Moving Outlook inbox email to a different folder

Question

Moving Outlook inbox email to a different folder

Gregory Allen 10

Hi.
I am using the new Outlook.
Today, it stopped allowing me to to move an inbox email to a different folder.
I have a folder for each individual client. When I attempt to move an inbox email to a client's folder, Outlook immediately moves it back to the inbox. I also tried copying inbox emails to clients' folder, but copying also immediately moves the email back to the inbox.
This problem makes the new Outlook useless as an email management tool because all email have to stay in the inbox permanently
Thanks

Charles Atlas 5 Reputation points

2025-08-26T05:08:53.0933333+00:00

I have exactly the same problem as described by the OP (original poster). Not being able to move emails to personal folders renders New Outlook completely useless for serious users like myself who have have developed complex personal folder structures to manage their email.
NPSR 0 Reputation points

2025-08-26T15:56:06.9633333+00:00
I’m experiencing a very similar issue since our migration to Windows 11 last week using Outlook New Windows client. Switching back to Outlook Classic resolves the problem.

I’m not sure whether the issue is caused by the August Outlook update or the Windows 11 migration itself.

For context:

We're running Windows 11 24H2, currently on the July update, as the August CU fails to install.

We're using Office 365 (32-bit).

I was using Outlook New under Windows 10 for months without this issue.
Rin-L 3,045 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-27T07:44:30.7366667+00:00

Hi @Charles Atlas and @NPSR, I’ve just tested moving an email from the Inbox to the Drafts folder using both drag-and-drop and the “Move” action in my test environment, and everything worked as expected. The message was successfully moved without reverting or any other issues.

However, I’ve received reports from multiple users experiencing this issue. At this time, I haven’t found any official confirmation from Microsoft that this is a known incident. Please understand s a forum moderator, I don’t have the internal tools or permissions to escalate or resolve service-related issues directly.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that you report this issue via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center by navigating to: Health → Service Health → Report an issue. If you’re not an admin, please contact your organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator for assistance.

The more reports Microsoft receives from affected organizations, the more they are to investigate and address the issue. Their engineering team will review customer reports, verify the issue, and take appropriate action to mitigate it.

In the meantime, you can also explore support options here: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

Thank you for your understanding and for taking the time to share this information. I hope the guidance provided helps clarify the appropriate next steps you can take.
NPSR 0 Reputation points

2025-08-27T15:51:41.7033333+00:00

I am not an M365 admin.

You might want to try moving the email to a subfolder instead of the Drafts folder, as they appear to use different mechanisms.

I reverted to version 1.2025.702.0, but unfortunately, that did not resolve the issue. I then reinstalled version 1.2025.806.300/1.2025.818.302, and the problem still persists.

Btw, the version displayed within the application is 1.2025.806.300, but the version listed in the installed apps section is 1.2025.818.302 which is inconsistent...

2 answers

Your answer

Charles Atlas 5 Reputation points

2025-08-26T05:08:53.0933333+00:00

I have exactly the same problem as described by the OP (original poster). Not being able to move emails to personal folders renders New Outlook completely useless for serious users like myself who have have developed complex personal folder structures to manage their email.
NPSR 0 Reputation points

2025-08-26T15:56:06.9633333+00:00

I’m experiencing a very similar issue since our migration to Windows 11 last week using Outlook New Windows client. Switching back to Outlook Classic resolves the problem.

I’m not sure whether the issue is caused by the August Outlook update or the Windows 11 migration itself.

For context:

We're running Windows 11 24H2, currently on the July update, as the August CU fails to install.

We're using Office 365 (32-bit).

I was using Outlook New under Windows 10 for months without this issue.
Rin-L 3,045 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-27T07:44:30.7366667+00:00

Hi @Charles Atlas and @NPSR, I’ve just tested moving an email from the Inbox to the Drafts folder using both drag-and-drop and the “Move” action in my test environment, and everything worked as expected. The message was successfully moved without reverting or any other issues.

However, I’ve received reports from multiple users experiencing this issue. At this time, I haven’t found any official confirmation from Microsoft that this is a known incident. Please understand s a forum moderator, I don’t have the internal tools or permissions to escalate or resolve service-related issues directly.

Therefore, I strongly recommend that you report this issue via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center by navigating to: Health → Service Health → Report an issue. If you’re not an admin, please contact your organization’s Microsoft 365 administrator for assistance.

The more reports Microsoft receives from affected organizations, the more they are to investigate and address the issue. Their engineering team will review customer reports, verify the issue, and take appropriate action to mitigate it.

In the meantime, you can also explore support options here: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

Thank you for your understanding and for taking the time to share this information. I hope the guidance provided helps clarify the appropriate next steps you can take.
NPSR 0 Reputation points

2025-08-27T15:51:41.7033333+00:00

I am not an M365 admin.

You might want to try moving the email to a subfolder instead of the Drafts folder, as they appear to use different mechanisms.

I reverted to version 1.2025.702.0, but unfortunately, that did not resolve the issue. I then reinstalled version 1.2025.806.300/1.2025.818.302, and the problem still persists.

Btw, the version displayed within the application is 1.2025.806.300, but the version listed in the installed apps section is 1.2025.818.302 which is inconsistent...

Answer 1

Hi @Gregory Allen,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand the issue you're facing, and to better assist you, could you please confirm the following:

Are you using a Microsoft 365 Business account (provided by your organization/school) or a Personal account?
Have you set up any rules in your mailbox? Misconfigured rules might cause unexpected behavior.
Does this issue occur with all folders, or only specific ones? Please try creating a new folder and test whether you can move or copy emails into it.
Could you please check if your mailbox still has available storage? You can do this by clicking the gear icon → Accounts → Storage. Limited space can affect how Outlook handles email actions like moving or copying.
Does the same issue occur when using Outlook on the web? What about when switching to Outlook Classic?
Do you see any error messages or warnings when attempting to move or copy emails?

In the meantime, here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:

1.Sign out and sign back in to Outlook.

Sometimes, session-related issues or temporary glitches can affect how Outlook behaves. Signing out and signing back in helps refresh your account connection and may resolve syncing or folder-related problems.

2.Ensure Outlook is updated to the latest version.

Using an outdated version of Outlook can lead to unexpected bugs or compatibility issues. Keeping Outlook updated ensures you have the latest fixes and improvements.

For you reference: How to update Microsoft 365 or Office for Windows - Microsoft Support

3.Repair your Office installation:

Go to Settings → Apps → Installed Apps → Microsoft 365 → Modify
Choose Quick Repair, or Online Repair if the issue persists

For you reference: Repair an Office application - Microsoft Support

Please understand that our initial response may not resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

Looking forward to your response. I'm happy to assist further!

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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Charles Atlas 5 Reputation points

2025-08-27T10:56:43.53+00:00

Hi Rin-L - I think there may be a difference moving an email from the inbox to the drafts folder and from the inbox to a personal folder. Personal Folders use .PST files whereas the drafts folder is in the same OST file as the Inbox, Sent Items, etc?

In case this is relevant to other users, the only reason I moved to New Outlook from Classic Outlook was because I have two email accounts (Hotmail and Google Workspace) and Google tightened up its security some months ago preventing third party apps like Outlook from accessing Google email. Microsoft advised moving to New Outlook. This problem has now been fixed - Outlook Classic now supports OAuth - and I'm back to using my preferred Outlook Classic.

Answer 2

Gregory Allen 10

Hi,
I am using MS365 for business and home.
I am using the new Outlook.
I have set all the rules and rechecked them.
The web version and the desktop version present the exact same faults.
I have used half of my allocated storage.
I have shut down and restarted.
I have reinstalled the software.
I have the latest version of everything (it's that latest versions that present the problems).
The new Outlook is lacking most of the tools, flexibility and functions of the previous Classic Outlook.
I tried Quick Repair, it does not work.
No error messages or warnings when trying to move. The move tool does not work

The new Outlook have an enormous amount of work to do the match the functionality of the Classic Outlook. The new Outlook seem like an experimental toy by comparison.

Thank you for your advice and the links
Gregory

Rin-L 3,045 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-20T13:14:34.07+00:00

Hi @Gregory Allen,

Thank you for your detailed response.

To assist you more effectively, may I kindly ask you to confirm or provide a few additional details:

What type of account is affected by this issue? Business accounts are provided by companies or schools (e.g., ******@company.com), while personal accounts are created by individuals for personal use (e.g., ******@outlook.com). This helps us determine the most appropriate troubleshooting steps.

I understand that the New Outlook experience may still lack some features compared to the Classic version. As forum moderators, I am unable to make changes to the app itself. However, you can try switching back to the Classic Outlook by toggling the switch in the top-right corner and see if the issue persists.

Could you also try signing out and signing back into your account via the web version of Outlook to see if that resolves the issue?

Additionally, have you checked your mail rules to ensure there are no conflicts or misconfigurations that might be affecting how your emails are moved?

I appreciate your patience and understanding. I hope you can continue to provide your feedback so I can assist you more effectively.
Rin-L 3,045 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-22T07:15:04.3333333+00:00

Hi @Gregory Allen,

Is there any update from you? If yes, please feel free to let me know.
Rin-L 3,045 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-25T07:53:19.13+00:00

Hi @Gregory Allen,

I hope this message finds you well.

This is my second follow-up to check whether your issue has been resolved. I truly want to ensure your experience is as smooth as possible. If your problem is still ongoing or if you have faced any new difficulties, please share more details about the current steps you are stuck on. I am here and happy to provide further help whenever you need it.

While waiting for your response, I will continue tracking other customer questions on the forum to ensure everyone receives timely support. If you have additional questions, please feel free to tag my name in your reply so I can assist you promptly and more personally.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

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Moving Outlook inbox email to a different folder

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