How to Search for Messages in Yahoo Mail

Yahoo Mail has a built-in search engine that finds specific messages in your account. Learn how to use Yahoo Mail search filters and operators to track down important emails.

Instructions in this article apply to the standard web version of Yahoo Mail, but Yahoo Mail Basic and the Yahoo Mail mobile app also support search operators.

How to Find Messages in Yahoo Mail

To find messages in Yahoo Mail, go to the search box at the top of the page, enter your query, then select the magnifying glass. Enter the name of a contact to see all messages from that address, or enter a keyword for a broader search.

To search for an exact word or phrase, surround the search terms with quotations marks (").

Yahoo Mail with the search box highlighted

How to Use Yahoo Mail Search Filters

To narrow your search, select the Search drop-down arrow (it's located next to the magnifying glass) to reveal a list of search filters. Then, choose to either search within individual folders, find messages received within a certain time frame, or only return messages with attachments.

Yahoo Mail with the "more options" arrow next to the search bar highlighted

Yahoo Mail Search Operators

In addition to filters, you can include special operators to narrow your search:

Search Operator	Use	Example
from:	Search for email addresses and names in the From field.	from:Rob
subject:	Search for words or phrases in the Subject line.	subject:Lifewire
to:, cc:, bcc:	Search for words in the To, Cc, and Bcc fields.	to:Jimmy
has:attachment	Include only messages that contain attachments.	has:attachment
has:image	Include only messages that include images.	has:image
before:	Include only messages with a date before and not including the given date (specified as YYYY/MM/DD).	before:2019/06/06
after:	Include only messages with a date after the given date (specified as YYYY/MM/DD).	after:2019/06/06

Combining Yahoo Mail Search Terms and Operators

You can combine search terms and operators. For example, to search for all mail from Rob that has "Lifewire" in the subject line, use the following syntax:

from:Rob subject:Lifewire

Separate multiple search terms, phrases, and operators with a blank space.

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