Outlook displays the number of unread items beside a folder name. If you have five unread items in your Inbox, the number five will appear beside your Inbox in bold letters.

You can configure outlook to display the total number of items within a folder, instead of the total number of unread items. The total number will then appear in blue text beside the folder name.

To configure Outlook to display the total number of items:

1. Within Outlook, right-click the folder you want to display the total number of items for.
2. From the shortcut menu, click Properties.
3. Verify that the General tab is selected.
4. Click Show total number of items.
5. Click OK.