How to Use Search Folders in Outlook

Find your emails quicker with the search folders in Outlook

5 min. read

Updated onJuly 3, 2024

updated onJuly 3, 2024

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Key notes

Do you know how theCTRL+Fcombo makes the perfect search feature in documents? Now imagine the same in Outlook. Searching in folders is quite useful in Outlook, but not many people recognize it exists or how to set it up.

We know how important it is and how it can improve your email productivity, so here’s how to go about it.

Why can’t I search my Outlook folders?

If you received an important email and have since moved things around in your email, it can be hard to crack which folder it resides in.

You’ll have to perform a search in your folders to locate it. But what happens when your search function is not working in your Outlook folders?

What could be the reason? Below, we explore some possible causes:

Now that you know why searching in your mail folders may sometimes fail, here’s how toorganize your emails into folderswith these quick steps.

How can I search a folder by name in Outlook?

1. Standard search folder

Outlook has a built-in search folder that comes pre-configured for you. The only problem with these pre-defined options is that they may force you to search in folders you’re not interested in, taking a lot of your time.

This is especially true if you receive a lot of email messages, or afolder has disappeared from your Outlookmail. Furthermore, if you can’tfind an email in the folder location in Outlook, it will be a tedious process.

A more structured way of searching emails is by creating a custom folder. You can create a separate folder for each search query and as many folders as you want, each with different search options.

2. Create a custom search folder

Sometimes, you might be looking for a specific type of email or individual message. And while the preset search folder can still bring up these search queries, they can be time-consuming.

That’s why you need custom search folders in Outlook to narrow your search results to a specific email folder. For example, if you want to find all the emails from a specific person, you will create a search folder for them and filter your messages by that mail folder.

You’ll be able to collect messages that match certain search folder criteria in a single place. Moreover, once you’re done, you can always delete the virtual folders by right-clicking search folders and getting rid of them.

So that’s how to use search folders in Outlook. Hopefully, they’ll help you organize your time and unread mail in a way that works best for you.

From our own research, these types of folders can be more efficient than the search bar in Outlook. Whether using the built-in or custom search folder, you can save time searching for emails. It makes the perfect tool for staying on top of your inbox.

Did you know that RSS feeds is also another folder in Outlook, and you canremove RSS feeds from Outlookin just a couple of clicks.

If Outlook is not your cup of tea, we have an expert recommendation list ofother email clients to boost your productivity.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions for this article, please feel free to comment below.

How to Use Search Folders in Outlook#

Why can’t I search my Outlook folders?#

How can I search a folder by name in Outlook?#

1. Standard search folder#

2. Create a custom search folder#

How to Use Search Folders in Outlook

Why can’t I search my Outlook folders?

How can I search a folder by name in Outlook?

1. Standard search folder

2. Create a custom search folder