Microsoft Outlook

Make sure favorite folders always appear

Also and especially if they're not in your default mailbox!

• Enable Developer menu
  • right-click a menu item and choose Customize the Ribbon...
  • in the right column, under Main Tabs, check the Developer item
• Choose Developer > Visual Basic
• the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications windows is opened
• click the plus signs in front of Project1 > Microsoft Outlook Objects > !ThisOutlookSession
  1. By putting your code in this location
  2. and by naming your procedure Application_Startup(),
     it will be executed every time you launch Outlook (see the procedure below)
• double-click ThisOutlookSession (or right-click it and choose View Code)
• make sure macros are enabled in Outlook:
  • Developer > Macro Security
  • choose Enable all macros (…)
  • 2 x OK
• close and re-open Outlook
• et voilà

And then the procedure itself:

Private Sub Application_Startup()
     Dim objNamespace As NameSpace
     Dim objInbox As Folder

     Dim objPane As NavigationPane
     Dim objModule As MailModule
     Dim objGroup As NavigationGroup
     Dim objNavFolder As NavigationFolder

     On Error GoTo ErrRoutine

     ' First, retrieve the default Inbox folder.
     Set objNamespace = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI")

     ' default folders
     ' Set objInbox = objNamespace.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox)
     ' Set objSentMail = objNamespace.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderSentMail)

     ' folders from shared mailbox or Outlook Data File (.pst and .ost)'
     ' Simply use the readable names of the mailbox and the folders in the below lines:
     Set objInbox = objNamespace.Folders("My old mailbox").Folders("Postvak IN")
     Set objSentMail = objNamespace.Folders("My old mailbox").Folders("Verzonden items")

     ' Get the NavigationPane object for the currently displayed Explorer object.
     Set objPane = Application.ActiveExplorer.NavigationPane
     ' Get the mail module from the Navigation Pane.
     Set objModule = objPane.Modules.GetNavigationModule(olModuleMail)
     ' Get the "Favorite Folders" navigation group from the mail module.
     With objModule.NavigationGroups
         Set objGroup = .GetDefaultNavigationGroup(olFavoriteFoldersGroup)
     End With

     ' Add the folders you have selected above, to the "Favorite Folders" navigation group.
     Set objNavFolder = objGroup.NavigationFolders.Add(objInbox)
     Set objNavFolder = objGroup.NavigationFolders.Add(objSentMail)

 EndRoutine:
     On Error GoTo 0
     Set objNavFolder = Nothing
     Set objGroup = Nothing
     Set objModule = Nothing
     Set objPane = Nothing
     Set objNamespace = Nothing
     Exit Sub

 ErrRoutine:
     MsgBox Err.Number & " - " & Err.Description, _
         vbOKOnly Or vbCritical, _
         "AddToFavoritesFolder"
 End Sub

Export to an Outlook Data File (.pst)

Every 10 years (…) I make a backup of my mailbox.

Nowadays, I check my mail through webmail, but I still have an email account configured in Outlook, of the IMAP/SMTP type.

If you want to export your mailbox, no problem:

• launch Outlook
• File > Open & Export > Import/Export
• Import and Export Wizard window:
  • Choose an action to perform: Export to a file
  • Next >
  • Create a file of type: Outlook Data File (.pst)
  • Next >
  • Select the folder to export from, check the Include subfolders checkbox if wanted
  • Next >
  • Save exported file as: E:\nter\The\Desired\FileName.pst
  • Finish
• Create Outlook Data File window:
  • You can enter a password, if wanted
  • OK
• Wait for the export to complete and you'll find your .pst file in the indicated location.

Now, the tricky part is reading the .pst file.

• again, in Outlook
• File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File
• choose your .pst file
• in the Folder Pane, an Outlook Data File item appears
• uncollapse this item and choose a message folder (e.g. Inbox), you'll always see: We didn't find anything to show here.

Apparently, that's because you exported an IMAP type mailbox, then the messages marked for deletion are hidden...

• So, with a message folder selected, click the View menu > Change View
• instead of 'Hide Messages Marked for Deletion', choose Preview
• the messages in the folder now appear
• if there are subfolders, however, they'l still state We didn't find anything to show here
• Now return to the message folder you've already corrected, and in the View menu, now choose once again Change View
• now choose Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders...
• check all desired message folders and check the Apply view to subfolders checkbox if necessary
• now check the subfolders again, and you'll see the messages.

That's it!

2010-2020

With the above procedure, I created a backup of my Telenet mailbox 2010-2020, but I didn't clean my mailbox.

On 27/07/2023, the webmail started to show a red bar, indicating my mailbox was over 85% full.

Then I searched for mails sent before 01/01/2020, and deleted them (to the recycle bin).