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Keep messages organized and get your email working for you.
Search this topicFrom the message list, open the side menu with your profile or Home icon and enter Settings. Under Mail, switch Focused Inbox off. Messages will no longer be divided into Focused and Other tabs. Review notification settings separately if you also want different alerts; changing the inbox arrangement and changing which messages notify you are different choices.
Open Settings and go to Mail, then Layout. In the message organization section, choose the option that does not group messages and save. Each email will appear separately instead of being collected into a conversation. This changes the viewing arrangement, so you do not need to delete or move messages to separate replies from their original thread.
Open Settings, select Mail and Layout, and find the reading-pane choices. Select the position that suits your screen, such as beside or below the message list, then save. If you prefer opening messages separately, review the popout-only choice. Changing this layout affects how you read mail; it does not change the messages or their recipients.
Right-click a message, choose Categorize, and select a category. Give categories meaningful names such as Receipts or Waiting for reply rather than relying only on colors. You can apply more than one category to a message and review the category list to manage names. Categories organize your own view; they are not labels that recipients see on your emails.
Right-click the message’s flag and choose the reminder option. Enter a useful follow-up description, enable the reminder, and choose its date and time before confirming. A flag marks something to do; the reminder adds an alert. When the task is finished, mark it complete so the message no longer sits in your list of outstanding follow-ups.
Open Deleted Items and select the message you want back. Use Move to choose the destination folder, or use the available Restore action. Check Junk Email too if the message was filtered instead of deleted. Act before the account’s retention period expires, and open the recovered message to confirm you found the correct conversation and attachment.
Sometimes. In a supported account, open Deleted Items and use the recovery option for items deleted from that folder. Select the messages still listed in the recoverable area and restore them. Availability depends on the account and retention settings; an empty recovery list does not guarantee another recovery method. Contact your organization’s administrator promptly for work mail.
Attach a copy when the recipient needs an independent snapshot of the file. Share a OneDrive link when people should work with the same stored document and see its updates. Before sending a link, inspect who can access it and whether editing is allowed. Changes to an emailed copy do not automatically update your original cloud document.
In new Outlook, place the cursor at the point in the message where the picture belongs. Choose Insert and Pictures, then select the image. Preview its size and make sure the surrounding text still explains the message clearly. Using the ordinary file-attachment command sends a separate file; inserting a picture places it within the message body.
Inbox rules normally apply to new incoming messages after the rule is created. In new Outlook, open Settings, then Mail and Rules, and use the run-now control beside the relevant rule to apply it to existing mail. Review the rule’s conditions and destination first, especially if it deletes messages or moves them out of your usual inbox view.
Open the Rules section under Mail in Settings and switch off the toggle beside the rule. Its saved conditions and actions remain available for later use. Turn it back on when you want incoming messages processed again. If mail still moves unexpectedly, inspect the other enabled rules and their order rather than repeatedly editing the paused rule.
Put the phrase inside double quotation marks in the search box, such as "delivery appointment". Then narrow the results with the available sender, subject, date, or attachment filters. Check the selected search scope as well: a search limited to one folder can miss a matching email elsewhere. Remove one restriction at a time if no results appear.
Start a search and apply the attachment filter. Add any other detail you remember, such as the sender or part of the subject, then set a date range if necessary. Search the appropriate mailbox rather than only the current folder. Once you find a candidate, check the message and filename before downloading or opening its attached file.
Select the relevant account if Outlook contains several, then open Settings, Mail, and Junk email. Add the address to the blocked-sender list. Blocking a sender directs matching mail toward Junk; it does not prevent that person from attempting to email you. Avoid blocking an entire company domain when you only mean to block one unwanted address.
Open the Junk email settings for the affected account and find the blocked addresses or domains. Remove the unwanted entry, then check Junk for messages that arrived while the block was active and move legitimate ones back. Removing a block does not mean every future message is trustworthy, so keep checking unexpected links and attachments in ordinary mail.
Use the search box with a subject field, such as subject:"roof estimate", or select the Subject option in the search filters. Keep the colon directly beside the search value when typing a field query. Quotation marks keep a multiword phrase together. Clear the search afterward to return to the normal folder view and see unrelated messages again.
Open the filter control at the end of the search box and use its date-range options. Add a sender or subject only if you need narrower results. When typing date queries instead, follow Outlook’s required month/day/year format so day and month are not reversed. Check whether you mean the sent date or the received date before searching.
Select the file in OneDrive, open Share, and choose a link restricted to specific people rather than anyone who receives it. Enter the intended recipients and choose viewing or editing access before sharing. Confirm the addresses carefully. A general link can be forwarded, while a restricted link depends on the recipient satisfying the access checks you selected.
Editing access to a folder can allow much more than typing into one document: recipients may be able to add, change, rename, move, share, or delete its contents. If they only need to read material, choose viewing access instead. Put only the intended files in the shared folder and review its permissions before sending the invitation.
Select the file in OneDrive and open its details or sharing controls, then inspect Manage access. Remove the relevant sharing link or adjust the person’s direct permission. Access inherited from a parent folder may need to be changed there. This affects the shared cloud file; it cannot remove an independent copy someone previously downloaded or received as an attachment.
On OneDrive’s website, open Shared and choose the view showing items shared by you. Inspect an item’s access settings to see the people and links that grant access. Review the actual permission on each important file rather than judging by the original email. A sharing link and a direct invitation can coexist, so changing one may leave another route open.
Source checks for these answers: September 23, 2026. Product instructions and local requirements can vary.