How to Create Folders and Rules in Outlook.com (2026)

You want your Outlook.com inbox to organize itself: messages from a particular sender dropping into their own folder, newsletters out of sight, receipts filed automatically. The two tools that do this are folders (where mail lives) and rules (the instructions that move mail there).

This guide covers every verified way to create both, on every surface where they exist: the web on a desktop browser, new Outlook for Windows, classic Outlook for Windows, and the Outlook mobile app. Folders come first because a rule that says "move this here" needs a "here" to point at.

One thing to know up front, because it surprises almost everyone: in Outlook.com and Outlook on the web, a rule only acts on mail you receive after you create it. There is no "run rule now" option on these two surfaces. To organize mail already sitting in your inbox, you use Sweep, Move to, or Archive instead, all covered below.

Create a Folder on the Web (Outlook.com Personal Account)

This is the quickest and most common path. In a desktop browser, look at the left folder pane.

1. 1.Right-click your mailbox name (or the word "Folders") in the left pane.
2. 2.Select "Create new folder".
3. 3.Type a name and press Enter.

New top-level folders are added in alphabetical order below the Archive folder, so the name you choose decides where it lands in the list. They do not appear at the top or at the bottom; they slot in by letter.

Create a Subfolder to Nest Under a Folder

Subfolders let you group related folders, for example a "Receipts" folder with "2026" beneath it.

1. 1.Right-click the parent folder you want the subfolder placed under.
2. 2.Select "Create new subfolder".
3. 3.Type a name and press Enter.

Be deliberate here. You cannot later move a subfolder up into the main "Folders" list. If you nest one by mistake, the documented fix is to create a new top-level folder and copy all the email from the subfolder into it.

Create a Folder in New Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the Web (Work/School)

On these surfaces the menu is slightly different; folder creation routes through a "More options" submenu.

1. 1.For a top-level folder, right-click your email address (new Outlook) or "Folders" (web), or hover over it and select "More options", then choose "Create new folder".
2. 2.Enter a name and press Enter.
3. 3.For a subfolder, select the parent folder, right-click it or hover and choose "More options", then select "Create new subfolder", and name it.

Create a Folder in Classic Outlook for Windows

If you use the classic desktop client, the command lives in the right-click menu of the left pane.

1. 1.In the left pane (Mail, Contacts, Tasks, or Calendar), right-click the location where you want the new folder.
2. 2.Click "New Folder". In Calendar view this command is replaced with "New Calendar" instead.
3. 3.Enter a name in the Name box and press Enter.

Create a Folder in the Outlook Mobile App (iOS and Android)

On mobile there is no standalone "new folder" button documented; you reach folder creation through the Move action. Microsoft presents one flow for both iOS and Android.

1. 1.Tap and hold any message in your inbox to select it.
2. 2.Tap the menu icon, then select "Move to Folder".
3. 3.A list of your existing folders appears.
4. 4.To create a new folder, tap the add-folder icon in the upper-right corner, then name it.

To file the message in a folder you already have, pick it from the existing list instead.

Create a Rule the Quick Way From a Message

Once you have a destination folder, the fastest rule starts from a message that already matches what you want to catch. This works in Outlook.com and Outlook on the web.

1. 1.In your message list, right-click the message you want to base the rule on.
2. 2.Select "Rule" (Outlook.com), or hover "Rules" (new Outlook and web), then select "Create rule".
3. 3.Choose the destination folder the matching messages should move to.
4. 4.Select "OK".

If you want extra conditions or actions before saving, select "More options" to open the full rule editor described next.

Create a Rule the Standard Way Through Settings

For anything beyond a simple move, build the rule from scratch. Every rule needs at least three things: a name, a condition, and an action. Exceptions are optional.

1. 1.At the top of the page, select Settings (the gear icon).
2. 2.Select "Mail".
3. 3.Select "Rules".
4. 4.Select "Add new rule".
5. 5.In the "Name your rule" box, type a name.
6. 6.Select a condition from the condition drop-down. Use "Add a condition" to stack more than one.
7. 7.Select an action from the action drop-down. Use "Add an action" for more than one.
8. 8.Optionally select "Add an exception" to carve out messages the rule should skip.
9. 9.Leave "Stop processing more rules" as you prefer; it is on by default, meaning no later rules run on a message once this one matches.
10. 10.Save the rule.

What Conditions and Actions You Can Choose

When you build a rule, the condition and action drop-downs are grouped into categories. Microsoft can change the exact labels in the interface, so treat the examples below as the general shape of what is available rather than fixed text.

Common conditions let you match on who the message is from or to, words in the subject or body, whether the message has an attachment, its importance, its size, and the date it was received, along with a catch-all that applies to every message.

Common actions let you move or copy the message to a folder, delete it, mark it as read, flag or categorize it, and forward it. Pick the combination that matches how you want that mail handled.

Edit, Reorder, Turn Off, or Delete a Rule

Rules created here are server-side, so you manage them in one place, not per device. Go to Settings > Mail > Rules.

• To edit a rule, select it and choose "Edit rule" (the pencil icon).
• To delete a rule, select it and choose "Delete" (the trash icon).
• To turn a rule on or off, use the toggle next to its name.
• To reorder rules, select one and use the up or down arrow. Rules run top to bottom against each incoming message.

Order matters because of that "Stop processing more rules" default. If a message you expected to be sorted stayed in the inbox, an earlier rule probably caught it first and stopped the rest; move your rule up the list to fix it.

Organize Mail That Is Already in Your Inbox

Since rules on the web only touch future mail, use these three tools for the backlog. Sweep handles a sender in bulk.

1. 1.Select a message from the sender, or open the folder you want to clean.
2. 2.Select "Sweep" on the command bar.
3. 3.Choose an option: delete all incoming mail from that sender, keep only the latest, or delete mail older than 10 days.

Sweep is not available from the Junk Email, Drafts, Sent Items, or Deleted Items folders, and Sweep runs once per day rather than instantly. For one-off filing, select messages and choose "Move to" to pick or create a folder, or choose "Archive" to send them to the Archive folder under "Folders".

Rename or Delete a Folder, and Fix Folder Order

To rename a custom folder, right-click it in the folder pane, select "Rename", type the new name, and press Enter. To delete one, right-click it, select "Delete", then select "OK" to confirm. Default folders such as Inbox, Drafts, Sent Items, and Deleted Items cannot be renamed or deleted.

You cannot change the order of folders under the main "Folders" list. The documented workaround for a preferred order is to right-click a folder, select "Add to Favorites", and reorder within the Favorites list, which does allow custom ordering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't my new rule sort the emails already in my inbox?
In Outlook.com and Outlook on the web, a rule applies only to messages received after the rule is created, and there is no "run rule now" option on these two surfaces. Use Sweep, Move to, or Archive to organize existing mail. New Outlook for Windows does include a "Run rule now" option that applies a rule to existing messages.

I created a subfolder by mistake. How do I move it up to the main folder list?
You cannot move a subfolder up into the main "Folders" list. Create a new top-level folder and copy all the email from the subfolder into it.

Why did my new folder appear in the middle of the list instead of at the bottom?
New top-level folders are added in alphabetical order below the Archive folder, so the first letter of the name decides its position. To control ordering, add folders to Favorites and reorder them there.

One of my rules just stopped working. Why?
"Stop processing more rules" is on by default, so if an earlier rule matches a message, lower rules will not run on it. Reorder your rules with the up and down arrows so the one you want takes priority.

I see "This rule can't be edited or viewed." What does that mean?
That message appears for a rule migrated from classic Outlook that uses a condition or action the web and new Outlook interface does not support. The fix is to recreate the rule from scratch in Settings > Mail > Rules, since it cannot be edited in this interface.

Can I create or manage inbox rules from the Outlook mobile app?
The mobile app lets you create folders (through Move to Folder), but rule creation and management were only verified for the web and new Outlook via Settings > Mail > Rules. Set up and edit your rules there.