How to Move Outlook Email Messages

Organize your messages by relocating them from one Outlook folder to another. Create new Outlook folders to organize email by type or category. Then, organize your email by moving messages to these folders. The information contained in this article is applicable to Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and Outlook for Microsoft 365.

• Using the Keyboard to Move Email Messages in Outlook
• Using the Ribbon to Move Email Messages in Outlook
• Drag and Drop Email Messages in Outlook

Using the Keyboard to Move Email Messages in Outlook

To send a message using a convenient keyboard shortcut:

1. Begin by selecting the message you wish to move. Alternatively, open the message in the Reading Pane or a new window.
2. Hold down Ctrl+Shift+V.
3. Press the Down or Up arrow keys to highlight a folder in the Move Items dialog box.
4. Use the Right arrow key to expand and show subfolders. To collapse folders, press the Left key.
5. By pressing a letter key, the first visible folder that begins with that letter is highlighted. Outlook highlights the parent folder in collapsed hierarchies.
6. Select OK or, if the target folder is highlighted, tap Tab to navigate to the OK box and press Space to confirm.

Using the Ribbon to Move Email Messages in Outlook

To quickly file an email or a group of messages in Outlook using the ribbon:

1. Begin by selecting the message or messages that you wish to move.

Open the email in a new window or in the Reading Pane of Outlook.

2. Select the Home tab.
3. Select Move from the Move group.
4. At the top of the list, a list of recently used folders appears. Select the folder you want from this list.

If you have folders with the same name but in different accounts, or if several folders in the same account have a subfolder with the same name, proceed to step 5 to ensure that the message is routed to the correct folder.

5. Select Other Folder to navigate to a specific folder within a list.

If you frequently move items to a particular folder, create a convenient shortcut for filing to that folder.

6. Select a folder in the Move Items dialog box, then click OK.

Drag and Drop Email Messages in Outlook

To use the mouse to move an email (or a group of emails) to a different folder in Outlook:

1. Select the email or emails you wish to move from the Outlook message list.
2. Click and hold a message that has been highlighted.
3. Drag the message to the folder of your choice.
4. If the desired folder is at the bottom of the list, pause over the folder list’s edge to scroll the list.
5. If the desired subfolder is collapsed, pause over the parent folder until it expands.
6. Release the mouse button when the desired folder is highlighted.
7. If you drag messages into the incorrect folder by accident, press Ctrl+Z to restore them to their original location.