One of my favorite features in Outlook Mail is search folders. When I talk to clients about reducing the time they spend with email, I recommend that they treat their messages as little as possible. Once they arrive, apply the four Ds (Delete, Do, Defer, and Delegate), then move them to the folder you want to archive. Try moving messages only once before they are deleted. One of the biggest concerns of people, when they follow these tips, is to try to find specific messages. They find that effective items must remain in the same place until they are completed and then archived or deleted, but this often means moving the message several times.

Searching for messages is easy in Outlook. You can use the search function or create a search folder. What I like most about these files is that you don’t have to cancel or delete them when you find what you’re looking for like regular searches. They don’t copy mail, they just provide direct access to messages that have specific properties, no matter what folder they are in. As a result, they occupy almost no space in their mailbox.

Another method to search for emails is to create a search folder. The search folder allows users to repeatedly use the same criteria to search for items. For example, if certain emails are marked as important, a search folder can be created each time to identify these specific emails. Other options include unread or tagged tracking mail, mail to and from specific people, mail sent to public groups, bulk mail, old mail, mail sent directly to me, and even mail in specific words. Custom search folders can also be created with criteria such as the time of receipt or creation, and have filters such as only items marked by another person. There are also more specific fields, such as date/time, Outlook version, relevance, and remote status.

These are just some of the criteria you can use when creating a search folder:

Unread Mail

Categorized mail

Old messages

Highlighted messages

To or from certain people

Certain words in the subject line or body

When you create one of these special folders, determine the criteria by which Outlook will search. It appears in your list of folders ready to give you the messages you need when you want them.

Previous versions of Outlook had three default folders: unread mail, bulk mail, and categorized mail. They do not appear by default in newer versions, but you can easily create them.

There are two types of search folders, predefined and personalized. The former are very easy to create, but custom ones give you more control if the preset options aren’t exactly what you’re looking for.

Predefined

Go to the drop-down menu next to the “New” button on the toolbar and select Browse Folder

Ctrl + Shift + P

Right-click the search folder in the email navigation pane and select New Search Folder

Personalized

File – New – Find a folder

Microsoft has simplified things by adding custom elements to the dialog.

Map tab – New search folder

Right-click the search folder in the email navigation pane and select New Search Folder

Ctrl + Shift + P

Once in the dialog, you can select the specific criteria and folders that you want to include in the search.

TIP: Deleting a folder will not delete any messages. However, if you delete a message from a folder, you delete it.

Once you have started searching with these files, you will never look back. They provide a quick and easy response to find mail. If you clean your email based on it age, the old email folder will save you hours because you won’t have to access each folder individually; Use this newly found time to perform other urgent tasks or enjoy a well-deserved coffee.

Image Credit: https://i.stack.imgur.com/2FGUz.png

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