Custom folders not viewable

Question

I had all of the folders that I've created in the pane on the left of my messages, but after clicking around, I've managed to lose them, but have more general ones displayed. How can I get them back?

Answer 1

Hi @Mindy Koropchak

Thank you for posting question to Microsoft Q&A forum.

May I ask which method are you using to connect this account? (Exchange, IMAP or POP)

If you are using Exchange or IMAP, please go to https://outlook.office.com/mail/ or your provider webmail, check if you can see your newly created folders there. If they are visible, that means maybe a view in Outlook hides it.

Can you confirm if your folder pane looks like screenshot 1 or 2?

Screenshot 1: When the folder pane is in normal mode. It will show the whole folder structure.

Screenshot 2: When the folder pane is in minimized mode. It will show only favorites folders.

If you are seeing number 2, the folder pane is currently minimized. Please go to View tab > under Layout > Folder Pane > Set it to Normal.

If the issue persists, can you please provide a screenshot via your private message so I can understand your issue better.

I look forward for your reply.

---

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

If your custom folders are not visible in Outlook, it might be due to a filtering issue or a change in the view settings. Here are a few steps you can take to try to restore your custom folders:

1. Check the Folder Pane: Make sure that the Folder Pane is enabled. You can do this by going to the View tab and selecting Folder Pane to ensure it is set to Normal.
2. Change View Settings: Sometimes, the view settings may filter out certain folders. To check this:
   • Go to the View tab in the ribbon.
   • Click on View Settings.
   • Look for any filters that may be applied and adjust them accordingly.
3. Restart Outlook: Close and reopen Outlook to see if the folders reappear.
4. Reset Folder Names: If the issue persists, you can try resetting folder names by running Outlook with the command Outlook.exe /ResetFolderNames. This can help restore default folder names and locations.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consult additional resources or support for further assistance.

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.