How to Create Folders in Outlook (and Keep Your Inbox Tidy)
An inbox with 4,000 emails in it isn't a filing system — it's a pile. Folders let you move things out of the way without deleting them, so your inbox only shows what still needs doing.
Quick reference
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| New folder | Right-click your account name → Create new folder |
| New subfolder | Right-click a folder → Create new subfolder |
| Move an email | Drag it, or select it and press Ctrl + Shift + V |
| Quick access | Right-click a folder → Add to Favourites |
1. Create a folder
New Outlook and Outlook on the web:
1. In the folder list on the left, right-click your email address (or Folders).
2. Choose Create new folder.
3. Type a name and press Enter.
2. Choose Create new folder.
3. Type a name and press Enter.
Classic Outlook:
1. Right-click your Inbox or your account name.
2. Choose New Folder…
3. Type a name and press Enter.
2. Choose New Folder…
3. Type a name and press Enter.
The folder appears in alphabetical order under your account. To put a folder inside another one, right-click the parent folder and choose Create new subfolder.
2. Move emails into a folder
• Drag and drop — click the email and drag it onto the folder.
• Keyboard — select the email, press Ctrl + Shift + V, start typing the folder name and press Enter.
• Right-click — choose Move, then pick the folder. Outlook lists your most recently used folders first.
• Keyboard — select the email, press Ctrl + Shift + V, start typing the folder name and press Enter.
• Right-click — choose Move, then pick the folder. Outlook lists your most recently used folders first.
To move several emails at once, click the first, hold Ctrl and click the others (or Shift for a run), then move them together.
3. Pin the folders you use most
A long folder list is slow to scroll. Right-click any folder and choose Add to Favourites. It appears at the very top of the list, and you can drag your Favourites into any order you like.
4. Rename, move or delete a folder
Right-click the folder:
• Rename — type the new name.
• Move — drag it onto another folder to make it a subfolder, or onto your account name to move it to the top level.
• Delete folder — it goes to Deleted Items, emails and all, so you can get it back if you change your mind.
• Move — drag it onto another folder to make it a subfolder, or onto your account name to move it to the top level.
• Delete folder — it goes to Deleted Items, emails and all, so you can get it back if you change your mind.
How many folders should you have?
Fewer than you think. Search in Outlook is excellent, so you don't need a folder for every client or every month. A handful of broad folders works well for most people:
• Action — things you need to do
• Waiting — you've replied and are waiting for an answer
• Reference — things you'll want to find later
• Receipts
• Waiting — you've replied and are waiting for an answer
• Reference — things you'll want to find later
• Receipts
Anything that doesn't fit can be archived (there's a separate guide on that) and found again with search.
Let Outlook do the filing
If you always move newsletters or receipts to the same folder, set up a rule so Outlook does it for you — right-click an email, choose Rules → Create rule, and pick the folder. See the guide on rules for more.
Troubleshooting
The new folder went in the wrong place. You right-clicked a folder instead of your account name, so it became a subfolder. Drag it onto the account name to move it out.
I can't find a folder. Click the small arrow next to a folder name to expand it — subfolders are hidden until you do. In new Outlook, folders you've never opened may be under More.
Folders aren't on my phone. They are — tap the menu (☰) in the Outlook app and scroll down. New folders can take a minute to sync.
Wrapping up
Make three or four broad folders, pin them to Favourites, and move things with Ctrl + Shift + V. For everything else, trust the search box.
