Another great new feature in Outlook 2003 is Search Folders. Search folders are like a saved search that you can pull up in an instant. You can also see your search folders in the navigation pane, like in the sample on the right. (If you can’t see the list of search folders, click the plus sign next to Search Folders so that the list is expanded.)

Keep in mind that your messages aren’t stored in these folders. When you click on one of these folders, Outlook looks at its criteria, and then searches through all your folders to find messages that match those criteria. It then displays the messages that match in the message pane (next to the navigation pane) like it would for any other folder. You can then work with those messages like you would any other; for example, you can delete, edit, reply to, or move them.

So, if you clicked on the search folder labeled For Follow Up, all the messages that you have flagged for follow up will appear in the message list. The other folders work the same; the large mail folder will show all your messages over 100 Kb, and the unread mail folder will show you all the mail you haven’t read yet. (Those three search folders are created by Outlook by default.)

The search folders that are in italics indicate they haven’t been updated recently. Once you click on the folder, Outlook will update the search and remove the italics from the folder’s name.