How to Disable Focused Inbox in Any Version of Outlook

2024/10/15

To disable the Focused Inbox feature in Outlook from Microsoft 365, 2021, or 2019, navigate to the “View” tab and uncheck the “Show Focused Inbox” option.
For the new Outlook app on Windows 11, choose your account, then go to Settings > Mail > Layout. Select the desired account, choose “Don’t sort my messages” , and click “Save.”
On Outlook for the web, access Settings > Mail > Layout, select “Don’t sort my messages” , and save your changes.
For Android or iPhone users, tap the main menu button, select “Settings,” and toggle off the “Focused Inbox” option.
On macOS, open Outlook, navigate to Settings > Reading, and deselect the “Focused Inbox” setting for your account.

By default, Outlook has the “Focused Inbox”feature activated, but you can turn it off to ensure you don’t overlook essential emails.

The “Focused Inbox” function divides your inbox into two distinct streams: “Focused” and “Other.” This feature utilizes machine learning to prioritize the emails that require your immediate attention. However, users may miss out on other important emails unless they frequently switch between tabs.

If you find that the Focused Inbox is more troublesome than helpful, you can easily disable it in the web version of Outlook or the new Windows 11 app. Additionally, I have included instructions for turning off this feature in macOS, catering to the numerous inquiries I’ve received about this topic.

This guide will provide you with the necessary steps to disable the Focused Inbox feature in Outlook, ensuring you don’t miss critical emails.

Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (desktop) on Windows 11
Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (new) for Windows 11
Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (legacy) for Windows 11
Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (web) on Outlook.com
Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (mobile) on Android
Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (desktop) on macOS

Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (desktop) on Windows 11

Here’s how to deactivate the Focused Inbox in Outlook 365, Outlook 2021, 2019, or 2016 on Windows 11, 10, or other platforms:

Launch the Outlook desktop application on Windows 11.
Select the View tab.
Uncheck the “Show Focused Inbox” option to disable it in the Office application.

Once completed, the Focused Inbox will be deactivated in your application.

Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (new) for Windows 11

Follow these steps to turn off Focused Inbox in the new Outlook app on Windows 11:

Open the Outlook (new) application.
Click on the Settings (gear) icon in the upper right corner.
Select Mail from the menu on the left.
Go to the Layout section.
Pick the corresponding account inbox within the “Focused Inbox” setting.
Choose the “Don’t sort my messages” option to deactivate the Focused Inbox.
Press the Save button.

After following these steps, your inbox will show a unified stream of emails for the selected account. You may need to repeat the process for other Outlook or Gmail accounts.

Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (legacy) on Windows 11

To turn off the Focused Inbox for Outlook accounts within the Mail app, follow these instructions:

Open the Mail (legacy) application.
Select your Outlook account (if needed).
Click on the Settings (gear) icon in the bottom-left corner.
Go to Focused inbox.
Toggle off the “Sort messages into Focused or Other” switch.

Your Mail app will stop categorizing your emails by “Focused” or “Other” after this action.

Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (web) on Outlook.com

To turn off the Focused Inbox feature in the web version of Outlook, follow these steps:

Access Outlook (web).
Sign in with your credentials (if necessary).
Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top-right corner.
Select Mail from the left side menu.
Navigate to the Layout section.
Choose the account inbox from the “Focused Inbox” settings.
Opt for the “Don’t sort my messages” selection to disable Focused Inbox.
Click the Save button.

After completing these steps, only one stream of emails will appear in your inbox. Be aware that changes made on the web may not transfer to other clients, such as the Mail app on Windows 11 or on Android devices.

Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (mobile) on Android and iPhone

For disabling the Focused Inbox in the Outlook app on Android or iPhone, follow these instructions:

Open the Outlook (mobile) application on your device.
Tap the main menu adjacent to the “Inbox” label.
Access Settings (gear) at the bottom-left corner.
Tap on Mail.
Disable the Focused Inbox toggle switch.

After following these steps, Focused Inbox will be disabled for any Outlook accounts configured on your mobile device.

Disable Outlook Focused Inbox on macOS

To deactivate the Focused Inbox feature in Outlook for macOS, proceed with the following steps:

Open Outlook on macOS.
Navigate to the Outlook menu and click on Settings.
Click on Reading under the “Email” section.
Uncheck the “Sort Messages into Focused and Other” option within the “Focused Inbox” settings.

After completing the steps, your inbox will display a single stream of emails. Note that changing settings on the web may not be reflected in other email clients like the Mail app on Windows 11 or Android.

Update October 14, 2024: This guide has been revised for accuracy and to include updates to the procedure.

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