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How to Sort Outlook Folders in Arbitrary, Non-Alphabetic Order

Place your most important folders at the top of Outlook

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 5, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email MS Office Outlook Word Excel Powerpoint

What to Know

Right-click the folder you'd like to appear first, select Rename, and insert a 1 at the start of the folder's name.For the folder you'd like to appear second, add a 2 to the start of its name, and so on so forth for further folders.You can use as many numbers as you'd like to order as many folders as you wish. Outlook is strict about alphabetically sorting folders. Fortunately, it is just as strict at sorting cardinally. Here's how to make sure your Outlook folders are in the order you want. These instructions apply to Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, and Outlook 2010.

Sort Outlook Folders in Arbitrary Non-Alphabetic Order

To apply custom order to your folders in Outlook: Click on the folder you wish to appear first with the right mouse button. Select Rename from the menu. Precede the current folder name with "1" (not including the quotation marks). If the folder is called "Today", for example, change the name to "1 Today". Select Enter. Repeat for the folder you wish to appear next; precede its name with "2". Continue renaming folders with the desired order number. If you have many folders and wish to retain flexibility, rename folders "1 Today", "10 This Week", "20 This Month" etc. You can also group folders as sub-folders and sort the parent folders using the same technique. As a gentler alternative to numbers, you can use lower case letters: "a Today", "c This Week", "e This Month" etc. To bring a single folder to the top in the Outlook folder list, Rename the folder preceding its name with "!". "Today" would become "!Today", for example. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Fix It When Outlook Folders Are Missing How to Lock a Folder in Windows 10 How to Move Hotmail Messages in Outlook.com How to Share a Folder of Google Drive How to Access Archived Emails in Outlook How to Create New Folders to Organize Mail in Outlook How to Purge Deleted Outlook Email How to Print Your Outlook Address Book How to Change Directories in CMD (Command Prompt) How to Resize Multiple Files with Photoshop Elements Forward Multiple Emails Individually in Outlook How to Move Email Messages in Outlook How to Save an Outlook Email as a PDF How to Sort a Mailbox in Outlook How to Hide Strikethrough Messages in Outlook How to Import Outlook Contacts Into Apple Mail Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies