---
title: "Search Exchange public folders | Lookeen"
url: https://lookeen.com/solutions/outlook-search/search-public-folders
lang: en
description: "Search public folders in Exchange Server in full text – with preview, filters and the permissions of every single folder."
published: 2018-12-21T12:20:23+00:00
modified: 2026-10-23T09:00:00+00:00
---

# Search public folders

Teams have collected correspondence, forms and project files in public folders for years. Lookeen makes them as searchable as your own mailbox.

[Talk to us](https://lookeen.com/contact) [Exchange server search](https://lookeen.com/solutions/outlook-search/exchange-server-search)

## Two ways

Index public folders centrally or share a common index.

### Centrally with Lookeen Server

The server indexes public folders in your on-premises Exchange Server. It reads the permissions of every folder and shows results only to people allowed to see them.

[Learn more](https://lookeen.com/solutions/enterprise-search/lookeen-server)

### Shared index for Lookeen Desktop

A centrally built index of the public folders is distributed to workplaces via [Group Policy](https://lookeen.com/solutions/enterprise-search/group-policy-gpo). Everyone then searches their own and the shared index at once.

[Learn more](https://lookeen.com/solutions/enterprise-search/group-policy-gpo)

## What you get

Instead of clicking through folder after folder, you search all public folders at once.

-   **Full text instead of folder trees:** search content and attachments in every public folder at once.
-   **One result list:** public folders appear together with mailbox, archives and files.
-   **Filters:** narrow down by folder, sender, date, type and tags.

## Frequently asked questions

Who sees which public folders in search.

Does everyone see every public folder?

Not with Lookeen Server: the permissions of every folder are stored while indexing and checked on every search. A shared desktop index, on the other hand, contains everything its creator was allowed to see – so only distribute it to the right groups.

Related: [Exchange server search](https://lookeen.com/solutions/outlook-search/exchange-server-search) · [Search networks](https://lookeen.com/solutions/enterprise-search/search-networks) · [Public sector](https://lookeen.com/industries/public-sector)

## Try it free, no strings attached

Test the full feature set of Lookeen for 14 days – with your own data.

[Get started](https://lookeen.com/get-started) [Talk to us](https://lookeen.com/contact)