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.
Use Outlook for Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to create a new folder and move items to it. You'll also learn how to rename, move, or delete folders.
Notes:
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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.
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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
You can create a new folder to organize, for example, your emails according to the subject or sender.
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In the Outlook main view, press F6 until you hear "Table," followed by the currently selected folder and the number of unread messages in the folder.
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To select the location for the new folder, 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.
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To create a folder on the same level as your Inbox, press the Up arrow key until you hear: "Inbox."
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To create a folder inside another folder, press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the folder you want.
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Press Shift+Command+N. You hear: "Folder, untitled folder." The focus is in the text field for the folder name.
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Type the name for the new folder, and then press Return.
Move emails to a folder
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In the message list, navigate to the email you want to move to a folder.
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Press Shift+Command+M. You hear: "Choose folder."
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Do one of the following:
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To search for the folder you want, start typing the name of the folder. The list of folders is updated as you type. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the folder, and then press Return.
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To browse the list of folders that are readily displayed in the dialog box, press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the folder you want, and press Return.
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Rename a folder
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In the Outlook main view, press F6 until you hear "Table," followed by the currently selected folder and the number of unread messages in the folder.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to rename, and then press Return.
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Delete or edit the current name, and then press Return.
Move a folder
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To go to the folder you want to move, 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.
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To open the context menu, press Control+Option+Shift+M or Shift+F10.
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In the menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Move folder," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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Do one of the following:
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To search for the destination folder, start typing the name of the folder. The search results list is updated as you type. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the folder, and then press Return.
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To browse the list of folders that are readily displayed in the dialog box, press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the folder you want, and press Return.
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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.
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In the Outlook main view, press F6 until you hear "Table," followed by the currently selected folder and the number of unread messages in the folder.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want to delete, and then do one of the following:
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Press Command+Delete key.
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Press Control+Option+Shift+M or Shift+F10 to open the context menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Delete folder," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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You hear: "Delete folder." The folder is moved to the Deleted Items folder.
Empty the Deleted Items folder
When you empty the Deleted Items folder, all items in it are deleted permanently.
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To go to the Deleted Items folder, press F6 until you hear "Table," followed by the currently selected folder and the number of unread messages in the folder.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Deleted items." To open the context menu, press Control+Option+Shift+M or Shift+F10.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear "Empty folder," and then press Control+Option+Spacebar. You hear: "Are you sure you want to delete all the messages in this folder."
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To permanently delete the contents of the Deleted Items folder, press the Tab key until you hear "Delete," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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.
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To go to the folder you want to permanently delete, press F6 until you hear "Table," followed by the currently selected folder and the number of unread messages in the folder.
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Press the Up or Down arrow key until you hear "Deleted items," press the Right arrow key to expand the Deleted Items folder, and then press the Down arrow key until you hear the folder you want.
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Do one of the following:
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Press Command+Delete key.
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Press Control+Option+Shift+M or Shift+F10 to open the context menu, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Delete folder," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
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You hear: "Are you sure you want to permanently delete the selected folder." To delete the folder permanently, press the Tab key until you hear "Delete," and press Control+Option+Spacebar.
See also
Use a screen reader to work with folders in Outlook (Windows, Mobile, Online)
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
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.
