Focused Inbox affects anyone using Microsoft Outlook for Microsoft 365 on Windows, Mac, the web, or a mobile device. Enabling it—or teaching it which messages matter—keeps your inbox cleaner and helps you stay focused on important conversations throughout the workday.
What Is Focused Inbox?
Focused Inbox splits your inbox into two tabs: Focused and Other. Outlook automatically places important emails in the Focused tab and moves lower-priority items—such as newsletters, promotions, and automated messages—into the Other tab. Over time, Outlook learns from your behavior and improves how it sorts your mail.
Enable or Disable Focused Inbox on Windows
- Open Outlook.
- Click the View tab in the ribbon.
- In the Message section, click Show Focused Inbox to toggle the feature on or off.
Enable or Disable Focused Inbox on Mac
- Go to the Organize tab in the ribbon.
- Click Focused Inbox to turn it on or off.
Enable or Disable Focused Inbox on the Web
- Go to https://outlook.office.com and sign in.
- Click the Settings (gear) icon in the upper right corner.
- Scroll down and toggle Focused Inbox on or off.
- Changes are saved automatically—no additional action is needed.
Enable or Disable Focused Inbox on Mobile (iOS & Android)
- Open the Outlook app on your device.
- Tap your profile icon in the top left, then tap the Settings (gear) icon.
- Select the email account you want to adjust.
- Toggle Focused Inbox on or off.
Move Emails Between the Focused and Other Tabs
Outlook’s sorting improves when you correct its mistakes. Here’s how to move messages manually:
- To move an important email from Other to Focused, right-click the message and choose Move to Focused.
- Select Always Move to train Outlook so future messages from that sender land in the right tab automatically.
- To move a less important email out of Focused, right-click it and choose Move to Other, then select Always Move to apply the preference going forward.
Important Things to Know
Focused Inbox settings apply per user, per device. If you turn it on in the Outlook desktop app, that change does not automatically apply to the mobile app or the web version—you will need to update each separately. If Focused Inbox is not available to you at all, your organization’s administrator may have disabled it at the account level.
If you need help configuring Outlook for your business or are experiencing issues with your Microsoft 365 environment, contact the ACS support team.
Common questions
Will changing Focused Inbox settings on my desktop also change them on my phone?
No. Focused Inbox settings apply per user, per device. You need to enable or disable the feature separately in Outlook on Windows or Mac, the web, and the mobile app.
How do I teach Outlook to sort a specific sender correctly every time?
Right-click the email, choose Move to Focused or Move to Other, and then select Always Move. This trains Outlook so future messages from that sender are automatically placed in the correct tab.
What types of email typically end up in the Other tab?
Outlook routes lower-priority items such as newsletters, promotional emails, and automated messages to the Other tab, keeping your Focused tab reserved for conversations that matter most.