Tech Reference

How to create folders in Outlook in 4 simple steps

microsoft outlook
It's easy to create folders in Outlook to help yourself stay organized. Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Read in app

Outlook can become a crowded place fast. You've got emails from coworkers, clients, managers, and your direct reports. You might also have four different calendars to manage. And you also have your contacts, messages, and the list goes on.

As in all of life, so too in Outlook: organization is key. The good news is that in all the recent versions of Outlook, making folders into which you can organize everything from a certain category of email to a batch of notes is as easy as creating a new folder.

Here's how to create folders in Outlook. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Apple Macbook Pro (From $1,299.00 at Apple)

Lenovo IdeaPad 130 (From $469.99 at Walmart)

How to create folders in Outlook 

1. Open Outlook and log in if needed.

2. On the left menu, click on Mail, Calendars, Contacts, or wherever you want to add the new folder.

3. Right click on the desired location of the new folder ("Sent Items" e.g.) and select "New Folder" from the popup window.

Create folders in Outlook 1
You can move items into a folder by clicking, holding, and dragging them to it.  Steven John/Business Insider

4. Right click and type in a name for the folder — added organization achieved.

Create folders in Outlook 2
Subfolders within folders create even more opportunity for organization in Outlook.  Steven John/Business Insider

And remember that you can always right click on a folder to rename it if you want.

 

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.

Read next

Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.