Searching for Folders

Question

Is it possible to add a search function when you choose to "Move" an email to a specific folder? See below. This would be a more efficient way to find a folder, when a person has many folders.

Answer 1

OWA and the new Outlook client do have this feature. I doubt it will be ported to the "classic" Outlook though, given Microsoft's stance on it :(

In any case, the best place to put suggestions such as this one is over at the Feedback portal: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/forum/89a8afa3-2e1c-ec11-b6e7-0022481f8472

Answer 2

Hi KT1000,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on my testing, the ability to search for a destination folder while moving an email currently depends on which version of Outlook you are using.

While Outlook Web (OWA) and the New Outlook for Windows already have an integrated search bar in the Move menu (allowing you to quickly filter and find any folder), Classic Outlook for Windows, which appears to be the version you are using based on your screenshot, does not natively have this search bar.

However, while exploring other approaches, I found a keyboard shortcut that might help you locate folders faster in the Classic version:

1. Click the Move button on the ribbon.
2. Press the 'O' key on your keyboard. This will instantly open the "Other Folder" dialog box with your full folder structure.
3. Once the dialog is open, you can type the first letter of the folder name to jump directly to it in the list.
4. Tip: If you have multiple folders starting with the same letter, keep pressing that same letter to cycle through them quickly.

Although this workaround can be faster for users with many folders, I agree that a direct search function would be much more convenient. I recommend providing this feedback directly to Microsoft via the Feedback Portal or voting for existing requests there to help prioritize this feature for future updates.

Hope this helps.

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