How to Search for Messages in Yahoo Mail

Find messages in Yahoo Mail with search filters and operators

by
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Heinz Tschabitscher
Updated on May 28, 2021
reviewed by
Jon Fisher headshot
Jon Fisher
Lifewire Technology Review Board Member
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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Article reviewed on Aug 05, 2021
Jon Fisher

Yahoo Mail makes finding specific emails fast and easy. Here's how to search your mail.

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.

Using the Search Box

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 next to the magnifying glass to reveal a list of search filters. Then, choose to search within individual folders, find messages received within a certain time frame, or return only messages with attachments.

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

Yahoo Mail Search Operators

Use 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
" " Find an exact word or phrase. "product update"

Combining Search Terms and Operators

You can use multiple 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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