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Search for two words close together, not just anywhere in the mail

5 October 2026 · searched as search email for two words near each other

Search for two words and you get every mail that mentions both — in the first line and the last, for all the search cares. A proximity search asks for them close together, in the same sentence, whichever comes first.

How to do it

Put the words in quotes after b: for the message text, and add ~ and a number straight after the closing quote: b:"vendor timeline"~5 finds the two within five words of each other, in either order.
~0 means side by side, either way round; a bare ~ means within 10.
It works the same on the subject (s:), the sender (f:) and on plain words. Combine it with anything else: f:dana b:"vendor timeline"~5.

MailCode: b:"vendor timeline"~5 — the two words within five of each other. — b:"vendor timeline"~5 — the two words within five of each other.

Without the number, b:"vendor timeline" is an exact phrase — the two words side by side, in that order. The ~ has to touch the closing quote: with a space before it, MailCode searches for “~5” as a word. The distance is measured in the mail stored on this device; in a folder that is only on the server, MailCode checks that both words are there. t:, cc: and a: have no distance to measure.

MailCode is a mail client for Mac and Windows that keeps your mail in a searchable archive on your own disk. Free for 14 days.

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