You may want to combine the Outlook Inbox of different accounts into a single file if you want to arrange the email accounts in your Outlook. When you combine Outlook inbox, you also save on-screen space. If you use the automatic method to create email accounts in Microsoft Outlook, by default, each email account will prompt Outlook to create a new file and hence, a different inbox. You can always combine the accounts into a single file so that it becomes easy for you to manage your emails.
That is how you can achieve it!
Combine Outlook Inbox of multiple accounts
If you are creating new accounts using the auto-detect feature, you can combine the inbox once you are done with creating them. If you have already created the accounts, you can still combine them in Outlook.
To combine Outlook Inbox:
- Open Microsoft Outlook and click on the File menu.
- In the File menu, click on Account Settings, and in the drop-down menu that appears, select Settings again.
- You will be presented with the Account Settings window that lists all of your existing email accounts. Make sure you are on the Email tab
- Click on the email account whose inbox you wish to combine. MS Outlook will present you with the Change Folder option towards the bottom of the Account Settings window.
Note: This procedure assumes POP3 accounts.
Now, in the Change Folder dialog box, select Outlook and then Inbox. If you wish the mail to be delivered to a custom folder, click New Folder to create a new folder. If you wish to use a new PST file for email, you can select New Outlook File. But since your contacts, calendar, etc., are already stored in outlook.pst. It is better to choose Outlook -> Inbox as it will save time on backing up files (See the last figure below).
Once you have selected the folder you wish, click OK.
Repeat the above steps for each email account inbox you want to combine.
Close the Account Settings window
Following the above procedure, you can close the additional files that were created by MS Outlook for different email accounts that you have now combined – as the new mail will be delivered to the folder you selected in step 5.
This explains how you can combine Outlook inbox in version 2021/2019.
If you have any doubts, please drop a line below.
Can you combine inboxes in Outlook 365?
You cannot do so, as the option to change the folder is missing. Instead, you can use the search folder to see recent emails from all inboxes. Click on the Search box on top of Outlook, and search for All Mailboxes. Once it appears, click on it, and then click on the Unread option. Now you have a view where all unread emails appear in one place.
How do I make an email move to a specific folder when it arrives?
You will need to create rules for this. Based on the subject, email, from, to, and other email-related data, any email can be moved into a folder when it arrives. You can apply it to a single mailbox or all of them.
