Outlook organizes email differently from Gmail, using both folders and categories. VE fits into this structure in a way that keeps things organized without disrupting your existing workflow.
Folders vs. Categories in Outlook
Folders
Emails are physically moved into a folder.
An email can only live in one folder at a time (e.g., Inbox or “1: To Respond”).
Ideal for keeping your inbox clear and filing messages neatly.
Categories
Display as color-coded tags.
They don’t move the email.
One email can have multiple categories while still remaining in your inbox.
Useful when you want visibility without relocating the message.
How VE uses folders and categories
VE processes emails in Inbox and Sent Items only.
If another Outlook rule moves an email before VE sees it, VE skips it — ensuring you maintain full control over your rules.
VE tags each email with one VE category (e.g., “1: To Respond”).
What happens after categorization depends on your VE settings:
Go to VE Dashboard → Categorization Settings
Checked → email moves into the category’s folder
Unchecked → email stays in your inbox and receives the category label
Example:
An email categorized as “1: To Respond” will either:
Move to the 1: To Respond folder (if checked), or
Stay in your inbox with the red category label applied (if unchecked)
How VE handles sent emails
When you reply to a message:
VE applies your category rules to the thread, moving it based on your settings.
Your actual sent email always stays in Sent Items.
This ensures you can see the full conversation in both Sent Items and the corresponding VE folder.
Ensure Conversation View is turned ON
Conversation View keeps all messages in a thread grouped together.
If it’s OFF:
Threads appear split
VE categories seem inconsistent across folders
Conversations get harder to track
Turning Conversation View ON ensures the entire thread stays together and categorizes correctly.
Quick setup
Open your VE Dashboard
Go to Categorization Settings
For each category, choose whether emails should move or remain in the inbox
Click Update Preferences to save changes