Flagged e-mails are not listed at the seach folder level within the new outlook

Question

As the title says, after at least a year, within the new Outlook (desktop application) the search folder including unread and flagged e-mails still does not work as expected. It only shows unread emails, while flagged messages are missing for the total numbers within that folder. This issue has persisted despite multiple attempts to set up the folder correctly.

Is this already known, and/or does anyone have a workaround meanwhile?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Dear Victor,

No problem, and thank you for confirming the issue. I have already submitted the feedback form and I hope a fix will be available soon.

I had two main questions: firstly, whether the issue could be confirmed—which it now has—and secondly, whether there is any workaround. As I understand it, there isn’t currently a workaround other than continuing to use the Outlook Classic desktop application. Is that correct?

If so, I will keep using the classic version for now.

Best regards and take care,

Michael

Answer 2

Dear Victor,

Thank you for your reply and for thinking along with me. Please find my answers to your questions below:

1. Outlook is up-to-date (as far as I can tell). "Microsoft Outlook version: 1.2025.716.500 (Production) Client version: 20250725003.04"
2. I have followed all the suggested steps, but unfortunately, there has been no improvement.
3. The issue affects all my accounts (I have four in total, and it's a mix of personal and Office 365 accounts). The steps were, I start Outlook, right-click the Search Folders tab, and select ‘Create New Search Folder’. I then choose “Mail that is unread or marked for follow-up” and assign a name. After adding the search folder to Favourites, it appears at the top. So far, so good. The count for unread emails is accurate, but flagged emails are not included in the total count of that search folder. When I open the search folder, the flagged emails are present, but the indicator doesn’t reflect whether there are flagged mails at all.
4. I have also tried additional troubleshooting, Reinstalled Outlook, Created a new profile, Removed and re-added all email accounts, Deleted and recreated search folders for each account
5. Please refer to my answer to question 3.
6. Yes, I have an active Microsoft 365 subscription.
7. Search Folders work perfectly in the classic Outlook client, which is why I keep switching back. Previously, Search Folders were not available in the new Outlook, but now that they are, this persistent issue with the flagged mail count still makes it difficult to work efficiently.

If this is a general issue, I assume more users might experience it as well. Would you be able to test this behaviour yourself to see if you encounter the same problem?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Kind Regards,

Michael

Answer 3

Dear Michael Goudzwaard, 

Good day! Thank you for reaching out here in the Microsoft Answers Community. 

I understand that you are having trouble with flagged emails not appearing in your search folders within the new Outlook for Windows, and I understand your frustration, especially as this issue has persisted for some time despite your attempts to set it up correctly. 

This behavior can sometimes be related to specific folder configurations or client-side issues. Here are a couple of initial troubleshooting steps you can try: 

1. Ensure Outlook is Up to Date: Make sure your new Outlook desktop application is running the latest version. Updates often include bug fixes and performance improvements. 
   1. In the new Outlook, go to Settings (gear icon) > General > About Outlook. Ensure you have the latest updates installed. 
2. Recreate the Search Folder: Even if you've tried setting it up multiple times, sometimes starting fresh can resolve underlying corruption or configuration glitches. Please try deleting the problematic search folder and recreating it from scratch. 
   1. In Outlook, right-click the search folder, select Delete Folder, then confirm. 
   2. To create a new search folder, right-click Search Folders in the folder pane and choose New Search Folder... Then select "Flagged mail" or "Mail with specific words" and customize the criteria as needed. 

To help me better understand and investigate your issue, I would appreciate it if you could provide the following details: 

1. Could you describe the exact steps you took to create and configure this specific search folder? For example, what specific criteria did you select (e.g., Mail from specific senders, Mail with specific words, Flagged for follow up, etc.)? 
2. You mentioned you've made "multiple attempts to set up the folder correctly." Could you please list any other specific troubleshooting steps you've already tried to resolve this issue, beyond recreating the folder? This will help us avoid suggesting solutions you've already attempted. 
3. What type of email account is configured in your new Outlook? Is it a personal Microsoft domain (e.g., @outlook.com, @hotmail.com) or a Microsoft 365 Business email domain? 
4. Do you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription? 
5. If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, could you please test whether Search Folders function as expected in the classic Outlook client? (If you have it installed alongside the new Outlook, you can usually find it by searching "Outlook" in Windows and looking for the one that isn't explicitly "New Outlook"). This comparison can help us determine if the issue is specific to the new Outlook client. 

We appreciate your effort on this issue and look forward to your next update for further analysis.  

Best Regards, 

Victor Vu | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist  

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