Exchange 2016 OWA Search An error occurred while searching. Please try again later

NEERAJ KUMAR 21 Reputation points
2021-06-16T00:22:06.22+00:00

Hi All,

I have standalone exchange 2016.

All of the users are getting below error message in outlook.

We are having trouble fetching results from the server. some items may not be included in your search results.

if using OWA then below message.

An error occurred while searching. Please try again later.

When i run Get-mailboxdatabasecopystatus, Content Index status is health.

Below are the steps i tried to fix the issue.
Restarted the exchange services.
Restarted the server.
Manually restarted the MSExchangeFastSearch and HostControllerService services.

Stoped MSExchangeFastSearch and HostControllerService services.
Unmounted the databases.
Renamed and Removed the index folder ending with .single
Started the MSExchangeFastSearch and HostControllerService services.
Mounted the databases.
run the command Get-mailboxdatabasecopystatus and the content index status is healthy but search is still not working.
it is been more than 24 hours and there is not index folder any more.

I would really appreicate if someone can advise and faced similar issue.
Thanks.

Exchange Server Management
Exchange Server Management
Exchange Server: A family of Microsoft client/server messaging and collaboration software.Management: The act or process of organizing, handling, directing or controlling something.
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  1. Eric Yin-MSFT 4,386 Reputation points
    2021-06-16T07:40:39.107+00:00

    Hi,
    "Renamed and Removed the index folder ending with .single"
    -Which .singel folder do you mean? In the mailbox database folder, there will be a sub-folder with a GUID for the name, which contains the content index files. Delete that GUID folder: https://practical365.com/exchange-2016-failed-content-index/
    Please Note: Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.
    Check Event log, if you see EventID 1012, follow this blog to fix: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/31215.exchange-2013-fast-search-technology-failed.aspx

    You can also try moving a user to another database, see if it works after that.

    If an Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.
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  1. NEERAJ KUMAR 21 Reputation points
    2021-06-17T00:04:21.5+00:00

    Hi,

    Yes sub-folder with GUID.single.

    I checked the logs and found the error with event ID 1012 and followed the steps given on the blog.

    Acutally i was not be able to delete few of the files in the FSIS folder as they seems to be corrupted. i have renamed them. After running the script it created the GUID.single folder and now the indexing status is in Crawling mode.
    I noticed that no new files or folders generated in FSIS folder now. but the issue seems to be resolved now as i can search in OWA.

    Thanks for your support.

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