Outlook categorizes emails into folders, such as Inbox, 

, Drafts, Sent Items, and others. Besides these default categories, you can create custom folders to 

after teaching you how to create a folder in Outlook on different devices, this guide will show you:

How to use folders to organize your inbox automatically

The security and privacy concerns associated with using Outlook

Automate inbox management with Skiff Mail’s spam blockers and filtering.

Organization and security go hand-in-hand.

How to add a folder in Outlook using a web browser or the desktop app

Outlook lets you create custom folders that you can use to categorize emails based on clients, projects, and other topics. Creating a new folder in the browser-based version is simple, and it only takes a few steps:

The process is similar if you’re using the 

Right-click on your email address in the left sidebar

You can also organize Outlook folders hierarchically by 

How to add a folder in Outlook on an iPhone or Android device

The mobile version of Outlook has the same interface on iOS and Android phones and tablets, so creating a folder works the same on all devices. Unlike its desktop counterpart, 

the Outlook mobile app doesn’t let you create an empty folder.

You can only make a folder once you have an email you want to move there. To do so, take the following steps:

Press and hold the email you want to move

The new folder will be accessible from the left sidebar

, which you can pull up by tapping the Outlook icon in the upper left corner of the screen.

To move emails to another existing folder without making a new one, tap the folder of choice instead of the Add Folder icon during the fourth step.

How to move an email to an existing folder in Outlook using a web browser

Now that you’ve learned how to make a new folder in Outlook on various devices, here’s 

how to move existing emails to a desired folder 

and reorganize your inbox. In the browser-based version of Outlook, the process consists of the following steps:

Select the desired folder from the drop-down menu

move emails is via the right-click context menu:

Choose the destination folder from the subsequent menu

How to organize your online correspondence with Outlook folders

Default and custom Outlook folders can be powerful tools for email management. To help you organize your inbox,

 learn how to perform the following tasks with email folders:

Retrieve specific emails via Search Folders

How to create a folder in Outlook for specific emails

While you can move emails around your inbox manually, this method won’t be efficient if you receive numerous emails on a daily basis. Instead, 

you can automate email categorization via Outlook’s rule-based email system.

The system lets you establish predefined criteria that dictate how emails are sorted into designated folders.

Let’s say your business inbox receives emails from hundreds of clients. To keep track of your correspondence with vital customers, you can create a separate folder named “Important Clients” and set up rules to automatically redirect emails from the specified contacts.

Follow these steps to set up such an email rule:

as a condition in the drop-down menu below

Enter the list of designated senders in the adjacent prompt

After you complete these steps, any emails from your selected contacts will go to the Important Clients folder, providing a quick overview of your most important business communications.

For more organizing tips, this guide teaches you 

. If you’re using multiple email providers, here’s another quick read on:

The ‘From’ condition is only one of many criteria that you can use to set up an efficient email management system in Outlook. There are many other rules used to automate actions. For instance, you can create a rule that separates all emails whose subject lines contain a certain keyword.

Check out the table below to learn which other 

criteria you can set for Outlook folders:

If you need information from a specific period but don’t know what keywords to search for, you can use the

rule to get a clear overview of all emails from that time.

. Let’s say you want to view all messages with attachments but from one specific sender. You’d add the 

How to create personal folders in Outlook

In Outlook, a “personal folder” isn’t an actual folder—

it’s another name for a Personal Storage Table (PST) file used for backups of your inbox.

 When you create a personal folder, Outlook exports the following data to the file:

How to create a folder in Outlook—Manage your emails more efficiently 

, which might result from Microsoft’s faulty spam detection algorithms. Outlook is far from the most 

, and excessive spam is only one of the many symptoms of this issue.

 or legitimate unsolicited mail, this guide will help you by explaining 

. You’ll then learn about the additional steps you can take to clear your inbox of unwanted correspondence.

Skiff Mail’s end-to-end encryption prevents spam, phishing, and ad targeting

Simplify spam control with Skiff

The specific steps to blocking someone in 

 depend on the version you’re using. To cover as much ground as possible, we’ll show you how to do it on the following:

How to block emails in Outlook on the web

Previously known as the Outlook Web App (OWA), Outlook on the web is among the most popular versions of this 

. If you’re using it and wish to block someone, follow these steps:

Open the email from a sender you want to block

Click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner of the email

add someone to the list of blocked contacts

Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the screen

Unfortunately, the address won’t autofill as you start typing it, so you need to copy/paste it into the field.

Whichever approach you take, all future emails from a blocked sender will 

. Doing this won’t notify them of the block, and they will still be able to email you, but their messages shouldn’t appear in your inbox anymore.

, so you don’t need to do it manually. If you still prefer to do it yourself, go to the Junk Email folder and click 

How to block an email on Outlook from the app

 is a bit more involved as there’s no readily available block option. Instead, you need to do the following:

Choose the applicable concern from the list (spam, hate speech, etc.), and tap 

. As you see in the above image, you can also choose to either report the email as junk or a phishing attempt, which we’ll discuss later in this guide.

The macOS version of Outlook makes it easy to block a sender—you can do it in three quick steps:

Navigate to the email from a sender you wish to block

Add the address to the list of blocked contacts

Blocking someone isn’t the only way to ensure your inbox isn’t cluttered with unsolicited mail. Depending on the email type and extent of the issue, you can also do any of the following:

Unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer follow

If most of your unwanted emails come from advertisers, there’s an easier way to resolve this issue than blocking them—all you need to do is unsubscribe. Unlike many competitors, Outlook makes managing all your subscriptions in one place easy. Here’s how to do so:

Click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the screen to access settings

 next to the senders you no longer wish to receive emails from

In some cases, Outlook will also give you an option to unsubscribe directly from the email. This feature mainly becomes available when Outlook recognizes you’ve received many emails from a particular sender, showing you the 

unsubscribe button above the sender’s name

you may not see the unsubscribe option every time you need it

, so managing your subscriptions is a more effective way to take yourself off an advertiser’s email list.

Commercial spam is easy to eliminate through the steps outlined in the previous section. Unfortunately, other forms of spam are more malicious and require more than blocking and unsubscribing.

multiple devices that form a so-called botnet

. If your email address enters a botnet database, it can rapidly get distributed among many devices.

Some spammers might also want to get a hold of your personal data through phishing

—a form of social engineering involving the scammer impersonating a legitimate sender to manipulate the victim into taking action. They might finetune their strategy and target you with numerous emails.

 so that Microsoft can better filter them in the future. You already learned how to do this in the Outlook app earlier in this guide, so 

here are the steps you should take if you use the web version:

 button above the email. By default, Outlook will consider this a phishing report, but you can click the down-facing arrow next to the button and go to 

Reporting an email should help Outlook’s spam detection algorithms weed them out in the future. Note that 

, so keep reporting all suspicious mail until they subside.

Despite your best efforts, unsolicited emails might get overwhelming. If this happens, changing your email address might be the best solution. Otherwise, you risk further damage to your productivity and potential theft of your personal information in case of a successful phishing attempt.

If you decide to change your address, you may also want to consider 

. Besides overwhelming spam, the platform suffers from significant 

, Yahoo, etc.), Outlook uses the following encryption standards:

While AES-256 is a solid encryption algorithm, 

that is far from strong enough to ensure your correspondence doesn’t get intercepted.

An even bigger issue is that Microsoft creates and stores encryption keys, which means the company has 

unrestricted access to plaintext copies of your emails

. Microsoft can decipher and read your correspondence, which privacy-conscious users may find concerning.

. With E2EE, the key created and stored on your device encrypts your emails, and only the recipient has the corresponding decryption key. 

You don’t get such protection with a typical Big Tech email provider. Instead, you need a 

Skiff Mail—privacy and security for every user

Skiff Mail uses end-to-end encryption to ensure 

 at all times. When you create an account, Skiff 

—Shared with the recipient, it encrypts emails on the device level before you send them

—Remains safely stored on the user’s device and is used to decipher the messages

You retain full ownership of the keys, and they’re n

. This means that even the provider’s team can’t decipher your emails, no matter the circumstances. Everything you share is confidential, and you can even 

 anonymously, thanks to the zero-knowledge login feature

. Skiff Mail won’t ask for your name, phone number, or any other identifier.

The Secure Remote Password algorithm further safeguards your login credentials

, encrypting critical account data and other encryption keys. You can also 

 using the Authenticator app to add another security layer to your correspondence and minimize the risk of account takeovers.

Skiff Mail protects your email activity from curious advertisers and malicious parties by 

. No one can use your email behavior to finetune ad campaigns or phishing attacks.

 to learn more about the platform’s security measures.

All the features you need to stay productive

All of Skiff Mail’s security features are active by default, so you don’t need to go through any complex setups. As soon as you get started, you can enjoy the platform’s minimalistic, user-friendly interface and various useful features, such as:

How to block emails in Outlook + extra tips

Fastmail, launched in 1999, is one of the oldest 

—probably because it is not free—it still has a loyal user base. 

 was launched in 2014 and quickly rose as a 

 will help you make an informed decision based on various 

factors that can make or break the overall user experience

Skiff is an elaborate end-to-end encrypted ecosystem for safe online communication, collaboration, and data storage

Make no compromises

ProtonMail vs. Fastmail—Which option is better?

When choosing an email service, consider the solution as a whole, especially taking into account the platform’s functionality, security, and feature variety. To make the choice a bit easier, we’ve

 analyzed ProtonMail and Fastmail across relevant categories

 is one of the primary reasons privacy-conscious users are exploring encrypted email service providers. Services with weak encryption standards put your messages at risk of unauthorized access during transit or after delivery. Both ProtonMail and Fastmail are 

 claiming to safeguard your messages from third parties, but their 

, which means your data is scrambled during transmission between 

TLS and SSL standards are used by all major email providers, 

. So, is Fastmail better than Gmail? While providers that use only basic encryption may offer some additional protection measures, their overall security level remains the same. You can learn whether such measures make a difference in this 

, which compares it to Google’s solution.

While basic security standards safeguard your emails during transit, 

 are still vulnerable when resting on Fastmail’s servers

. Fastmail also creates and keeps the decryption keys to your messages, so any 

 its servers can steal them and access your emails.

The security protocols at ProtonMail are more advanced as the platform 

The messages are encrypted on the sender’s device and decrypted on the receiver’s end with a key created and stored by the user. This means no unauthorized third party—including the provider—can access them.

While ProtonMail implements stronger security than Fastmail, it is not without faults. 

 protocol that does not encrypt the subject line of emails and has demonstrated significant vulnerabilities in the past.

Here is a Fastmail vs. ProtonMail security table comparison with their encryption measures of choice:

If email security is your primary concern, you might want to look into other E2EE services, such as 

, which offer more advanced end-to-end encryption.

Data integrity is an extension of security but needs to be reviewed separately as Fastmail and ProtonMail aim to attract privacy-focused users. Unlike common 

, neither service capitalizes on user data.

—ProtonMail and Fastmail allow setting up 2FA for secure logins with out-of-band verifications. It ensures your email account will be protected even if someone steals your login credentials

—Aliases hide your main email address and can be added and deleted at your convenience. Like 

, they can be used for signups on sketchy websites and help prevent spam and data mining. You can also use them as alternate business addresses

ProtonMail has the edge over Fastmail due to features like zero-knowledge login and 

The platform also offers tracking protection by removing trackers attached to marketing emails. Furthermore, ProtonMail is Swiss-based and answers to the country’s pro-privacy laws, while Fastmail is rooted in Australia, a 

Here is a table overview of their notable privacy features:

ProtonMail vs. Fastmail feature comparison

ProtonMail and Fastmail provide all the basic benefits you expect from a reliable provider, including:

Besides these core similarities, the services focus on different productivity aspects. The former prioritizes security, with features like 

. It also offers a comprehensive product suite to streamline your workflow—by signing up for ProtonMail, you get access to an E2EE ecosystem that includes VPN and Drive for free.

Fastmail might appeal to users by offering more diverse features, such as:

—Fastmail allows users to perform multi-level text searches according to various parameters (similar to 

 and Gmail). ProtonMail’s search feature requires you to download all emails to your browser’s cache, which can be tedious

—Fastmail’s basic plan allows users to store 600+ aliases, although it may be unnecessarily generous. ProtonMail’s alias limit is under 10 for its cheapest subscription plan

Fastmail has a trainable spam filter that can classify messages as spam or non-spam according to your input. The platform also offers a snooze option for emails—which may interest 

 and productivity-focused users—but the feature is not available on webmail interfaces or to 

plan subscribers. Some Fastmail users expressed frustration over being unable to open 

Both providers have simple and clean interfaces that contribute to a satisfactory user experience.

Fastmail makes managing your inbox easier with features like threaded conversations and unlimited folder additions. 

The color customization tools help add a personal touch. Note that some users have complained about issues like delayed delivery and no image-zoom-in feature and felt that the user interface 

ProtonMail flaunts a modern dashboard with text grouping and theme customization options. 

You can also switch between column and row layouts depending on what works for you. But what are the disadvantages of ProtonMail? While the provider has significantly modernized the user interface and offers an overall smooth email experience, a handful of users say 

 (loading or notification) with ProtonMail.

Skiff's email, custom domains, storage, and other advanced security features are free for all users

Choose a free security-oriented email service

ProtonMail vs. Fastmail—pricing and value for money

ProtonMail pricing structure has an obvious advantage over Fastmail because it offers a free tier with up to 1 GB of storage. A free user gets no aliases and can't send more than 150 messages a day. Individual users can upgrade to Proton Unlimited and access 500 GB of storage, unlimited messaging, and 15 aliases for $9.99 per month.

, two of which will be laid out in the table below:

 is customizable and available upon contact, but you can expect to get more storage and a dedicated account manager.

Now, how much is Fastmail vs. ProtonMail? 

, but you get a 30-day free trial on all plans.

 Here’s an outline of the comparative cost and features of the three Fastmail pricing plans:

*These are daily limits. Fastmail also has hourly and 10-minute limits for each plan.

So, is Fastmail worth it? Fastmail appears more affordable overall, but regardless of the ProtonMail cost, users get a free plan and more generous paid plans.

Fastmail vs. ProtonMail—Let’s make the choice easier!

Fastmail’s most unique feature is the option to choose over 600 aliases—it’s unlikely any provider can beat that. While it is a solid option, the provider might not be 

 along with a decent set of features that enhance your productivity. 

Unfortunately, the free tier is fairly restrictive

, and even the most expensive paid plan caps the storage at 500 GB.

The solution is to look into alternative services that check all the boxes in terms of security, ease of use, affordability, and features.

is the perfect choice if you want a privacy-focused, end-to-end encrypted email service with rich features, a generous free plan, and a beautifully designed user interface.

 is an open source email service designed specifically for users who value the security and privacy of their online communication. The platform uses E2EE encryption to give you complete ownership over your messages and 

Skiff uses two keys to protect your emails from unauthorized access:

, distributed among recipients and used for encryption

, stored on the user’s device and used for decryption

Sunny Li