Office Accessibility
Outlook and Mail
Outlook and Mail
Use a screen reader to work with folders in Outlook
Applies ToOutlook for Microsoft 365 Outlook 2024 Outlook 2021 Outlook 2019 Outlook 2016 Outlook for iOS Outlook Web App

This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.

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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, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to rename, move, or delete folders.

Notes: 

In this topic

Display the Folder Pane

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

  1. To display the Folder Pane, 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 dialog, name, edit." 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: "Select where to place the folder " followed by the name of the folder currently in focus. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the location you want. You can change the location of the folder later. For instructions, go to Move a folder.

    Tips: 

    • To create the new folder on the same level as your Inbox, press the Up arrow key until you hear the name of your email account.

    • To create the new folder inside another folder, press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want.

  5. When you're ready, 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. In the messages list, navigate to the email you want to move to a folder.

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

  3. Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want, and then press Enter. If you hear "Collapsed" after a folder name, press the Right arrow key to expand the folder.

Rename a folder

  1. In the Outlook main view, press F6 until you hear "Mail folders," followed by 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 "Edit box," 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 "Mail folders," followed by 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 box opens. The focus is on the currently selected folder in the list of folders.

  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 "Mail folders," followed by 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 dialog, 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 "Mail folders," followed by 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 dialog, Yes button."

  3. To permanently delete all items in the Deleted Items 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 "Mail folders," followed by the currently selected folder, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want. If you hear "Deleted items," followed by "Collapsed," press the Right arrow key to expand the folder, and then press the Down arrow key until you find the folder you want.

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

  3. To delete the selected folder and its contents 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 for iOS 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

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

  1. In the message list, navigate to and open any email.

  2. In the email, swipe left until you hear "More conversation actions, button," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Move to folder button." Double-tap the screen to select. The Move conversation dialog box opens.

  3. Swipe right until you hear "Create new folder," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Create, alert, new folder."

  4. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name for the new folder. When you're done, tap near the top of the screen with four fingers.

  5. Swipe right until you hear "Create button," and then double-tap the screen. The folder is created, and focus returns to the Move conversation dialog box. You hear: "Close button."

  6. Do one of the following:

    • To move the email you opened to the new folder, swipe right until you hear the name of the folder, and double-tap the screen. The focus returns to the Outlook main view.

    • To exit the Move conversation dialog box and return to the email without moving the opened email, double-tap the screen. You hear: "Back button." To close the email and return to the message list, double-tap the screen.

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. You hear: "Move to folder button." Double-tap the screen to select. The Move conversation dialog box opens.

  3. Swipe right until you hear the folder you want, and then double-tap the screen. The email is moved to the selected folder. The focus returns to the Outlook main view.

See also

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook

Use a screen reader to format text in your email 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 for Android 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

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

  1. In the message list, navigate to and open the email you want to move to a new folder.

  2. In the email, swipe left until you hear "More options button," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Move to folder." Double-tap the screen to select. The Move conversation dialog box opens.

  3. Swipe right until you hear "Create new folder," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "New folder name, edit box."

  4. Use the on-screen keyboard to type the name for the folder. Once you're done, swipe down-then-left to close the on-screen keyboard.

  5. Swipe right until you hear "Create and move," and double-tap the screen. The folder is created, and the selected email is moved the newly created folder. The focus returns to the Outlook main view.

Move emails to a folder

  1. In the message list, navigate to and open the email you want to move to a folder.

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

  3. Swipe right until you hear "Move to folder," and then double-tap the screen. The Move conversation dialog box opens.

  4. Swipe right until you hear the folder you want, and then double-tap the screen. The email is moved to the folder and focus returns to the Outlook main view.

See also

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

Use a screen reader to format text in your email 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 in Microsoft Edge and JAWS and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to 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 365.

  • 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

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

  1. In the Outlook on the web main view, press the Tab key until you hear "Toggle left pane, collapsed," and then press Enter to expand and display the folder navigation pane. If you hear "Toggle left pane, expanded," the navigation pane is already displayed.

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 "Favorites" or the name of the folder currently in focus.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • To create the new folder on the main level of the folder tree, press the Down arrow key until you hear "New folder," and press Enter.

    • To create a subfolder inside 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 Shift+F10 to open the context menu. You hear: "Create a new subfolder." Press Enter to select.

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

Move emails to a folder

  1. In the message list, navigate to the email you want to move to a folder.

  2. Press Shift+10 to open the context menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Move," and then press Spacebar.

  3. Press the Down or Right 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," press the Tab key until you hear "Favorites" or the name of the folder currently in focus, 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 Shift+F10.

  3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Rename," and 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," press the Tab key until you hear "Favorites" or the name of the folder currently in focus, 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 Shift+F10.

  3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Delete," and press Enter. You hear: "Delete folder dialog, OK button."

  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," press the Tab key until you hear "Favorites" or the name of the folder currently in focus, and then press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear: "Deleted items."

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

  3. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Empty folder," and press Enter. You hear "Delete," followed by the number of items in the folder, and "Dialog, Delete all."

  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," press the Tab key until you hear "Favorites" or the name of the folder currently in focus, 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 Shift+F10.

  5. Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Delete," and then press Enter. You hear: "Delete folder dialog, OK button."

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

See also

Use a screen reader to work with folders in Outlook for Mac

Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Outlook

Use a screen reader to format text in your email 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.

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