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Reduce the size of the Favorite Folders pane
 

You can’t remove or move the Favorite Folders pane heading in the Mail pane view. However, you can minimize the space the Favorite Folders pane takes up in the Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.) by removing some or all of the folders in that pane.

Note  When you delete messages from folders in the Favorite Folders pane, they are deleted from your Inbox. However, if you remove a folder from the Favorite Folders pane, the folder will still remain in its original location in the Mail pane.

For a view of the Navigation Pane without Favorite Folders, try using the Folder List (Folder List: Displays the folders available in your mailbox. To view subfolders, click the plus sign (+) next to the folder. If the Folder List is not visible, on the Go menu, click Folder List.) view.

Remove folders in the Favorite Folders pane

  1. Right-click the folder you want to remove.
  2. On the shortcut menu, click Remove from Favorite Folders.
  3. Repeat this for each folder that you want to remove. Folders must be removed individually from the Favorite Folders pane.

    Note  If you remove all the folders and want to add a folder at a later time, just click a folder, and then drag it to the Favorite Folders pane.

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Switch to Folder List view

  • On the Go menu, click Folder List or click Button image at the bottom of the Navigation pane.

Keep the Folder List as your main view

If you switch to the Folder List view and then close Outlook, you will see the Folder List when you open Outlook again. However, if you navigate away from your current view using one of the Navigation Pane buttons (rather than clicking a folder in the Folder List), then the Navigation Pane view will revert back to the default view with smaller panes related only to that view. Also, in the default view, your Inbox folders will not be visible in other views besides the Mail view.

Note  You can't see shared folders, such as shared calendars, in the Folder List view.

Important  To retain the Folder List view while moving around in Outlook, click the appropriate folder, icon, or name in the Folder List itself. Do not navigate to other Outlook views using the buttons at the bottom of the Navigation Pane. Doing so changes your view back to the default view.

For example, if you click the Calendar button, you will go to the Calendar view in your main Outlook window, but you won't see the Folder List view in the Navigation Pane anymore. Using the button resets the Navigation Pane back to a view that applies only to the Calendar.

ShowTip   Hide the large buttons and increase space in the Navigation Pane

To avoid clicking the large buttons at the bottom of the Navigation Pane, and gain more space, you can change from large buttons displayed vertically at the bottom of the pane to small buttons displayed horizontally across the bottom of the pane. Point to the horizontal splitter bar between the folders and the buttons. When the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow Icon image, drag the splitter bar up or down.

If you drag the horizontal splitter bar to the bottom of the Navigation Pane, all the large buttons will convert to small buttons and appear in a single row at the bottom of the pane.

Hide the Folder List and go back to the Mail pane view

  • At the bottom of the Navigation Pane, click the Mail button Button image or Mail Button image .
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