How to find, show and clear flagged emails in Outlook

A flag is the fastest "deal with this later" Outlook has. Finding those emails later is where people get stuck, because each version of Outlook shows flags in a different place, and a filter only looks at one folder.

This guide covers every way to pull your flagged emails up, from a one-click filter to a list that collects them from every folder, plus why flags seem to vanish.

How to show only flagged emails in new Outlook and on the web

1. Open the folder you want to check, usually Inbox.
2. Select Filter at the top of the message list.
3. Choose Flagged.

The list now shows only flagged messages from that folder. Clear the filter the same way to see everything again.

This works per folder. If you file flagged emails into other folders, or rules move them there, the inbox filter won't show them. A search folder fixes that.

How to see flagged emails from every folder with a search folder

A search folder is a saved view, not a real folder. It shows every message that matches a rule, wherever the message is stored, and deleting the search folder never deletes the emails.

In new Outlook:

1. In the folder pane, go to Search Folders and select Create new search folder.
2. Under Reading mail, choose Flagged for follow-up.
3. Optionally turn on Filter to specific folders, or leave it off to search the whole mailbox.
4. Select Create.

Your search folders are also listed under Settings > Mail > Search folders, where you can add, edit or delete them. In Outlook on the web, Microsoft limits search folders to work or school accounts and Outlook.com accounts with a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription.

In classic Outlook, a For Follow Up search folder exists already, and every message you flag shows up in it. If you deleted it, create it again:

1. On the Folder tab, select New Search Folder (or press Ctrl+Shift+P).
2. Under Reading Mail, select Mail flagged for follow up.
3. Select OK.

The search folder counts every message in it, read or not, so the number next to it won't match your unread count.

How to find flagged emails in classic Outlook

Classic Outlook has three more ways to bring flagged mail up, each useful in a different moment:

• Filter: on the Home tab, in the Find group, select Filter Email, then Flagged. Outlook searches with that filter and shows the matching term in the search box.
• Sort: in a multi-line view, select Arranged by and choose Flag: Start Date or Flag: Due Date. In single-line view, select the Flag Status column header. Flagged mail groups together at the top or bottom.
• To-Do Bar: turn it on with View > Layout > To-Do Bar > Tasks. Flagged emails then stay visible on the right side of the window, whatever folder you're in.

The same sort works in Sent Items, where Microsoft suggests reviewing the messages you sent with a flag for their recipients.

How to see flagged emails on iPhone and Android

In the Outlook app, tap the Filters icon at the top right of your inbox and choose Flagged. Tap the X next to the filter, or the icon again, to clear it.

If you read a Gmail account in the Outlook app, starred Gmail messages count as flagged.

How to see flagged emails in Microsoft To Do

Every email you flag in Outlook also appears as a task in Microsoft To Do's Flagged email list, across folders, on every device where To Do runs. It's the closest thing Outlook has to a single list of everything you've flagged.

Turn it on in To Do under Settings > Connections > Flagged email.

Microsoft documents a few conditions, and they explain most "flagged emails not showing in To Do" reports:

• The mailbox must be hosted by Microsoft: Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live or a Microsoft 365 account, custom domains included.
• The first sync is limited to the 100 most recently flagged emails from the last 30 days. Older flags don't come across; flags you add afterwards do.
• Only your primary mailbox counts. Flags in shared mailboxes and shared folders don't sync.
• Flagged calendar events are skipped.

For everything else To Do does with these tasks, see our Microsoft To Do guide. If you also keep tasks in Outlook itself, how to use tasks in Outlook explains how flags and tasks relate there.

Why flagged emails disappear in Outlook

When flagged emails seem to be gone, it's usually one of these:

• The filter is on another folder. Filters only look at the folder you're in. Use a search folder or To Do's list to see all of them.
• The flag was marked complete. In classic Outlook, Mark Complete turns the flag into a green check and the message leaves the To-Do Bar. It's still in its folder.
• The flag was cleared. Clear Flag removes the flag and its reminder.
• The message was deleted. A flag belongs to the message, so deleting the email removes it from every flagged view. Check Deleted Items.
• The For Follow Up search folder was deleted. Re-create it as described above.
• It's older than 30 days in To Do. To Do's first sync only brings in recent flags.

How to clear or complete a flag in Outlook

Outlook gives you two ways to be done with a flag, and they do different things:

• Mark Complete keeps a record: the flag turns into a check mark, so you can still find the email as completed.
• Clear Flag removes the flag entirely, together with its reminder.

In classic Outlook, right-click the flag in the message list and pick either one. If the message is open in its own window, use Message > Follow Up > Clear Flag. In new Outlook and on the web, select the flag next to a flagged message to unflag it.

To clear many flags at once, filter to Flagged first, select the messages, then clear the flag on the selection.

Turn flagged emails into a task list you can plan

Flags are good at catching work and bad at organizing it. A flagged email has no project, no owner field, and no place on a calendar, so a long flagged list turns into a second inbox.

If you plan your work in Notion, the To Do route above gives you a way out. 2sync's Microsoft To Do integration syncs To Do lists with a Notion database, and the Flagged email list is one of them.

Every email you flag then arrives in Notion as a task you can relate to a project, give a deadline, and see on a calendar or board.

The Flagged email list syncs one way: flags reach Notion, but tasks you create in Notion can't become flagged emails, because a flag belongs to a message. Microsoft's own limits still apply too, so the list starts with your 100 most recent flags from the last 30 days.

If you want the emails themselves in Notion rather than follow-ups, that's a different connection: how to sync Notion with Outlook mail covers it. The full To Do setup is in how to sync Notion with Microsoft To Do.

Make flags easy to find again

The quickest fix for lost flags is a search folder for flagged mail: set it up once and every flag lands there, whatever folder the email is in. On your phone, the Flagged filter does the same job for the inbox.

After that, decide what a flag means for you. If it means "reply this week", clear it when you reply. If it means "this is real work", send it somewhere you plan work, so it stops competing with new mail.

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