How to display the unread item count for public folders in Outlook

In Microsoft Outlook, by default the unread item count for public folders is not displayed.  If you would like to display the unread item count for public folders, you can add the public folder to your Public Folder Favorites.  If you prefer, you can then show the public folder in your Favorites list in the Mail navigation pane.  Read on for more details on how to do this.

First, you need to keep in mind that there are 2 types of “favorites” in Outlook:

• Public Folder Favorites:  This is the Favorites folder listed in Public Folders (shown below). When you add a public folder to the Public Folder Favorites, the unread item count is displayed and the items in the public folder can be cached, if the “Download Public Folder Favorites” option is enabled in your Account Settings (shown below). If this setting is disabled, or if it’s enabled but there are public folders that are not added to favorites, the items in the public folders are accessed as needed in Online mode because they are not cached.
  
  
• Favorites: These are listed in the upper left when in the Mail navigation pane.  Any folder can be added to this set of favorites and will appear in this Favorites list, including public folder favorites.
  

With the two types of favorites in mind, here are the steps to follow to first add a public folder to the Public Folder Favorites, and then, if you prefer, show it in the Favorites list.

1. Open your Folder List in Outlook and find the public folder that you want to display the unread item count for.  In the following example, we will use the public folder named ‘test PF’.
   
2. Right-click the public folder, and then click Add to Favorites.
   
   • Note: Now the public folder is added to your Public Folder Favorites. When you expand the Favorites folder, you’ll see the unread item count is displayed (if there are unread items in the public folder).
3. Right-click the public folder that is listed under the Favorites folder, and click Show in Favorites.
   
4. The public folder will appear in the Favorites section when you go to the Mail navigation view, and the unread item count will be displayed here.