Quick custom folder sorting in Outlook 2013

Some users like to sort Outlook folders in a custom manner; not everyone wants an alphabetical list. Until now, they didn't have any other real option. With Outlook 2013, users can arrange folders as they choose. All they have to do is move them!

Office 2013

Let's work through a few quick examples. The figure below shows a simple folder list in alphabetical order. Now suppose you want the Waiting On Something folder to appear at the top of the list - it contains time-sensitive and important stuff. First, select it. Then, drag it to the top of the list and drop it. Yes, it really is a simple drag-and-drop task now!

If you change your mind, you have two options.

• Move the folder using drag-and-drop.
• Right-click the folder and choose Sort Subfolders A to Z. In this case, that option is dimmed because Waiting On Something isn't a subfolder. When using this option, Outlook reorders only the subfolders in the selected folder.

You might not like this behavior or, you might want to temporarily disable it as follows:

• Click the Folder tab.
• Check the Show All Folders A To Z.

Outlook will resort all of your folders into alphabetical order. While this option is enabled, Outlook won't let you move folders. It isn't a permanent disable; if you unclick this option, Outlook returns the list to its custom order.

Before 2013

If you're using an older version of Outlook, you can force a folder to the top (or bottom) of the list, but the results aren't as pretty. To force a folder to the top of the list, prefix the folder name with a special character, such as _ or *. Outlook sorts these characters first, so this type of prefix rises to the top. Similar, prefixing a folder name with the character z will force a folder to the bottom of the list. I told you it wasn't pretty, but it works.