In Microsoft Outlook, what options do I have for arranging the contents of my folders?

You may want to organize the messages in your Outlook folders into categories for easier handling. For example, you can group all the messages from a specific LISTSERV list. Then you can organize those messages by subject, and then by sender. Outlook has handy features for such organization. For information on a simpler way of sorting the contents of a folder, see In Microsoft Outlook or OWA, how can I change the order in which my messages are listed in the folder?

Grouping items

To arrange the order of your items:

1. If the Folder List is not visible, in Outlook 2003, from the Go menu, select Folder List.
   
   In Outlook 98, 2000, and 2002, from the View menu, select Folder List.
   
   
2. Highlight the folder in which items will be grouped.
   
   
3. In Outlook 2003, from the View menu, select Arrange By, then select Current View, and then select Customize Current View. The Customize View window will open. Click the Group By... button.
   
   In Outlook 98, 2000, and 2002, from the View menu, select Current View, and then select Customize Current View. The View Summary window will open. Click the Group By... button.
   
   In Outlook 8.2.x and 2001 for Mac OS and Outlook 97 for Windows, from the View menu, select Group By... .
   
   
4. The Group By window will open, displaying four grouping options and one sorting option. By default, no grouping is enabled, and items are sorted in descending order by their received date.

Grouping levels and sorting

You can specify up to four levels of grouping. You also may choose criteria for additional sorting after grouping. Grouping levels are hierarchical: Outlook will group all messages according to the primary criterion. Then, messages that have the same value according to that criterion are further grouped according to the secondary criterion, and so forth. To disable any or all groupings, select None.

For sorting, you have the same options, plus Received, Size, and Conversation Thread. You cannot use the same option twice. Once you have selected all of your grouping and sorting options, click OK.

Also see:

• In Microsoft Outlook, how do I move one or more messages to another folder?
• In Microsoft Outlook, how can I make additional folders?
• In Microsoft Outlook or OWA, how can I change the order in which my messages are listed in the folder?
• In Outlook 2002 or earlier, what is the Folder List view, and how do I turn it on or off?
• In Microsoft Outlook, how do I customize the way my mail is presented to me?
• In Microsoft Outlook 2002, 2003, and 2007, what are personal folder files, and how do I create them?