How do I organize the order of my email accounts, folders and archive folders in New Outlook?

Question

Can't use Outlook Classic any longer because it won't synchronize with my Gmail account, so moved to New Outlook but I can't find a way to change the random order that the accounts, folders and archive folders appear in the left panel. This is really annoying.

Answer 1

In New Outlook, the order of folders within each account can be customized, but the overall order of accounts themselves cannot be changed from the client side. Archive and other special folders also follow the account’s structure and cannot be reordered independently of their mailbox.

To organize what is possible in New Outlook:

1. Enable custom folder order
   1. In New Outlook, switch to Mail from the left navigation.
   2. On the ribbon, select the View tab.
   3. Select Folder pane, then choose Custom folder order.
2. Reorder folders within an account
   1. In the Folder Pane, select and hold the folder to move.
   2. Drag and drop it to the desired position within that account.
      • Or right‑click the folder and choose Move up or Move down.
   3. This works for folders created in the mailbox (including custom archive subfolders), but not for fixed system groups like Search, Shared with me, or In-place archive, which always stay at the bottom of that account.
3. Switch between custom and alphabetical order
   • To sort folders alphabetically again:
     1. Go to View > Sort Folders > Order folders A to Z.
   • To return to the manual layout, reselect Custom folder order under View > Folder pane.
4. Use Favorites to bring key folders to the top
   • Add important folders (for example, Inbox or Archive from different accounts) to Favorites so they appear at the top of the Folder Pane regardless of their position in the account tree.
   • This does not change account order, but it gives quick access to the folders that matter most.

At this time, New Outlook does not provide a supported way to rearrange the order of entire accounts in the left panel; only folders within each account and the Favorites list can be reordered.

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References:

• Change the order of folders in the Folder Pane in Outlook