How do you display the full folder hierarchy of an Outlook mailbox?

Here is a step-by-step tutorial explaining how to display the folder hierarchy (Display Hierarchy Table) in MFCMAPI, then export the list to CSV format in order to identify synchronized and non-synchronized folders.

Here is how to use MFCMAPI from the user workstation to:

• Display the full folder hierarchy of an Outlook mailbox,

• Identify synchronized and non-synchronized folders,

• Export the list to CSV format for analysis.

Prerequisites

• Outlook configured with the relevant mail profile,

• MFCMAPI installed (32-bit or 64-bit version depending on the operating system),

• Access to the mailbox to be analyzed.

🪜 Detailed Steps

1️⃣ Open MFCMAPI

Launch MFCMAPI.exe.

In the menu bar, click:
Session → Logon…

Select the Outlook profile to inspect, then click OK.

You will then see the list of Message Stores (mailboxes, PST files, etc.).

2️⃣ Open the Mailbox

In the displayed list, locate the line corresponding to your main mailbox
(example: Mailbox – Firstname Lastname).

Double-click this line.

A new window opens, displaying the internal structure of the message store.

3️⃣ Display the Folder Hierarchy

In this new window, expand the node:

Root - Mailbox → Top of Information Store
(as shown in the screenshot above)

(This is the main subtree containing user folders such as Inbox, Sent Items, etc.)

Go to the top menu:

MDB → Display Hierarchy Table

Click OK.

4️⃣ Add Useful Columns

To identify which folders are synchronized or not:

In the “Hierarchy Table” window, click:
Set Columns…

Click Add Columns and add the following properties:

• PR_DISPLAY_NAME → Folder name

• PR_ATTR_HIDDEN → Indicates whether the folder is hidden (True/False)

• PR_FOLDER_TYPE → Folder type (1 = normal, 2 = search folder)

(Optional: PR_CONTAINER_CLASS, PR_PARENT_ENTRYID)

Click OK to confirm.

5️⃣ Export the List to CSV Format

In the “Hierarchy Table” window, right-click on a row in the table.

Select:

Export → Export to CSV…

Choose a location on your workstation and confirm.

A CSV file will then be generated containing the complete list of folders.

6️⃣ Interpret the CSV File

Open the CSV file in Excel.

You can filter using the following columns: