Why Folders Are a Great Email Organization Tool

Fastmail Folders are the perfect organization tool for customers that love an empty inbox. Moving messages into customized folders is a quick way to keep your inbox tidy. Folders help you create the perfect designated places for your messages that complement your workflow.

How to start using Folders

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your inbox, try categorizing your messages by moving them into folders. Start by creating broad folders that fit your email needs. Click the “+” on the bottom left-hand side of your screen under the default folders list and assign a name to your folder. You can never go wrong with the classics: “Work,” “Family,” “Personal,” “Records,” etc.

Fastmail makes it easy to move messages into the folder of your choosing. Choose a message and click the “Move To” button at the top of the screen. You can then transfer the highlighted message to the appropriate folder and out of your inbox.

Subfolders are just as easily added to your folders menu, allowing specificity and advanced organization. For example, in your “Work” parent folder, you can create subfolders pertaining to specific projects or people. To create a subfolder, click the “+” button at the bottom of the folder list, name your folder, and then choose the parent folder you would like it to appear under from the dropdown before clicking “Create folder.”

Make it pop

Adding color to your Fastmail routine helps boost memory and productivity when specific messages correspond with assigned color meaning. It is a fun way to express yourself while brightening up your inbox. Hover over any folder in your list, click the three dots that appear, and choose a color that highlights the importance of that folder. For emails that require quick action, try creating an “Urgent” folder and assign the color red.

Advanced settings for all users

Your Fastmail inbox works just as hard as you do. Try these advanced folder settings to upgrade your inbox. You can activate “Auto-Purge” in any folder to automatically delete messages after a given duration of time, from 1 day up to 1 year. Be careful when setting up Auto-Purge — all messages will be permanently deleted, rather than being sent to Trash. You can set up auto-purge by going to Settings → Folders, clicking the ”Edit” button next to the folder, and then clicking ”Show advanced preferences.” For there, click the button next to ”Permanently delete unpinned messages after” and select how long you’d like the messages to stay in the folder.

Fastmail’s powerful search function combs through your messages to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Do you find yourself frequently going back to search for the same messages over and over? You can save time and increase your efficiency by creating a saved search. Your saved search will be available in your folder list, and functions like a folder containing any messages that match the search. To start using saved search, type something into the search bar and press enter: your search results will appear. Your search criteria will be shown above your folders list on the left-hand side. Click “Save,” which makes it quicker to find what you were looking for than ever before.

The “Archive” Folder is great for Inbox Zero email users. Move messages that don’t quite fit in any of your folders but crowd your inbox: out of sight and out of mind.

Even more productivity with Folders

Now that you have your folders set up, you may not want to take the time daily to move each message into its folder. Using Fastmail Rules, you can create a system that moves your messages into the intended folder as you receive them. You can create rules directly from your searchers or the Fastmail settings menu.

Pro-tip: When utilizing folders, you can edit your custom swipe functions on mobile for messages to “move to” your chosen folders.

There are endless ways to customize your Fastmail inbox to meet your needs. Implement folders into your workflow today to reclaim your time, ease your mind, and make email yours!