Like to keep your emails organized in folders for fast and easy access? Find out here how to create new folders in Mail for Windows (including setting up a folder hierarchy).
First, the Whorls Could Give Her Away
On a horse’s face, belly, chest, neckline, and stifle, you can find stubborn patches of hair that grow their own custom way. Similarly to human fingerprints, these patches called whorls are unique to a horse and have allowed for easy identification.
Want to make the folders in the Mail app for Windows your own? Let’s grow a custom whorl of mailboxes:
How to Create New Email Folders in Windows Mail
Time needed: 3 minutes
To create a new custom folder in Windows Mail:
- Click Folders for the account to which you want to add a custom folder.
No “Folders”: If you do not see Folders in the Windows Mail sidebar, click Expand to show the full sidebar first.
- Now click + (Create a new folder) next to All folders in the folder list.
- Type the name for the new folder.
No-name: While you can be creative naming folders, a few names are reserved; you cannot call a custom folder on the top level Inbox, for example, Deleted or Archive.
Anything goes: You can use all these names for sub-folders in a hierarchy. See below for creating sub-folders. - Press Enter.
Wondering where the folders are kept on your disk? How to Find the Windows Mail App File Location
Move to the junk folder: How to Mark Email as Spam in Windows Mail
Create a Subfolder to Set up a Folder Hierarchy
To create a new folder underneath a folder in the Microsoft Mail app for Windows:
- Click Folders in the Windows Mail sidebar.
- Now click on the folder that will be the parent for the new custom folder with the right mouse button.
All the way down: You can create sub-folders for all folders (including Inbox or Junk, for example). - Type the name for the sub-folder.
- Click Enter.
Alternative: You can also turn any folder into a sub-folder by dragging and dropping it onto another folder in the folder list.
Delete a Custom Folder in Windows Mail
To remove a folder you have added to Mail:
- Move or copy all messages you want to keep to another folder.
- Click on the folder with the right mouse button.
- Select Delete from the context menu that has appeared.
- Click or tap OK under Delete to move the folder and all messages to the Deleted Items folder.
All the way down: All sub-folders will be deleted together with the folder and its contents.
How to Create New Email Folders in Windows Mail: FAQ
Will custom folders show up on other email programs or the web interface to my email account?
Yes.
Windows Mail uses IMAP or Exchange to access email. Both protocols will synchronize folder information.
If you create, delete, or move a folder (or messages to it), the change will appear in the web interface to your email account as well as in all other email programs that access it using IMAP or Exchange.
Can Mail for Windows filter mail to custom folders?
No.
While the Mail app does not include email filters and will not move messages to custom folders based on criteria such as the sender or subject,
- you can usually set up filters on the IMAP or Exchange server using the email service’s web interface.
(How to create new email folders in Windows Mail tested with Version 16005; updated March 2024)