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I can no longer see new subfolders on Outlook on my iphone

Ania Wysinski 0 Reputation points
2026-04-07T15:20:52.1533333+00:00

I have always been able to access my subfolders that I create in Outlook on my laptop on both my laptop and on my iphone but most recently I created new subfolders and I don't see them on my phone only on my laptop. I need to access them on my mobile phone as well. What happened? How do I make them appear on my phone? And why don't I see them when it wasn't a problem until recently?

Outlook | Outlook for mobile | Outlook for iOS | For home
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  1. Kal-D 7,175 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-07T22:13:01.1066667+00:00

    Hi Ania Wysinski,

    In situations like this, it usually comes down to one of a few common causes: the folder tree is collapsed in Outlook for iPhone, the mobile app has a stale sync/cache, or the folders were created in a location that doesn’t sync to mobile.

    I’d suggest checking the following, in order:

    • In Outlook for iPhone, open the folder list and make sure the parent folder is expanded so subfolders are visible.
    • Sign in to Outlook on the web with the same account and confirm whether the new subfolders appear there.
    • If the folders do appear on the web, go back to Outlook for iPhone and try Settings > your account > Reset Account.
    • If that doesn’t help, remove the account from Outlook for iPhone and add it back.

    One important note if you’re using Outlook for Mac: new folders are sometimes created under “On My Computer” instead of under the actual mail account. Folders in On My Computer are stored locally, so they will show on the Mac but won’t sync to Outlook on the web or to mobile.

    If this is a Gmail or Yahoo IMAP account and the reset doesn’t help, it’s also worth checking whether the account’s Root Folder Path needs to be set to INBOX, as an incorrect root path can prevent subfolders from appearing correctly on mobile.

    Finally, if the folders do not appear in Outlook on the web, that usually indicates they aren’t syncing from the mailbox server at all and are likely stored only locally or under the wrong folder tree.

    Please let me know if this proves useful to you, or if you would like further assistance.

    I'm looking forward to your reply.


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  2. Q&A Assist
    2026-04-07T15:21:04.2133333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    On Outlook for iOS, subfolders may still be there but hidden due to recent changes in how folders are displayed and organized.

    Try these steps on the iPhone:

    1. In the Mail view, tap the account (three lines) icon at the top left.
    2. Next to the email account, tap the drop-down arrow to expand the full list of folders for that account.
    3. Check under the parent folder where the new subfolders were created on the laptop and tap to open them.

    If folders still seem missing:

    • Check whether the folder list is collapsed: look for a > symbol at the right edge of a folder row and tap it to expand its subfolders.
    • If using an IMAP account, some folders (for example, Sent) may appear nested under Inbox or another folder, so expand those as well.

    Also note that Outlook for iOS and Android recently introduced Favorites:

    • A Favorites section appears at the top of the sidebar if any folders are marked as favorites.
    • This can change the order of folders, so scroll below Favorites to see the rest of the folder tree.
    • To manage Favorites, tap the pencil icon near the top of the sidebar and add or remove folders from Favorites as needed.

    These UI changes explain why folders used to appear one way and now appear differently; expanding the folder tree and checking below Favorites should make the new subfolders visible.


    References:

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