4 Easy Ways to Disable Focused Inbox in Outlook

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Disable Focused Inbox in Outlook to view new emails in the same inbox

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: May 15, 2023

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• Outlook for PC & Mac
|
• Outlook Mobile App
|
• Outlook.com
|
• Window Mail

|Show more |Show less

Are you missing important emails in Outlook because they're filtered to the Other tab? Fortunately, it's easy to turn off Focused Inbox so you can see all your messages in the inbox instead of on separate Focused and Other tabs. This wikiHow article teaches you how to turn off Focused Inbox in the Microsoft Outlook 365 desktop app, Outlook.com in your web browser, the Outlook mobile app, and the Windows Mail app.

Things You Should Know

• In the mobile app and in Outlook.com, tap your profile picture, go to "Settings," then toggle off the "Focused Inbox" switch.
• In the Outlook desktop app, click the "View" tab, then click "Show Focused Inbox."
• On Windows Mail for Windows 10/11, click the gear, select "Focused inbox," then toggle it off.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Outlook for PC & Mac

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1. 
   1
   Open Outlook for Windows or macOS. If you're using Outlook 365, click the app icon in your Start menu or Dock.

   • This method works for Outlook (Microsoft 365) desktop apps on both Mac and Windows.
   • If you added a non-Exchange email account (like Gmail), you won't see the options for Focused Inbox. You'll only see Focused Inbox for Microsoft Exchange accounts (such as those through your work or school) and for Outlook.com email addresses.
2. 
   2
   Select View. You'll see this tab in the editing ribbon near the top of the app's window.
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3. 
   3
   Click Show Focused Inbox. The location of this will vary depending on your view: It will be either the first option on the left side of the toolbar, or in the middle of the toolbar in the "Focused Inbox" grouping between "Messages" and "Arrangement."

   • If Show Focused Inbox isn't highlighted, it's off, and your inbox will show you all incoming emails.
   • If Show Focused Inbox is highlighted in grey, it's on, which means that your inbox is divided into 2 tabs: Focused and Other.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Outlook Mobile App

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1. 
   1
   Open the Outlook app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. Tap the app icon that looks like a blue envelope with a piece of paper with an "O" on it.
2. 
   2
   Tap your profile picture. It's in the top left corner of your screen.
3. 
   3
   Tap

   

   .
4. 
   4
   Tap the switch next to "Focused Inbox" to toggle it off

   

   . If the switch is grey and pointing to the left, you've successfully disabled Focused Inbox. Your emails will now appear together in your inbox instead of on the Focused and Other tabs.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Outlook.com

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1. 
   1
   Navigate to https://outlook.com and sign in. You can turn off Focused Inbox on Outlook.com for any email addresses you've added, including non-Exchange accounts like Gmail.
2. 
   2
   Click

   

   . This gear icon is in the top right corner of your browser and will open Settings.
3. 
   3
   Tap the switch next to "Focused Inbox" to toggle it off

   

   . If the switch is grey and pointing to the left, you've successfully disabled Focused Inbox, so you'll see all your emails together in your inbox.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Window Mail

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1. 
   1
   Open Mail on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC. Click the app icon in your Start Menu to launch the Mail app.

   • Use this method if you use the Mail app on your Windows 10 or 11 computer instead of Outlook.
2. 
   2
   Click

   

   . This gear icon is in the top right corner of your browser and will open Settings.
3. 
   3
   Click Focused inbox. You'll see this near the top of the menu and the panel will change to display more options.
4. 
   4
   Tap the switch next to "Focused Inbox" to toggle it off

   

   . If the switch is grey and pointing to the left, you've successfully disabled Focused Inbox, so you'll see all your emails together in your inbox.

   • If you have more than one email account added to Mail, you can choose which email you want to apply the changes to in a "Select an account" drop-down.
   • Once you click outside of the panel, your changes will save and apply to your inbox.
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