How to Search for Messages in Yahoo Mail

Find messages in Yahoo Mail with search filters and operators

by Heinz Tschabitscher
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated October 19, 2019

Yahoo Mail has a built-in search engine for finding 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 Find Messages in Yahoo Mail

To find messages in Yahoo Mail, type your query into the search box at the top of the page, and 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.

You can search for an exact word or phrase by surrounding search terms with quotations marks (").

Yahoo Mail with the search box highlighted

How to Use Yahoo Mail Search Filters

For a more narrow search, select the arrow beside the magnifying glass to reveal a list of search filters. From here, you can choose to search within individual folders, find messages received within a certain time frame, or only return messages with attachments among other options.

Yahoo Mail with the

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

Be sure to separate multiple search terms, phrases, and operators with a blank space.