Disable Outlook Focused Inbox (five ways)

Are you missing out on important emails because of "focused inbox" in Outlook? Here's how to disable the feature.

Outlook disable focused inbox
Outlook disable focused inbox
  • To turn off Focused Inbox in Outlook from Microsoft 365, 2021, or 2019, click the “View” tab and click to clear the “Show Focused Inbox” option.
  • On the new Outlook app for Windows 11, select the account, click the “Setting” button, and turn off the “Focused Inbox” toggle switch
  • On Outlook web, click the Settings button and turn off the “Focused Inbox” toggle switch.
  • On Android or iPhone, tap the main menu button, tab “Settings,” and turn off the “Focused Inbox” toggle switch.

Outlook comes with the “Focused Inbox” feature enabled by default, but you can disable it to stop missing out on other important emails.

“Focused inbox” is a feature that organizes your inbox in two different streams (or tabs), including “Focused” or “Other.” The idea of this feature is to use machine learning to learn what emails you should pay more attention to, but the problem is that you can miss out on other emails if you don’t proactively switch between tabs.

If you don’t use the feature or realize that causing more harm than good, you can disable it from the web version of Outlook or email client, including in the new Outlook app for Windows 11.

This guide will teach you the steps to disable the Focused Inbox feature in Outlook to prevent missing out on other important emails.

Turn off Outlook Focused Inbox (desktop) on Windows 11

To turn off Focused Inbox in Outlook 365, Outlook 2021, 2019, or 2016 on Windows 11, 10, or another platform, use these steps:

  1. Open Outlook (desktop) app on Windows 11.

  2. Click the View tab.

  3. Click the “Show Focused Inbox” button to turn it off in the Office app.

    Outlook app disable focused inbox

Once you complete the steps, the feature will be disabled in the application.

Turn off Outlook Focused Inbox (new) for Windows 11

To disable Focused Inbox in the new Outlook app for Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Outlook (new) app.

  2. Select the account inbox from the left navigation pane.

  3. Click the Settings (gear) button on the top-right corner.

  4. Turn off the “Focused Inbox” toggle switch.

    New Outlook disable Focused Inbox

Once you complete the steps, you will only see a single stream of emails in your inbox for that specific account. You may need to repeat the steps to disable Focused Inbox for another Outlook or Gmail account.

Turn off Outlook Focused Inbox (legacy) on Windows 11

To turn off Focused Inbox for Outlook accounts on the Mail app, use these steps:

  1. Open Mail (legacy) app.

  2. Select the Outlook account (if applicable).

  3. Click the Settings (gear) button on the bottom-left corner.

    Mail app settings

  4. Click on Focused inbox.

  5. Turn off the “Sort messages into Focused or Other” toggle switch.

    Mail app disable Outlook focused inbox

After you complete the steps, the Mail app will no longer sort your emails by “Focused” or “Others.”

Turn off Outlook Focused Inbox (web) Outlook.com

To disable the Focused Inbox feature in the web version of Outlook, use these steps:

  1. Open Outlook (web).

  2. Sign in with your credentials (if applicable).

  3. Click the Settings (gear) button on the top-right corner.

  4. Turn off the “Focused Inbox” toggle switch.

    Outlook web disable focused inbox

Once you complete the steps, you will only see a single stream of emails in your inbox. However, it appears that disabling the feature on the web doesn’t replicate the configuration to other email clients like the Mail app for Windows 11 or Android.

Turn off Outlook Focused Inbox (mobile) on Android and iPhone

To turn off Outlook Focused Inbox in the app for Android or iPhone, use these steps:

  1. Open Outlook (mobile) app on Android or iPhone.

  2. Tap the main menu button next to the “Inbox” label.

  3. Tap the Settings (gear) button on the bottom-left corner.

  4. Turn off the Focused Inbox toggle switch.

    Outlook for Android disable focused inbox

After you complete the steps, the Outlook app for Android will disable Focused Inbox for any Outlook account you may have configured on your phone.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].