Hide blank emails in outlook Search Folders from PersonMetadata folder

Question

I created a Search Folder in Office 365 Microsoft Outlook (version 1906) and it shows a lot of what looks like blank emails that I don't see in any other folder. I found out more info on where they came from and how to hide them that I'm posting as an answer for others with this issue.

Answer 1

I have some users with hundreds of subfolders, so instead of un-checking search subfolders and selecting each and every subfolder you want, and if adding a new subfolder, remembering to include that can be a real bother, instead, I modified the criteria.

Leave search subfolders checked, and in the search criteria, add one field "From" "is not empty".

This works because all of the PersonMetadata messages have an empty From field. (To: and Cc: and Bcc: and Subject: are empty for the PersonMetadata messages, but I have valid emails with those fields empty too, such as drafts, and people who sent an attachment with no subject.)

Note: this may also eliminate some error and synch folder messages - the ones that log "couldn't sync with OneDrive" etc.

(You might try "In folder" "does not contain" "PersonMetaData", but I couldn't get that to work right, and didn't bother to debug it.)

Answer 2

I found this page with this information:

Outlook search folders show unexpected mail items with an empty subject

Summary: When you create a search folder for all mail items in Outlook 2013, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019 or Outlook for Office 365, the folder may include unexpected items with a blank subject. If you move the mouse over these items, the following information is displayed:

In folder: PersonMetadata

More Information: The PersonMetadata folder is created and used by the Outlook Customer Manager (OCM). The folder is normally hidden from other parts of the Outlook user interface. However, search folders include mail items from this folder.

Although these items have a blank subject, they are actively used by OCM and should not be deleted or modified.It is a search folder limitation to include mail items from hidden folders.

There was no solution listed on how to hide them though, so here's what I came up with:

If you right-click on the Search Folder, click Customize This Search Folder, click Browse, and deselect the option to Search Subfolders (and manually select the folders you wish to include), it will avoid listing the 'blank emails' from the hidden subfolder.