No Unified viewing of multiple email accounts withing Outlook Desktop 😡

Hello,

I completely understand your frustration! This is one of the most complained-about missing features in Outlook for Windows, and you're absolutely right - it's baffling that the mobile and Mac versions have this while the Windows desktop version doesn't.

Why Microsoft Removed/Never Added This

The unified inbox was available in older versions of Outlook (like Outlook 2010/2013) but was removed, and Microsoft has been oddly silent about bringing it back properly. The mobile and Mac teams built their apps from scratch with modern email usage in mind, while the Windows desktop version is built on decades-old code that Microsoft seems reluctant to overhaul completely.

Current "Workarounds" (Which Aren't Great)

You probably already know these, but for completeness:

1. Favorites Folder - Add each account's inbox to Favorites, but you still see them separately, just in one pane
2. Search Folders - Create a search folder showing unread from all accounts, but this is clunky and doesn't show everything naturally
3. Rules to Forward - Forward all emails to one account, which defeats the purpose of having multiple accounts
4. The New Outlook - Microsoft's "new" Outlook for Windows (the web-based version) does have a unified inbox, but it's basically just the web version in a wrapper and lacks many desktop features

None of these are true solutions - they're bandaids.

Why Thunderbird Is the Right Choice

You've made a smart move switching to Thunderbird. It has:

• Native unified inbox that actually works well
• Free and open source - no subscription fees
• Proper multiple account management
• Add-ons for extended functionality
• Cross-platform consistency

Other people in your situation have also moved to:

• eM Client - Paid, but has excellent unified inbox
• Mailbird - Windows-focused with good multi-account support
• The Bat! - Old-school but powerful

Pushing Microsoft for Change

If you want to pressure Microsoft to add this feature:

• Vote on the Microsoft 365 UserVoice/Feedback portal
• Complain on the Microsoft Community forums (there are massive threads about this)
• Tweet at the Outlook team

But honestly? Based on years of user requests being ignored, Microsoft doesn't seem to care about fixing this in the classic desktop version. They want people to move to the web-based "New Outlook" or use Microsoft 365 cloud features instead.

Bottom line: Your frustration is completely valid, Thunderbird is a solid choice, and Microsoft's decision to not include this basic feature in their flagship desktop email client for Windows is genuinely inexcusable given that their own mobile and Mac versions have it.

Thanks,

Jovan S.