dates, and then select an entire year such as January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.

Consider Search Operators

While Yahoo Mail’s advanced search filters can help you find emails more accurately or quickly than a basic search, there is still another option. If you want to locate messages with criteria outside of the search filters, you can use search operators. A search operator is basically a command with your search term.

For instance, if you want to find all emails received before December 31, 2025, you’d use before:2025/12/31. Or, if you want to see all messages where your manager was copied, you’d enter cc:manager.

Simply enter the operator in the Search box and click Search.

For the most common search operators, review the table below.

Try Combining Search Operators

If you want to use a search operator to locate a message in Yahoo Mail, you can narrow down the results immediately by combining it with another search operator.

For example, to find all emails within the Work folder that you received before December 31, 2025, you’d use in:work before:2025/12/31.

To see samples of additional search operator combinations, review the table below.

Search Scope for Folders in Yahoo Mail

When you perform a general search for emails using Yahoo Mail, it’s important to know the locations included. For instance, the application’s search filters look in your Inbox, Folders, and Archive which is considered “All Mail.”

If you’re unable to find an email, it could be in the Trash or Spam folder which are not included in the default search. If you believe the message might be in one of those spots, open the folder and perform a search directly within it.

Keep in mind that messages in the Trash are automatically deleted after seven days with Spam emails removed after 30 days. After those timeframes, you’ll be unable to view or recover the messages in Yahoo Mail.

Yahoo Mail Mobile App Search

Curious how to search Yahoo Mail by date on Android or how to search Yahoo Mail on iPhone with a keyword? When you use the app on your mobile phone, you can search for emails using most of the same methods as in the web application.

To search in the mobile app on Android or iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Open Yahoo Mail and tap the Search button (magnifying glass) at the bottom.
2. Enter a search term or search operator at the top and tap Search.
3. Narrow down the results using the options at the top. You can pick from Emails, Photos, or Documents as well as choose a Category or look for Sent, Received, Starred, or Unread messages.

You’ll notice that the mobile app does not provide search filters for criteria like from, to, subject, and attachment. Luckily, you can use the same search operators as the web application to find emails with those conditions.

Additionally, as you continue to use the Search feature, you’ll notice that your previous searches display when you select the Search button. This makes it easy to search for similar messages later.

Tip: Wondering, “where is the search bar in Yahoo Mail?” You won’t see the search bar until you tap the Search button at the bottom.

Troubleshooting Search Issues

Yahoo Mail search not working as expected? If you run into problems when performing basic or advanced searches, either on the web or your mobile device, here are some common issues and fixes.

No results: Adjust your search criteria by broadening or narrowing the search and double-check the formatting of your search terms especially if using search operators.

Missing old emails: Wait 24 to 48 hours for indexing on the server side to complete. Then, recheck to find the older missing emails.

Browser issues: Clear the cache and cookies in your web browser or try using a different browser.

App issues: Uninstall and reinstall the mobile app if search problems persist.

Check automated filters: Review filters you’ve created to make sure emails weren’t accidentally moved to an unexpected location or deleted.

If you’re still having trouble with your Yahoo Mail search, consider a supplementary tool such as Clean Email.