Frequently Asked Questions

Focused Inbox - Turn off

Focused Inbox for Outlook

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Focused Inbox separates your inbox into two tabs—Focused and Other. Your most important email messages are on the Focused tab while the rest remain easily accessible—but out of the way—on the Other tab.
Notes:
  • In Outlook for Windows, Focused Inbox is available only for Office 365, Exchange, and Outlook.com accounts.
  • If you don't see Focused and Other in your mailbox, you might have a Clutter folder instead. For more information, see Use Clutter to sort low-priority messages in Outlook.
  • The Focused Inbox REST API provides Office 365 mailbox message classification and training to help users sort their email efficiently. However, this API isn't supported for the Office 365 Shared mailbox. Outlook for Windows currently displays "Focused Inbox" hints for shared mailboxes. This is unexpected behavior. Microsoft is aware of the problem, and this article will be updated after changes are complete.
Outlook for Windows | Outlook on the web | Outlook.com | Outlook for Mac | Mail for Windows 10
Question mark indicates help content How do I turn off Focused Inbox?

Outlook for Windows


In Outlook for Windows, Focused Inbox is available only forOffice 365, Exchange, and Outlook.com accounts.

Turn Focused Inbox on
  1. In Outlook, select the View tab.
  2. Select Show Focused Inbox. Show Focused Inbox
    The Focused and Other tabs will appear at the top of your mailbox. You’ll be informed about email flowing to Other, and you can switch between tabs any time to take a quick look.
    Filter Focused or Other
Change how your messages get organized

  1. From your inbox, select the Focused or Other tab, and then right-click the message you want to move.
  2. If you're moving from Focused to Other, select Move to Other if you want only the selected message moved. Select Always Move to Other if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Other tab. If you're moving from Other to Focused, select Move to Focused if you want only the selected message moved. Select Always Move to Focused if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Focused tab.
    Side-by-side view of the Move and Always Move options

See Focused Inbox in action


Outlook on the web

Note: If the instructions don't match what you see, you might be using an older version of Outlook on the web. Try the Instructions for classic Outlook on the web.



Turn on Focused Inbox
  1. Open Outlook on the web. A screenshot of Mail in the Outlook on the web beta
  2. At the top of the page, select Settings Settings icon .
  3. Select the toggle next to Focused Inbox.
    The Focused and Other tabs will appear at the top of your mailbox. You’ll be informed about email flowing to Other, and you can switch between tabs any time to take a quick look.
Change how your messages get organized

  1. From your inbox, select the Focused or Other tab, and then right-click the message you want to move.
  2. To move a message from Focused to Other, select Move > Move to Other inbox. Select Always move to Other inbox if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Other tab. If you're moving a single message from Other to Focused, select Move > Move to Focused inbox. Select Always move to Focused inbox if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Focused tab.

Instructions for classic Outlook on the web

Turn Focused Inbox on

  1. Open Outlook on the web. Primary view of Outlook on the web
  2. Select Settings Settings icon > Display settings > Focused Inbox.
  3. Under When email is received, select Sort messages into Focused and Other. The Focused and Other tabs will appear at the top of your mailbox. You’ll be informed about email flowing to Other, and you can switch between tabs any time to take a quick look. On the Display Settings page you can turn Focused Inbox on or off
  4. Click OK.
Change how your messages get organized

  1. From your inbox, select the Focused or Other tab, and then right-click the message you want to move.
  2. If you're moving a single message from Focused to Other, select Move to Other inbox. Select Always move to Other inbox if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Other tab. If you're moving a single message from Other to Focused, select Move to Focused inbox. Select Always move to Focused inbox if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Focused tab.
    Move to Focused and Move to Other options in Outlook on the web

Outlook.com, Hotmail.com


Turn on Focused Inbox

  1. Open Outlook.com or Hotmail.com.
  2. Select Settings Settings icon , then turn on Focused Inbox. A screenshot shows the Settings pane with the Focused Inbox option selected to turn on.
  3. At the top of your mailbox, in the email messages list, select between Focused and Other. You can switch between the tabs any time to take a quick look.
    A screenshot shows the Focused and Other tabs at the top of an Outlook.com mailbox.
Change how your messages get organized

  1. From your inbox, select the Focused or Other tab, and then right-click the message you want to move.
  2. If you're moving a single message from Focused to Other, select Move > Move to Other inbox. Select Always move to Other inbox if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Other tab. A screenshot shows the right-click menu with the options for Move to Other inbox and Always move to Other inbox.
    If you're moving a single message from Other to Focused, select Move > Move to Focused inbox. Select Always move to Focused inbox if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Focused tab.
    A screenshot shows the right-click menu with the Move to Focused inbox and Always move to Focused inbox options.

Outlook for Mac


In Outlook 2016 for Mac, Focused Inbox is only available for Office 365 Business Emails.

Turn Focused Inbox on

  1. Open Outlook 2016 for Mac.
  2. On the Organize tab, select Focused inbox. Focused Inbox button on the Organize tab of the ribbon
    The Focused and Other tabs will appear at the top of your inbox. You’ll be informed about email flowing to Other, and you can switch between tabs any time to take a quick look.
Tip: You can set the badge count—the count of unread mail—to include only the messages in the Focused list. See Outlook > Preferences > Notifications and Sounds > Badge count to adjust this setting.
Change how your messages get organized

  1. From your inbox, select the Focused tab, and then select the message you want to move.
  2. Select Message > Move to Other if you want only the selected message moved. Select Message > Always Move to Other if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Other tab. Select Message >Move to Focused if you want only the selected message moved. Select Message > Always Move to Focused if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Focused tab.
    THe two choices on the Move to Focused menu are Move to Focused and Always Move to Focused

Mail for Windows 10


Turn Focused Inbox on

  1. In Mail for Windows 10, select Settings Settings icon > Focused Inbox.
  2. Slide Sort messages into Focused and Other to On. Turn focused inbox on or off with the slider under Sort Messages into Focused and Other
    The Focused and Other tabs will appear at the top of your inbox. You’ll be informed about email flowing to Other, and you can switch between tabs any time to take a quick look.
Move messages from Focused to Other

  1. From your inbox, select the Focused tab, and then right-click the message you want to move.
  2. Select one of the following:
    • Select Move to Other if you want only the selected message moved.
    • Select Always Move to Other if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Other tab.
Move messages from Other to Focused
  1. From your inbox, select the Other tab, and then right-click the message you want to move.
  2. Select one of the following:
    • Select Move to Focused if you want only the selected message moved.
    • Select Always Move to Focused if you want all future messages from the sender to be delivered to the Focused tab.


 Last updated 03/01/2020 9:21 pm

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