How to Use Search Folders in Outlook

Outlook includes a useful feature called "Search Folders" that automatically gathers emails matching certain criteria into a virtual folder for a clearer overview. They are essentially smart, virtual folders that display all emails matching the criteria you set, but without moving them from their original location - it just creates a view of the selected emails in one place for easier access. If you create a Search Folder for a specific sender (like a team member), Outlook will automatically show all messages from that person in that folder - past, present, and any new ones that arrive.

A few key points:

A Search Folder in Outlook is just a view of your mailbox, not a separate storage space. There’s only one actual copy of each email, and the Search Folder is simply showing it because it matches your filter. If you delete an email from the Search Folder, it’s also deleted from its original folder and vice versa.

Dynamic updates: As soon as a new email meets the criteria, it appears in the Search Folder automatically.

Multiple criteria: You can filter by sender, subject keywords, categories, size, or even whether the email has attachments.

How to create a Search Folder in Outlook

Open the Search Folder creation menu.

In Outlook’s folder pane (left sidebar), scroll down until you see Search Folders.
Click New Search Folder.

Outlook interface showing Search Folders section with “New Search Folder” option highlighted.

In the New Search Folder dialog box, under Mail from People and Lists, select Mail from specific people.
This option will filter emails based on the sender(s) you choose.

Outlook “New Search Folder” dialog with “Mail from specific people” selected and Choose button highlighted.

In the Customize Search Folder section, click the Choose.
The Select Names: Contacts dialog will open.

Outlook “Select Names” dialog with contact Hannah Schreiber highlighted and OK button selected.

In the search bar at the top, type the sender’s name or email address.
Select the contact from the list (e.g., Hannah Schreiber) and click "ok".
Under Search Folders in the Folder Pane, you’ll now see the new folder.
Clicking it will instantly show all emails from that sender — no matter which folder they’re stored in.

Tip: Besides filtering only by sender, you can create Search Folders that automatically gather: Unread Mail lets you see all unread messages from across all folders in one place, while Flagged for keeps every email you’ve marked for action in a single view. You can use Mail with to track topics or projects by keyword (e.g., “Q4 Budget” or “Onboarding”), and Mail Sent helps filter out group or CC’d emails so you only see messages addressed to you. Finally, Categorized Mail instantly pulls up all emails tagged with a certain category color or label.

More about Outlook Search folders can be read on official Microsoft article

You can combine Search Folders with Outlook Rules to auto‑categorize and then instantly view those categories in one place.