How to use sorting options, folders, filters, and flags to make your inbox manageable.

Sorting

To change the way emails are sorted in your inbox or another folder:

1. Just above the message list, at the left, click SORT BY DATE.
2. Select a sorting option from the pull-down menu that appears:
   
   • Sender: sorts A-Z by message sender
   • Subject: sorts A-Z by message subject
   • Date: sorts from newest to oldest
   • Unread: sorts unread messages first, then read messages
   • Attachments: sorts messages with attachments first, then others
   • Starred: sorts starred messages first, others second 

The message list reorders based your selection. If you make the same selection twice, the sort order reverses (e.g., A to Z changes to Z to A).

Flagging

When you flag a message, you have a visual reminder that a certain email is important. A small yellow star appears to the left of the email's subject line in your message list. You can also later sort your inbox so that all of the flagged emails appear at the top.

To flag or unflag a message:

1. In the message list, check the box to the left of the message you would like to flag.
2. In the toolbar, select Actions | Star (or Clear Star).

You can also "star" a message by right clicking , and selecting Star from the menu that appears.

A yellow star appears (or disappears) to the left of the email's subject line.

Folders

If you get a lot of messages from a person or group, it can be helpful to put these messages into a separate folder.

To create a new folder:

1. On the left side of the Yahoo! Mail page, next to Folders, click the plus sign (+).
2. Enter a name for the new folder.
3. Click OK.

The new folder appears on the left side of the page, under Folders.

To move an email to a folder:

1. In your inbox, check the box next to the email(s) you want to move.
2. Click the Move button the toolbar, and select a folder from the drop-down list.

Filtering

Filters allow you to set up your email to go directly to a folder. For example, if you would like all emails from your book club members to go to your "Book Club" folder, a filter allows you to automate that. To set up a filter:

1. Click the gear icon () in the upper-right corner of the window, and select Mail Options from the menu that appears.
2. Select Filters from the options on the left.
3. Click +Add to create a new filter.
4. On the right, give your filter a name, and enter the filter criteria.
5. Click Save.

You can also set up a filter by right-clicking on a type of message you would like to filter, and selecting Filter emails like this from the menu that appears.