Objectives of this tutorial

Generally: To store and organise messages in folders.

Specifically: On completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Navigate between different mail folders
• Sort items in a folder
• Flag a mail message
• Find a particular message
• Filter a view
• Create a folder
• Move items between folders
• Delete or archive a mail message

As you create and receive email messages, your Inbox and Sent Items folders will start to fill up, making it hard to find particular items of mail.

Outlook tools allow you to organise your mail items in different folders. You can sort items by different fields (subject, sender, date and so on), filter items (for example, to show only items sent by a particular person or on a particular date), search for an item using a field or looking for text in the message or flag an item to follow up on it at a later date.

You can also create your own folders within Outlook to store mail (and other Outlook items) (such as contacts or tasks). You can move mail that you send or receive into these folders to keep your Inbox and Sent Items folders uncluttered.

As Outlook fills up with mail items, it takes up more and more disk space and starts to work more slowly. For this reason it is important to delete items you no longer need.

Outlook Mail Folders

The contents of the Folder List show the folders used to create and store mail:

Outlook Today

Outlook Today works in the same sort of way as the Windows Desktop. It contains all the default Outlook folders and any subfolders you create.

You can select Outlook Today to see a list of new mail and current tasks and appointments.

If you are using an Exchange Server, Outlook Today will usually have the label Mailbox - Your Name. If you do not have an Exchange mailbox, Outlook Today will read Personal Folders.

Inbox

The Inbox receives your new mail. Items that you have not opened are displayed in bold type.

Outbox

The Outbox stores mail items temporarily until they have been sent to the recipient via your server or Internet Service Provider.

Sent Items

After mail items are sent, they are moved from the Outbox to the Sent Items folder for storage.

Deleted Items

The Deleted Items folder works like the Windows Recycle Bin. Deleted mail items are put here so that they can be restored if you change your mind about deleting them.

Drafts

If you create a mail item without sending it, you can save a copy of it to the Drafts folder to complete or send later.

Personal folders

Usually, these are folders you create yourself. Data kept in personal folders are stored on your PC, not on the server.

You can use personal folders to backup folders and items, archive old items, and work with items offline (when you are not connected to your company network). You can also designate a set of personal folders as the delivery location for your incoming mail, if you prefer not to store mail on the server.

Public folders

Folders that you and others in your office can use to share a wide range of information.

Other Folder List Icons

As well as the default mail folders and other Outlook components, the Folder List may also contain the icons shown in the table below.



Sort Items in a Folder

Each folder has different Column buttons reflecting the information types (fields) displayed.



Column buttons can be changed in several ways. The width of individual columns can be altered to accommodate longer or shorter fields. Columns buttons can be picked up and moved so changing the left to right order in which the information is presented. You can also used the column buttons to sort items in the folder.