- Pin an email in new Outlook
- Pin an email in Outlook.com or Outlook on the web
- Why pinning isn't working
- Pin or flag?
- Classic Outlook: use flags instead
- Add a reminder to a flagged email
- How many emails should you pin?
- A simple system for important emails
- Pinning on your phone
- Better ways to keep reference emails
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To pin an email in new Outlook or Outlook on the web, hover over the message and select the pin icon, or right-click it and choose Pin. The email then stays at the top of your inbox until you unpin it. Microsoft notes your inbox must be sorted by date for pinning to work, and classic Outlook uses flags instead.
Some emails need to stay in sight: the client brief you keep referring to, the login details for a supplier portal, the itinerary for next week's trip. Pinning keeps them at the very top of your inbox, above everything new that arrives. It's simple once you know where it lives, but it has one quirk that makes people think it's broken. Here's how to use it, and what to do in classic Outlook, which works differently.
Pin an email in new Outlook
- Find the email in your inbox.
- Hover over it and select the pin icon, or right-click it and choose Pin.
- The email jumps to the top of your inbox with a pin symbol.
Prefer the keyboard? Microsoft's accessibility guide for new Outlook says you can select a message, press H to open the Home tab, then Y to pin it.
Pin an email in Outlook.com or Outlook on the web
- Hover over the message in your inbox.
- Select the pin icon that appears.
- To unpin, hover again and select the pin icon a second time.
Why pinning isn't working
Here's the quirk. Microsoft says that to pin a message or see pinned messages, your inbox must be sorted by date. If you've sorted by sender, size or anything else, the pin option disappears or pinned emails stop floating to the top. Use the Sort by option at the top of the message list, choose Date, and your pins come back.
Pin or flag?
| Pin | Flag | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Keeps an email at the top of the inbox | Marks an email for follow-up |
| Where it shows | Top of your inbox | Flag icon, plus a Flagged filter |
| Reminders | No | Yes, on Microsoft 365 accounts |
| Available in classic Outlook | No | Yes |
| Best for | Reference emails you open often | Tasks you need to act on |
I use pins for reference and flags for action. A pinned email is something I look at repeatedly, like a brief. A flagged email is something I need to do something about. Mixing the two turns your pins into a to-do list, and the top of your inbox fills up fast.
Classic Outlook: use flags instead
Classic Outlook doesn't have the same pin feature, so flags are the way to keep an important email from getting lost. Select an email and press Insert, which Microsoft lists as the shortcut to flag a message or mark a flagged message complete. To see all your flagged emails together, filter by flagged. Another option is to drag reference emails into a dedicated folder called something like Keep handy.
Add a reminder to a flagged email
If you have a Microsoft 365 account, Microsoft says you can right-click a flagged item and choose Add reminder. Outlook then nudges you at the time you choose, which is far more reliable than hoping you'll spot the flag. To view everything you've flagged, select Filter at the top of the message list and choose Flagged.
How many emails should you pin?
Keep it to a handful. Pinning three or four emails keeps them visible. Pinning twenty means the top of your inbox is a wall of old messages and your new emails are pushed down, which defeats the point. Every Friday I unpin anything I haven't opened that week.
A simple system for important emails
- Pin the two or three reference emails you open most this week.
- Flag emails you need to act on, and add a reminder to the urgent ones.
- File everything else into a client or project folder once it's dealt with.
- Review pins and flags every Friday and clear what's done.
It takes five minutes a week and means the top of your inbox always shows what matters right now, not what mattered a few weeks ago.
Pinning on your phone
In the Outlook mobile app, swipe actions and the message menu let you flag or pin, depending on your account and settings. If you don't see pin, use flag, and check your swipe options in the app's settings to put the action you use most on a swipe.
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Better ways to keep reference emails
- Save key details somewhere permanent, such as a document or note, rather than relying on an email.
- Create a folder for each active client or project.
- Use search: a distinctive word from the subject line finds most emails faster than scrolling.
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My verdict
Hover and select the pin, or right-click and choose Pin, in new Outlook and Outlook on the web. If it won't work, sort your inbox by date. In classic Outlook, flag instead with the Insert key. Pin reference emails, flag action emails, and keep pins to a handful.
Frequently asked questions
How do I pin an email in Outlook?
In new Outlook or Outlook on the web, hover over the email and select the pin icon, or right-click and choose Pin.
Why can't I pin emails in Outlook?
Microsoft says your inbox must be sorted by date to pin messages or see pinned ones.
Can you pin emails in classic Outlook?
Classic Outlook uses flags rather than pins. Press Insert to flag a message.
What's the difference between pin and flag in Outlook?
A pin keeps an email at the top of your inbox. A flag marks it for follow-up and can have a reminder.
How do I unpin an email in Outlook?
Hover over the pinned email and select the pin icon again.
