Use a screen reader to work with folders in outlook

This article is for people with visual impairments who use a screen reader program with the Office products and is part of the Office Accessibility content set. For more general help, see Office Support home.

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Use Outlook with your keyboard and a screen reader to create a new folder and move items to it. We have tested it with Narrator and JAWS, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You can also rename, move, or delete folders.

Notes: 

• New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

• To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft Office.

In this topic

• Display the Folder Pane

• Create a new folder

• Move emails to a folder

• Rename a folder

• Move a folder

• Delete a folder

Display the Folder Pane

To start working with folders in Outlook, you need to first to make sure that the Folder Pane is displayed.

To display the Folder Pane, in the Outlook main view, press Alt+V, F, N.

Create a new folder

You can create a new folder to organize, for example, your emails according to the subject or sender.

1. In the Outlook main view, press Alt+O, N. You hear: "Create new folder, Name, editing." The focus is on the Name text field.

2. Type a name for the folder, and then press the Tab key. You hear "Folder contains," followed by the currently selected option.

3. To select the type of items that the new folder contains, press Alt+Down arrow key. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the type you want, and then press Enter. If you're creating a folder for emails, select Mail and Post Items.

4. To select the location where to create the new folder, press the Tab key. You hear: "Inbox." Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the location you want.

   For example, if you want to create a folder on the same level as your Inbox, press the Up arrow key until you hear the name of your email account. If you want to place the new folder inside another folder, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want.

   You can change the location of the folder later. For instructions, go to Move a folder.

5. Once you're happy with your selections, press Enter. The folder is added either in the folder tree in alphabetical order or inside another folder depending on your selection.

Move emails to a folder

1. Navigate to the email you want to move to a folder.

2. Press Ctrl+Shift+V. The Move Items dialog opens.

3. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want, and then press Enter.

Rename a folder

1. In the Outlook main view, press F6 until you hear the currently selected folder.

2. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to rename, and then press Shift+F10, R. You hear "Editing," followed by the current folder name.

3. Type the new name for the folder, and then press Enter.

Move a folder

1. In the Outlook main view, press F6 until you hear the currently selected folder.

2. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to move, and then press Shift+F10, M. The Move Folder dialog opens. The focus is in the folder list.

3. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the location where you want to move the folder, and then press Enter.

Delete a folder

When you delete a folder, it's first moved to the Deleted Items folder in Outlook. To permanently delete the folder, you can either empty the Deleted Items folder or separately delete just the one folder from the Deleted Items folder.

When you delete a folder, you're also deleting everything inside of it.

Move a folder to the Deleted Items folder

When you've moved a folder to the Deleted Items folder, you can still retrieve it by moving it to another folder. For instructions, go to Move a folder.

1. In the Outlook main view, press F6 until you hear the currently selected folder.

2. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to delete, and then press Shift+F10, D. You hear: "Microsoft Outlook, Yes button."

3. To move the folder and its contents to the Deleted Items folder, press Enter.

Empty the Deleted Items folder

When you empty the Deleted Items folder, all items in it are deleted permanently.

1. To go to the Deleted Items folder, press F6 until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Deleted items."

2. Press Shift+F10, Y. You hear: "Microsoft Outlook, Yes button."

3. To permanently delete all items in the folder, press Enter.

Delete a single folder from the Deleted Items folder

If you don't want to delete all items in the Deleted Items folder, you can delete a single folder separately.

1. To go to the folder you want to permanently delete, press F6 until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want.

2. Press shift+F10, D. You hear: "Microsoft Outlook, Yes button."

3. To delete the folder permanently, press Enter.

See also

Use a screen reader to create bulleted or numbered lists in Outlook

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

Use a screen reader to zoom in or out in Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

Use Outlook 2016 with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in Mac OS screen reader, to create a new folder and move items to it. You can also rename, move, or delete folders.

Notes: 

• New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

• This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.

In this topic

• Create a new folder

• Move emails to a folder

• Rename a folder

• Move a folder

• Delete a folder

Create a new folder

You can create a new folder to organize, for example, your emails according to the subject or sender.

1. In the Outlook main view, press the Tab key until you hear "Table," followed by the currently selected folder and the number of unread messages in the folder.

2. To select the location for the new folder, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the location you want.

   For example, if you want to create a folder on the same level as your Inbox, press the Up arrow key until you hear "Outlook." If you want to create a folder inside another folder, press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the folder you want.

   You can change the location of the folder later. For instructions, go to Move a folder.

3. Press Shift+Command+ N. You hear: "Folder, untitled folder." The focus is in the text field for the folder name.

4. Type the name for the new folder, and then press Enter.

Move emails to a folder

1. Navigate to the email you want to move to a folder.

2. Press Shift+Command+M. You hear: "Choose folder."

3. Start typing the name of the folder you want. The list of folders is updated as you type.

4. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the folder, and then press Enter.

Rename a folder

1. In the Outlook main view, press the Tab key until you hear "Table," followed by the currently selected folder and the number of unread messages in the folder.

2. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to rename, and then press Enter.

3. Type the new name for the folder, and then press Enter.

Move a folder

1. To go to the folder you want to move, press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want.

2. To open the shortcut menu, press Control+Option+Shift+M.

3. In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Move folder," and then press Enter. You hear: "Type the name of the destination folder in the Search box."

4. Start typing the name of the destination folder. The search results list is updated as you type.

5. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the destination folder you want, and then press Enter.

Delete a folder

When you delete a folder, it's first moved to the Trash folder in Outlook. To permanently delete the folder, you can either empty the Trash folder or separately delete just the one folder from the Trash folder.

When you delete a folder you're also deleting everything inside of it.

Move a folder to the Trash folder

When you've moved a folder to the Trash folder, you can still retrieve it by moving it to another folder. For instructions, go to Move a folder.

1. In the Outlook main view, press the Tab key until you hear "Table," followed by the currently selected folder and the number of unread messages in the folder.

2. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to delete, and then press Command+Delete key. You hear: "Delete". The folder is moved to the Trash folder. The focus moves to the messages list.

Empty the Trash folder

When you empty the Trash folder, all items in it are deleted permanently.

1. To go to the Trash folder, press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Trash."

2. To open the shortcut menu, press Control+Option+Shift+M.

3. In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Empty folder," and then press Enter. You hear: "Are you sure you want to delete all the messages in this folder."

4. To permanently delete the contents of the Trash folder, press the Tab key. You hear: "Delete." Press Enter.

Delete a single folder from the Trash folder

If you don't want to delete all items in the Trash folder, you can delete a single folder separately.

1. To go to the folder you want to permanently delete, press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want.

2. Press Command+Delete key. You hear: "Are you sure you want to permanently delete the selected folder."

3. To delete the folder permanently, press the Tab key. You hear: "Delete." Press Enter.

See also

Use a screen reader to create bulleted or numbered lists in Outlook

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

Use Outlook 2016 with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to create a new folder and move items to it.

Notes: 

• New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

• This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.

In this topic

• Create a new folder

• Move emails to a folder

Create a new folder

You can create a new folder to organize, for example, your emails according to the subject or sender.

1. Navigate to any email and then double-tap the screen to open it.

2. In the email, swipe left until you hear "More conversation actions, button," and then double-tap the screen.

3. In the options menu, swipe right until you hear "Move button," and then double-tap the screen.

4. To create a new folder, swipe right until you hear "Create new folder," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Create, alert, text field, is editing."

5. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name for the new folder.

6. Once you're done, swipe left until you hear "Create button," and then double-tap the screen. The folder is created, and focus moves to the Move conversation dialog.

Move emails to a folder

1. Navigate to an email you want to move to a folder and then double-tap the screen to open it.

2. In the email, swipe left until you hear "More conversation actions, button," and then double-tap the screen.

3. In the options menu, swipe right until you hear "Move button," and then double-tap the screen.

4. Swipe right until you hear the folder you want, and then double-tap the screen. The email is moved to the selected folder.

See also

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

Use Outlook 2016 with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to create a new folder and move items to it.

Notes: 

• New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

• This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.

In this topic

• Create a new folder

• Move emails to a folder

Create a new folder

You can create a new folder to organize, for example, your emails according to the subject or sender.

1. Navigate to any email and then double-tap the screen to open it.

2. In the email, swipe left until you hear "More options button," and then double-tap the screen.

3. In the options menu, swipe right until you hear "Move to folder," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Move conversation."

4. To create a new folder, swipe right until you hear "Create new folder," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "New folder name, edit box."

5. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name for the folder.

6. Once you're done, drag one finger across the screen until you hear "Done button," and then double-tap the screen. The Done button is located on the bottom right corner of the screen.

   The folder is created and selected in the Move conversation dialog.

Move emails to a folder

1. Navigate to an email you want to move to a folder and then double-tap the screen to open it.

2. In the email, swipe left until you hear "More options button," and then double-tap the screen.

3. In the options menu, swipe right until you hear "Move to folder," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Move conversation."

4. Swipe right until you hear the folder you want, and then double-tap the screen. The folder is selected.

5. To move the email to the folder, swipe right until you hear "OK button," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Conversation moved."

See also

Use a screen reader to insert a picture or image in Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

Use Outlook on the web with your keyboard and screen reader to create a new folder and move items to it. We have tested it with Narrator, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You can also rename or delete folders.

Notes: 

• New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.

• To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft Office.

• This topic assumes that the Reading pane is off.

• When you use Outlook on the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Outlook on the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, you'll use Ctrl+F6 instead of F6 for jumping in and out of the commands. Also, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Outlook on the web.

• We're currently updating Outlook.office.com (Outlook on the Web). Some people are already using the new Outlook, and for others the classic version will be the default experience until we complete the update. For more information, go to Get help with the new Outlook on the web. Since the instructions in this topic apply to the new experience, we recommend that you switch from the classic experience to the new Outlook. To switch to the new Outlook, press Ctrl+F6 until you hear "Command, Try the new Outlook," and then press Enter. If you hear "Command toolbar" instead of "Command, Try the new Outlook," you're already using the new Outlook.

In this topic

• Display the folder navigation pane

• Create a new folder

• Move emails to a folder

• Rename a folder

• Delete a folder

Display the folder navigation pane

To start working with folders in Outlook on the web, you need to first make sure that the folder navigation pane is displayed.

In the Outlook on the web main view, press the Tab key until you hear "Toggle left pane," and then press Enter to toggle the navigation pane on or off. If you hear "Inbox" after you press Enter, then the navigation pane has been toggled on.

Create a new folder

You can create a new folder to organize, for example, your emails according to the subject or sender.

1. Press the Tab key until you hear "Navigation pane," and then press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected folder.

2. Do one of the following:

   • To create a new folder, press the Down arrow key until you hear "New folder," and press Enter.

   • To create a subfolder to an existing folder, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to add the subfolder to, and then press Alt+Shift+F10 to open the context menu. In the menu, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Create a new subfolder" and then press Enter.

3. Type the name for the new folder, and then press Enter.

Move emails to a folder

1. Navigate to the email you want to move to a folder.

2. Press Shift+Tab until you hear "Command toolbar," then press the Right arrow key until you hear "Move to," and press Enter.

3. In the submenu, press the Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want, and then press Enter.

   Tip: If the folder is not on the list, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Open all folders," and then press Enter. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want, and then press Enter to select it.

Rename a folder

1. Press the Tab key until you hear "Navigation pane," and then press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to rename.

2. To open the context menu, press Alt+Shift+F10.

3. In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Rename, menu item," and then press Enter.

4. Type the new name for the folder, and then press Enter.

Delete a folder

When you delete a folder, it's first moved to the Deleted Items folder in Outlook. To permanently delete the folder, you can either empty the Deleted Items folder or separately delete just the one folder from the Deleted Items folder.

When you delete a folder, you're also deleting everything inside of it.

Move a folder to the Deleted Items folder

1. Press the Tab key until you hear "Navigation pane," then press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to delete.

2. To open the context menu, press Alt+Shift+F10.

3. In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Delete, menu item," and then press Enter. You hear: "Delete folder dialog."

4. To move the folder and its contents to the Deleted Items folder, press Enter.

Empty the Deleted Items folder

When you empty the Deleted Items folder, all items in it are deleted permanently.

1. To go to the Deleted Items folder, press the Tab key until you hear "Navigation pane," then press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear: "Deleted items."

2. To open the context menu, press Alt+Shift+F10.

3. In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Empty folder," and then press Enter. You hear: "Delete <number> items."

4. To permanently delete all items in the folder, press Enter.

Delete a single folder from the Deleted Items folder

If you don't want to delete all items in the Deleted Items folder, you can delete a single folder separately.

1. Press the Tab key until you hear "Navigation pane," then press the Tab key until you hear the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Deleted items, collapsed."

2. To expand the folder, press the Right arrow key.

3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to delete.

4. To open the context menu, press Alt+Shift+F10.

5. In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Delete, menu item," and then press Enter. You hear: "Delete folder dialog."

6. To permanently delete the folder and its contents, press Enter.

See also

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook

Keyboard shortcuts for Outlook

Basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Outlook Mail

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.