By the Tiko Mail Team

Outlook Search Folders and Category Favorites, Explained(And Why Mac Users Are Out of Luck)

You set up categories in Outlook. Now you want to click one and see every email with that category...it's not so easy.

Outlook gives you two different ways to filter your inbox by category: Search Folders and Category Favorites. Both show you all emails tagged with a specific category in one view.

The problem is that neither one works everywhere. Whether you are on the web app, Windows PC, or Mac determines which features are available to you. And if you are on a Mac, the answer is basically "none of the above."

This guide covers how both features work, where they work, and the cross-platform alternative that makes all of this unnecessary.

In this guide:

1. How Search Folders and Category Favorites work in Outlook
2. The compatibility table: what works where (and what does not)
3. The cross-platform solution that replaces both

Part 1: Search Folders vs. Category Favorites

Search Folders

A saved query that lives in your sidebar

A Search Folder is a virtual folder that automatically shows every email matching a set of criteria. You create one, point it at a category, and it stays in your sidebar permanently. Click it any time to see all emails with that category across your entire mailbox.

In the left sidebar, scroll down to the Search Folders section.
Right-click and select "Create new search folder."
Set the filter criteria (e.g., category equals "1. Respond").
The folder now appears in your sidebar and updates automatically.

Search Folders sync across devices. Create one on the web app and it shows up on your Windows PC. They are stored server-side, so they follow your account.

Category Favorites

Pin a category to the top of your sidebar

This is the faster option. Right-click the Favorites section at the top of your sidebar, select "Add favorite," and pick a category from the dropdown. The category appears as a clickable shortcut that filters your mailbox, just like a Search Folder.

Right-click the Favorites section in the left sidebar.
Click "Add favorite."
Search for or select the category you want (e.g., "2. Follow-up").
The category now appears as a pinned shortcut at the top of your sidebar.

Category Favorites also sync between the web app and Windows PC. Under the hood, favoriting a category creates something very similar to a Search Folder.

Part 2: The Compatibility Problem

Where things fall apart

Both features sound great until you check which Outlook apps actually support them.

Feature	Outlook Web	Outlook PC	Outlook Mac
Search Folders	Yes	Yes	No
Category Favorites	Yes	Yes	No
Cross-device sync	Yes	Yes	N/A

If you use Outlook on a Mac, you do not get Search Folders. You do not get Category Favorites. Mac has its own system called "Saved Searches" that you create by filtering in the top search bar and clicking save. But Saved Searches are local to that Mac only. They do not transfer to any other device, and they do not show up in the web app or on a PC.

So if you set up your perfect category-filtering system on your MacBook at home, and then open Outlook on the web at work, none of it is there.

Search Folders and Category Favorites are the cross-device solution for Web and PC users. Mac users are stuck with local-only Saved Searches that do not go anywhere.

Even on platforms where these features work, you still have to create and maintain each Search Folder or Favorite manually. Every new category means another folder to set up. And none of this helps you with the real problem: actually deciding which categories to apply to which emails in the first place.

Filtering by category is only useful if your emails are already categorized.

The Cross-Platform Alternative

Tiko Mail works with Outlook (and Gmail) to automatically categorize every email and create Search Folders for you. No manual setup. No platform limitations.

Automatic Categorization

Tiko Mail reads each incoming email and assigns a category (Respond, Follow-up, Awaiting, FYI, Notifications, Meetings, and more). No rules to write. No filters to configure. It just works.

Search Folders, Created for You

Tiko Mail automatically creates a Search Folder for each category in your Outlook sidebar. You get "1. Respond," "2. Follow-up," "3. Awaiting," and more without lifting a finger.

Works Everywhere Your Outlook Does

Because Tiko Mail uses Outlook's native categories and server-side Search Folders, your organized inbox shows up on the web, on your PC, and on any device where you check your email.

Your Choice

Option 1: The Manual Path

Create Search Folders one by one. Favorite each category by hand. Manually categorize every email. And accept that none of it works on your Mac.

Option 2: Let Tiko Mail Handle ItRecommended

Connect your Outlook account once. Tiko Mail categorizes every email and creates your Search Folders automatically. Open Outlook and everything is already organized.

✓ AI-powered categorization
✓ Search Folders created automatically
✓ Works with Gmail and Outlook

Start free trial

Stop configuring. Start focusing.