Where is Account Reorder in New Outlook? Current Status for Classic Users

Classic Outlook users who manage multiple email accounts often rely on the account reorder feature to arrange their inboxes in a preferred sequence. In the new Outlook for Windows, the account reorder option is not available in the same location or with the same functionality. This change has caused confusion for users transitioning from classic Outlook. This article explains why the account reorder feature is missing in new Outlook, how to work around the limitation, and what the current development status is for this feature.

Why Account Reorder Is Missing in New Outlook

The new Outlook for Windows is built on a web-based platform that uses a different codebase from classic Outlook. This platform prioritizes a simplified user interface and cloud-first features. The account reorder function, which allowed users to manually change the sequence of email accounts in the folder pane, was not included in the initial release of new Outlook. Microsoft has not publicly stated that this feature will never return, but it is not currently on the public roadmap for the near term.

The underlying technical reason is that new Outlook relies on a unified account model where all accounts are treated as equal endpoints. Classic Outlook stored account order in the Windows Registry and allowed manual reordering through the Account Settings dialog. New Outlook does not expose this registry-level control to the user interface. Instead, the folder pane displays accounts in the order they were added, with no built-in way to change that order.

How Classic Outlook Ordered Accounts

In classic Outlook, the order of accounts in the folder pane matched the order in File > Account Settings > Account Settings. Users could select an account and click Move Up or Move Down to change the sequence. This setting was stored per profile in the Windows Registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Profiles. The order persisted across sessions and was independent of the account type.

How New Outlook Handles Account Display

New Outlook displays accounts in the folder pane in the order they were added. If you remove and re-add accounts, the order changes to the new addition sequence. There is no menu item or drag-and-drop mechanism to rearrange them. The folder pane groups accounts by type, such as Exchange, IMAP, and POP, but this grouping does not allow user intervention for ordering.

Workarounds for Reordering Accounts in New Outlook

Since new Outlook does not support account reorder, the only reliable workaround is to remove and re-add accounts in the desired order. This method resets the folder pane sequence to match the order in which accounts are added. Follow these steps carefully to avoid losing data.

1. Open new Outlook and go to Settings
   Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the window. Select Accounts from the left navigation pane, then click Email accounts.
2. Remove all email accounts
   For each account, click the three dots next to the account name and select Remove. Confirm the removal when prompted. This action removes cached data but does not delete emails from the server.
3. Add accounts in the desired order
   Click Add Account. Enter the email address for the account that should appear first in the folder pane. Complete the setup wizard. Repeat this step for each remaining account, adding them in the order you want them to appear from top to bottom.
4. Verify the new order
   Return to the folder pane. The accounts should now appear in the sequence you specified. If the order is still incorrect, remove all accounts and re-add them again.

Note that this workaround resets account-specific settings such as sync frequency, folder subscriptions, and send-from address preferences. You may need to reconfigure these settings after re-adding accounts.

If You Still Need Account Reorder

Can I use classic Outlook instead?

Yes. If account reorder is essential for your workflow, you can switch back to classic Outlook. Classic Outlook continues to be supported alongside new Outlook. To switch, open new Outlook, click the toggle in the top-right corner labeled Try the new Outlook and set it to Off. Classic Outlook will restart with your accounts in the original order. You can then reorder accounts using File > Account Settings > Account Settings.

Will Microsoft add account reorder to new Outlook?

Microsoft has not committed to adding account reorder to new Outlook. The feature is not listed on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap as of this writing. To increase the chances of this feature being developed, submit feedback through the Help menu in new Outlook. Click Help > Give Feedback to open the Feedback Portal. Describe the account reorder feature and include the number of accounts you manage. Microsoft reviews feedback data to prioritize feature requests.

Does the Outlook mobile app support account reorder?

No. The Outlook mobile app for iOS and Android also does not support manual account reorder. Accounts appear in the order they were added. The mobile app uses the same web-based platform as new Outlook for Windows, so the limitation is consistent across platforms.

Item	Classic Outlook	New Outlook
Account reorder method	File > Account Settings > Move Up/Down	Not available
Drag-and-drop support	No	No
Workaround for reorder	Not needed	Remove and re-add accounts
Registry-based ordering	Yes	No
Supported platforms	Windows 10 and Windows 11	Windows 10 and Windows 11

Classic Outlook provides full account reorder functionality through a dedicated dialog. New Outlook lacks this feature entirely, with the only workaround being a full account removal and re-add cycle. Users who depend on account order should stay on classic Outlook or submit feedback to Microsoft.

You can now decide whether to stay with classic Outlook or adopt new Outlook knowing the account reorder limitation. If you choose new Outlook, use the remove and re-add workaround to control account sequence. For advanced users, consider using classic Outlook with a separate profile for each account order configuration. This approach keeps your primary profile intact while testing new Outlook.