System and method for providing improved access to a search tool in electronic mail-enabled applications

Disclosed is a system and method for providing users of web-accessible E-mail services with improved access to their E-mail messages and other information. In one embodiment, access to a search tool is provided to users of a web-accessible electronic mail service by software which integrates with a mail-enabled application running on a user's client machine. The software displays a field within a user interface of the mail-enabled application for receiving user input of a search term. The search term is used to build a URL that is communicated to a web-accessible E-mail service. A browser is launched to display at least one page resulting from the communication of the URL.