Outlook guide
By
Elias Brandt
Elias Brandt writes about marketing, email and analytics tools for Appcyclopedia, working on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 and a Galaxy S25.
- Web
- Windows
Short answer
In the folder pane on the left, right-click Folders and choose Create new folder. Type a name and press Enter. For a folder inside another, right-click that folder and choose Create new subfolder. Then drag emails onto the folder to move them.
Moving takes an email out of the inbox: unlike Gmail labels, an Outlook folder holds the email in one place, so it no longer shows in the inbox.
Below: the steps, subfolders, moving emails, and letting rules do the sorting.
How to make an Outlook folder and file emails in it
To create a folder in Outlook, use the folder pane on the left. The first group creates folders, the second moves email into them.
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Create the folder
Right-click Folders in the folder pane
In Outlook on the web, Outlook.com or new Outlook, find the folder pane on the left. Right-click the Folders heading, or hover over it and select More options.
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Choose Create new folder, type a name and press Enter
Select Create new folder. A box appears at the bottom of the folder list; type a name such as Receipts and press Enter. The folder appears in the list, in alphabetical order.
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Make a subfolder inside another folder
Right-click the folder that should hold it, or hover and select More options, then choose Create new subfolder. Type the name and press Enter. Expand the parent folder to see it.
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Fill it
Drag emails onto the folder
Select one or more emails in your inbox and drag them onto the folder in the pane. They move out of the inbox into the folder. To select several, hold Ctrl and click each one.
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Or use Move to from the toolbar
Select the emails and choose Move to in the toolbar, then pick the folder. This is easier on a small screen or with a long folder list.
Sorting travel bookings: create a Travel folder, then subfolders Flights and Hotels. Drag each confirmation into the right one. Before the trip, every booking is in one place, and the inbox is clear.
Make a few top-level folders and add subfolders when one gets crowded: a short folder list is quicker to drag emails onto.
More about Outlook
Microsoft’s email and calendar app, for personal and work accounts.
If your new Outlook folder does not appear
- You cannot see the folder you just made
Folders are listed alphabetically under Folders, and subfolders are hidden until you expand the parent. Expand Folders and scroll, or search for an email you moved there.
- The steps do not match your Outlook
Classic Outlook works differently: right-click where you want the folder and choose New Folder. Check which Outlook you use before following the steps.
- An email you moved seems to have vanished
Moved emails leave the inbox. Search for it by sender or subject; the results show which folder it is in.
Folders, categories or rules
Outlook has three ways to organise mail, and they work well together.
| Tool | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Folder | Holds an email in one place | Filing by topic or project |
| Category | A coloured tag on an email | Marking emails without moving them |
| Rule | Moves or tags emails automatically | Regular senders, newsletters, receipts |
Create the folders yourself, then let a rule fill them: receipts and newsletters can file themselves the moment they arrive.
Naming and arranging folders
Outlook lists folders alphabetically, so names decide the order. Put a number or symbol at the start, such as 1 Current or 2 Archive, to keep the folders you use most at the top. Keep names short, since long ones are cut off in the folder pane.
What to do after creating your folders
With a few folders in place, drag the emails you want to keep into them and let the inbox hold only what still needs action.
Right-click Folders, create a folder, and drag emails into it. To skip the dragging, set up a rule that moves emails as they arrive; Outlook can file a sender’s mail into a folder automatically.
Outlook folders: common questions
- Can I create a folder in the Outlook phone app?
- Folder management is easiest on the web or in new Outlook. Folders you create there appear in the phone app, where you can move emails into them.
- If I delete a folder, are the emails deleted?
- Yes. Deleting a folder moves it and its emails to Deleted Items. Move any emails you want to keep out of it first.
- Can I rename a folder later?
- Yes. Right-click the folder and choose Rename, type the new name and press Enter.
- What is the difference between a folder and a category?
- A folder holds an email in one place. A category is a coloured tag, and one email can have several while staying in the inbox.
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When you need this
If you want to file emails by topic in Outlook, create a folder from the folder pane and drag emails into it. Folders can hold subfolders.
- Describes
- Outlook.com and Outlook on the web · New Outlook for Windows
- Takes
- Under a minute
- Platforms
- Web · Windows
- Published
- 20 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 10 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Elias Brandt
on
- Elias Brandt: the Windows and web steps on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 11 Pro).
Outlook 
