How to remove icons in New Outlook

Question

How do you remove the icons (in red) next to Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, Deleted Items, etc.?

Answer 1

Unfortunately, you cannot remove those icons, Microsoft simply hasn't given us the functionality to customize this part. Although they did add a feature to change the icon color a while back, so they seem to be improving on this part.

In any case, it's best that you leave your comment on this over at the Feedback portal, where the Outlook PMs lurk: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/forum/89a8afa3-2e1c-ec11-b6e7-0022481f8472

Answer 2

Hi @Emily Mueller,  

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you very much for sharing your experience regarding the icons that appear next to Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, Deleted Items, and other folders in the New Outlook interface.  

I understand your intention, depending on each person’s workflow, having additional visual elements in the folder list may not always align with their preferred way of organizing or viewing their mailbox.  

After checking the current behavior of the New Outlook for Windows, I’d like to share a bit more detail: 

At this time, Outlook unfortunately does not provide an option to remove or hide the folder icons individually in the Folder Pane. The available customization options mainly cover showing/hiding the Favorites section or collapsing/hiding the Folder Pane entirely, but not disabling the icons themselves.  This means the icons you're referring to are currently part of the default design of the New Outlook experience.  

That said, I want to reassure you that your feedback is important, and I genuinely agree that having more flexibility or a toggle to hide these icons could greatly enhance personalization and reduce visual clutter for users who prefer a cleaner interface. 

As a forum moderator, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. However, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Outlook · Community portal. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.  

If you are unable to submit feedback from your side, please let me know and I will be happy to submit it on your behalf.  

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility.  

Additionally, since many other users have expressed similar concerns but may not know where to submit feedback, if my response has helped you better understand the situation and guided you toward a possible next step, please mark it as the "Accepted Answer". Your action will help pin this post to the top, making it easier for others in the community who are experiencing the same issue to find your feedback and support it.

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern. 

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