Microsoft Outlook : Getting started

15. Using folders

Messages which you need to keep should be stored in suitably named folders for easier retrieval.

Outlook allows you to create folders in your mailbox on the server, or Personal folders on your local hard disk

a) Folders on the Exchange server

To create a folder on the mail server:

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  From the File menu, select New, and then Folder.
  
  
  
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  The create New Folder window is displayed
  

Enter a name for the folder

Select the location for the new folder

Indicates the type of items to be stored within the folder.

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  Type a name for your new folder.
  
  
  
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  The Folder contains box indicates the type of folder you are creating. As you are creating a folder to store mail messages you should make sure that this says Mail and Post Items.
  Note: You can create folders for each type of Outlook item such as calendar, contacts, tasks etc.
  
  
  
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  Select the location for your new folder. This can be inside your Inbox, or inside an existing folder within your mailbox.
  
  
  
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  To create a folder in your Inbox - Select Inbox in the folder list so it is highlighted
  
  
  
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  To create a sub-folder within an existing folder - Click on the plus sign (+) at the side of Inbox to expand this. Select the folder you want the new one to appear inside.
  
  
  
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  Click OK. You will be asked if you want to add a new shortcut to the Outlook toolbar. Select Yes or No as appropriate. It is recommended that you say No to this message, as you could soon have too many shortcuts on this toolbar .
  
  
  
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  The newly created folder will be added in the location you selected. Use the plus or minus sign by Inbox to display or hide the list of folders.
  

b) Creating a Personal folder

Personal folders are stored on the hard disk of your computer and items stored here do not count towards your Outlook quota.

Creating a personal folder is very similar to creating a folder on the server:

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  From the File menu, select New, and then Folder as above
  
  
  
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  In the New Folder window, click on the minus sign (-) at the side of your mail box folder to collapse this. The list of top level folders will be displayed.
  
  
  
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  Select Personal Folders. Enter a name for your folder
  
  
  
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  When all options are as required click OK.
  

c) Moving mail to a folder

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  Locate the message in your Inbox you want to move
  
  
  
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  Select it, then holding down the mouse button drag it to the folder name in the Folder List
  

d) Looking at mail in other folders

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  Expand the folder list in your Inbox
  
  
  
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  Click on the name of the folder you want to view
  
  
  
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  Select the message from the list
  

Backing up Personal Folders

As messages stored in your personal folders are on the hard drive of your computer these are not backed up like those on the server. You must ensure you keep copies of these folders yourself so they can be restored in the event of a problem with your PC.
By default your personal folders are stored on the hard drive of your computer in the following location on Windows 2000 computers:

C:\Documents and Settings\yourusername\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\outlook.pst
Everything contained in your personal folders is stored within the outlook.pst file. You are not able to identify separate messages yourself, although Outlook separates these out when you view the contents of the personal folders.
To back up your locally stored messages you must copy the outlook.pst file to floppy disk or other removable media yourself.
Note: you must close Outlook before attempting to back-up this file

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  From Start – Programs – Accessories select Windows Explorer
  
  
  
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  Navigate through the folders Local disk (C:) - Documents and Settings – to locate the folder with your username.
  
  
  
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  By default the folder/files you require are hidden, so you need to make these visible before you can back-up the outlook.pst file. Select your folder, and from the Tools menu select Folder Options. From the Folder Options window that is displayed select the View tab.
  
  
  
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  Select the option Show hidden files and folders, then click OK.
  

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  Open your folder and navigate to the Outlook folder: Local Settings – Application data – Microsoft – Outlook.
  

All your local mail stored in this file – copy to floppy to back it up

Folder where local mail file stored

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  Copy the file outlook.pst from this folder to floppy disk or other removable disk (eg zip disk) and store it securely.
  Note: if the outlook.pst file is too large to fit on one floppy disk, contact ITfor advice.
  

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  Once your local mail has been backed up, you should hide the local settings folder again. In Windows Explorer select your folder and from the Tools menu select Folder Options. From the Folder Options window that is displayed select the View tab.
  

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  Select the option Do not show hidden files and folders, then click OK.
  

It is possible to delete the standard Personal folder and create a new one stored on your H: drive which is backed up centrally. Contact Information Services for advice on doing this. However, you should note that the H: drive also has a quota (which is smaller than your email quota), so if you store a lot of mail, you may also reach your quota on this server.