How to Use Folder Suggest
What is Folder Suggest?
Folder Suggest is an Outlook add-in that uses AI to recommend the best folder for the email you're reading. It learns from the emails already in your folders and scores each folder by how closely it matches the current email — all processed locally on your device, with no data sent to external servers.
Installation
- Open Outlook (desktop or web)
- Click Get Add-ins from the ribbon (or go to Apps in the toolbar)
- Search for Folder Suggest in the store
- Click Add
How to Use It
1. Open an email
Select any email in your inbox that you want to file.
2. Open Folder Suggest
Click the Suggest Folder button in the ribbon (Home tab). The pane will open on the right side of your screen.
3. Wait for suggestions
The first time you run the add-in, it will download and load the AI model, then scan all your folders. This can take anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes depending on the number of folders and your internet speed. Subsequent runs are much faster thanks to local caching — folder data is stored on your device and only re-fetched when a folder's contents change.
4. Select a folder and move
The add-in shows up to 7 suggested folders, ranked by match score. Click a folder to select it, then click Move to Selected. The top suggestion is pre-selected automatically.
5. Undo if needed
After moving, an Undo button appears immediately. Click it to move the email back to your inbox. Undo is available until you switch to a different email.
Keeping the Pane Open (Classic Outlook only)
In Outlook classic desktop, you can pin the Folder Suggest pane so it stays open as you switch between emails:
- Open the Folder Suggest pane
- Click the pin icon (📌) in the top-right corner of the pane
- The pane will now refresh automatically each time you select a different email
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Refresh button do?
Refresh performs a full re-scan: it reloads the AI model, re-fetches your folder list, and re-scores everything from scratch. Use it if your folder structure has changed significantly or if suggestions seem stale. Note that it will be as slow as the first run.
Why does it take a long time the first time?
The AI model (~20 MB) is downloaded once from Hugging Face and cached in your browser. The add-in then scans up to 20 recent emails per folder to build a similarity profile — so if you have many folders, this can take a minute or two. After the first run, folder profiles are cached locally and only updated when folder contents change.
Why are there no suggestions for some emails?
Suggestions require at least one folder with existing emails. If all your folders are empty, there's nothing to match against. Try filing a few emails manually first.
My theme changed but the pane still shows the old theme
The add-in picks up your Outlook theme when it opens. If you change the theme while the pane is open, close and reopen the Folder Suggest pane to apply it.
Is my email data sent anywhere?
No. All AI processing happens on your device. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
How do I uninstall?
Go to Get Add-ins → My Add-ins, find Folder Suggest, and click the three-dot menu → Remove.
Troubleshooting
The sign-in popup was blocked
Your browser blocked the authentication popup. Allow popups for app.foldersuggest.com in your browser settings, then click Retry in the add-in pane.
The add-in pane is blank or won't load
Check your internet connection, then close and reopen the Folder Suggest pane. If the problem persists, try restarting Outlook. In Outlook on the web, try a hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R).
The AI model download is very slow or appears stuck
The AI model (~23 MB) is downloaded once on first use. If it appears stuck, check your internet connection. A Wi-Fi connection is recommended. The progress bar updates as it downloads — once complete, the model is cached and never re-downloaded.
I don't see the "Suggest Folder" button in the ribbon
The button appears in the Home tab when an email is open or selected. If it's missing, the add-in may not be installed — go to Get Add-ins and check My Add-ins. If it's listed but the button is missing, try restarting Outlook.
Does it work on Outlook mobile?
No. Outlook mobile (iOS and Android) does not support add-ins. Folder Suggest works in Outlook classic desktop, New Outlook for Windows, and Outlook on the web.
Suggestions are wrong or not relevant
Suggestions improve with more emails in your folders. Folders with fewer than 5 emails may not score well. Try clicking Refresh to rescan — if you've recently added emails to a folder, Refresh will pick them up.
Contact Support
If you have a question not covered here, or you've found a bug, please email us at [email protected]. We typically respond within 1–2 business days.