Why/How I NEED a COPY of emails in Sent Items

Do you file emails out of the Sent Items into dedicated archive or project folders? You should… but you still may want to keep a copy in the Sent Items folder too. Here’s the how and why.

There are two main ways in which people keep their emails organised… using Tags/Labels (manually or with Outlook addons like Email Tags for Outlook) or in dedicated project folders (manually or with Outlook addins like Quick File for Outlook).  Both methods rely on keeping both received and sent emails together… so that you can see all related correspondence together.

But.. our experience (and those of thousands of customers who use our Outlook Addins) has been that we still need to keep a copy of the emails in the Sent Items folder.

Why user still want to keep a copy of emails in the Sent Items folder

The two main reasons are:

1. Emails you need are often quicker to find: We often need to refer to something that we have sent out in the last few days. It’s usually easier to look it up quickly in the Sent Items folder compared to anywhere else.
2. What have I done with my day: Many users tell us that they refer to their Sent Items folder when filling in timesheets etc.

I am sure there are other reasons but the above are the two main reasons that users have told us.

So how can you file a copy of the emails and still have them in the Sent Items folder too?

How… if you’re using drag and drop to move emails

If you’re using drag and drop to file emails from the Sent Items folder, right-click and then drag drop to the desired folder. When you release the right mouse button you will be presented with options to move or copy. Click on copy.

How… if you’re using Quick File for Outlook

QuickFile for Outlook allows you to automatically file emails from the Sent Items folder after they are sent. This means you don’t have to manually remember to file emails (users tell us that email filing systems fail most often because of unfiled Sent Items emails). Quick File also has an option to save a copy of the email and leave a copy in the Sent Items folder too.

• Compose your email as normal and click Send. QuickFile will display the Send&File screen:

• Select the folder to which you want to file a copy of the email
• Click on the Show Options >> link on the bottom right corner of the screen
• Select the option “File a COPY of email“
• Click Send & File button

This will now file a copy of the sent email in the folder you selected and also leave a copy in the Sent Items folder.

Note: If you normally want to file emails this way, you can change the relevant setting on the QuickFile settings screen.

How…if you’re using Email Tags for Outlook

Our latest email management program, Email Tags for Outlook, is based on the idea of using labels/tags to organize your emails. It moves the tagged emails into one (or few) email archives/buckets too. While doing the move, Email Tags can leave a copy in your Sent Items too.

• Compose your email as normal and click Send. EmailTags will display the following screen:

• Enter the Tag(s) you want to add to the email
• Select the folder/bucket you want to file the email, from the File in: drop down
• Tick the checkbox for “Leave a copy of email in Sent items“
• Click Send & File

This will now file a copy of the sent email in the folder you selected and also leave a copy in the Sent Items folder.

Note: If you normally want to file emails this way, you can change the relevant setting on the EmailTags settings screen.

If you’re not a user of QuickFile or Emailtags, you can use the following links to download a fully functional trial version:

Download QuickFile for Outlook

Download EmailTags for Outlook

I hope you find this tip useful.

Please let us know by leaving a comment below.