Email Filter Setting

Question

I lost preferred email filter settings: by date, by name how can I get the filters back?

Answer 1

Hi @Regina,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for reaching out regarding your question about email filter settings in Outlook.

To better understand the situation, may I first confirm whether you are referring to the filter options available in the search bar? If this is not the case, please share a bit more detail about the behavior you are expecting, so that more accurate and relevant guidance can be provided.

If you were referring to the filter options that appear in the search bar, you can try the following steps to get your preferred filter options:

1/ Click inside the Search bar, then select the arrow icon to expand the search options and choose Add more options.

2/ Select the filter fields you want to use (for example, Received or Subject), then select Apply.

3/ Return to the search bar and check whether the available filter options now match your needs.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.   

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

I look forward to your thoughts on this. 

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Answer 2

In classic Outlook for Windows, the sort and filter options like By Date, By From/Name, All, Unread, and Mentioned were moved into the All drop-down when using newer builds.

To restore and use these filters:

1. In the mail list, click the All button above your messages.
2. Choose how to filter:
   • Select Unread, Mentioned, or other options as needed.
3. To change sort order (for example, by Date or From/Name):
   • In the same menu, choose Arrange By, then select Date, From, etc.

For quicker access, the filter/sort commands can be added to the Quick Access Toolbar:

1. Click in the Search box so the Search tab appears.
2. Right-click the Unread icon and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
3. To add Arrange By:
   • Right-click the ribbon and select Customize the Ribbon.
   • Under Main Tabs, select Home (Mail) > New Group, rename it (for example, Arrange).
   • In Choose commands from, select All Commands.
   • Scroll to the third Arrange By, select it, and click Add.
   • Click OK, then right-click the new Arrange By button and choose Add to Quick Access Toolbar.

These steps restore easy access to the date/name sorting and other filters in classic Outlook.

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References:

• All, Unread and other filtering options no longer show in Outlook
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in classic Outlook for Windows