Separate column/window for flagged items

Question

Can my flagged items be moved to a column/window to the right of my main mailbox?

Answer 1

Hello @Shelley Hammond

Hi, just to confirm, are you using Classic Outlook? I noticed you selected the Classic Outlook tag, so I want to make sure.

In my environment (Classic Outlook for Windows), flagged items can already be shown in a panel on the right side by using: View > To-Do Bar > Tasks

This will open a pane on the right that displays all flagged emails as a task list.

If you’re not seeing this on your side, could you share a screenshot of your Outlook UI? That would help us better understand your setup and assist you more accurately.

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Answer 2

Flagged items cannot be shown in a separate column or dedicated window to the right of the main mailbox in Classic Outlook using built-in features.

However, there are built-in ways to work with flagged items more efficiently:

1. Use the For Follow Up Search Folder
   • On the Folder tab, select New Search Folder.
   • Under Reading Mail, choose Mail flagged for follow up, then select OK.
   • This gives a dedicated folder view of all flagged items, though it appears in the folder list, not as a separate right-hand pane.
2. Use the Tasks / Flagged Items and Tasks view
   • Open Tasks.
   • In the folder list, switch between Flagged Items and Tasks and Tasks to see flagged messages alongside tasks.
3. Use the To-Do Bar alternatives
   • Classic Outlook’s built-in To-Do Bar shows tasks and flagged emails, but only in its standard layout.
   • A free VSTO add-in described in the context can replace the built-in To-Do Bar with a custom pane that shows tasks and flagged emails (and appointments) in a single pane, effectively giving a richer right-hand panel for flagged items and tasks. It works with Classic Outlook 2016, 2019, and Microsoft 365 desktop on Windows and requires building from source in Visual Studio.

There is no native option to dock a separate, full flagged-items-only column/window to the right of the main mailbox beyond the To-Do Bar and the add-in approach.

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References:

• Review flagged email messages
• Tasks overview
• How to show multiple calendars in the Outlook Todo bar  free add-in solution