How to Pin an Email in Outlook: A Complete Guide

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Outlook is a popular email client used by millions of people around the world. It offers a wide range of features to help users manage their emails effectively. One such feature is the ability to pin emails, which allows you to keep important messages at the top of your inbox. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore different methods to pin an email in Outlook, including manual and automatic options.

1. Introduction

Have you ever lost track of an important email because it got buried in your inbox? Pinning emails in Outlook can help you avoid this problem by keeping crucial messages at the top of your inbox. Whether you want to manually pin emails or automate the process, Outlook offers various options to suit your needs. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to pin an email in Outlook using different platforms and methods.

2. Manual Pinning in Outlook

On the Web

The Outlook app for the web, also known as Outlook.com, provides a user-friendly interface for managing your emails. To manually pin an email in Outlook.com, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your inbox at https://outlook.live.com/.
2. Locate the email you want to pin and hover your mouse cursor over it.
3. Click the Pin icon in the top-right corner of the email preview. Alternatively, you can open the email and click the Pin / Unpin button in the ribbon.

On Desktop (Mac)

The Outlook desktop app for Mac offers a more advanced email management experience. To manually pin an email in Outlook for Mac, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Outlook app for Mac.
2. Hover your mouse cursor over the email you want to pin to reveal a set of icons.
3. Click the Pin icon located in the top-right corner of the email preview to pin it to the top of your inbox. Alternatively, you can open the email and click the Pin / Unpin button in the ribbon.

On Desktop (Windows)

Unfortunately, the Outlook app for Windows currently does not offer the option to pin emails to the top of the inbox. According to a volunteer moderator on Microsoft’s Answers forum, this feature was available in the past but has been temporarily removed due to undisclosed issues. We hope that it will be reintroduced in a future update.

On Mobile

Many Outlook users access their emails on the go using the Outlook mobile app. To manually pin an email in the Outlook mobile app, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Outlook app on your mobile device.
2. Find and open the email you want to pin.
3. Tap the three horizontal dots in the top toolbar.
4. Select the Pin option to pin the email.

3. Automating Email Pinning in Outlook

While manual pinning is useful for individual emails, automating the process can save you time and effort. Outlook provides the ability to create rules that automatically pin certain emails based on predefined conditions. Here’s how you can automate email pinning in Outlook:

Creating Outlook Rules

Outlook web app allows you to create rules to manage incoming emails. These rules specify how Outlook should handle different types of messages, including pinning them. Follow these steps to create an Outlook rule for automatic email pinning:

1. Log in to your inbox on the web.
2. Click the Settings gear icon and select the View all Outlook settings option.
3. Navigate to Mail and then click on Rules.
4. Click Add new rule.
5. Name your new rule and specify the trigger condition.
6. Add the Pin to top action to the rule.
7. Click Save to apply the rule.

At the time of writing this guide, only the web version of Outlook supports automatic email pinning using rules and filters. If you are using the desktop or mobile version of Outlook, you can still automate pinning by using third-party tools like Clean Email.

Using Third-Party Tools like Clean Email

Clean Email is a third-party inbox organizer that can help you automate email pinning in Outlook. It offers a range of features to simplify and streamline your email management. Here’s how you can use Clean Email to automate email pinning:

1. Visit https://app.clean.email/ and log in with your Outlook account.
2. Select the Senders tool in the left pane.
3. Choose the sender whose emails you want to pin automatically.
4. Activate the Add Star to New Messages toggle.

Clean Email will now automatically pin all future emails from the selected sender in your Outlook inbox. In addition to pinning emails, Clean Email offers other useful features such as unsubscribing from unwanted subscriptions, checking for data breaches, and organizing your inbox.

4. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is it free to automatically mark future emails with a star using Clean Email?

A: Yes, the free version of Clean Email allows you to automatically mark future emails with a star for up to 14 days.

Q: Can I pin messages marked as important to the top?

A: Yes, you can configure your Outlook client to display important messages at the top of your inbox.

Q: Can I automatically pin emails in Outlook using mobile?

A: On mobile, you can combine the ability to flag emails with the ability to display flagged emails first. Third-party tools like Clean Email can simplify this process.

5. Conclusion

Pinning emails in Outlook is a great way to keep important messages easily accessible. Whether you choose to manually pin emails or automate the process with rules or third-party tools, Outlook offers various options to suit your needs. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure that crucial emails stay at the top of your inbox, allowing you to stay organized and never miss an important message again.

Remember to regularly review and update your pinned emails to keep your inbox clutter-free and relevant. With the right pinning strategy, you can optimize your email management and improve your overall productivity.