Update on Focused Inbox rollout for Outlook 2016 for Windows users

Microsoft

Edited: Nov 10, 2017 with updated information. 

 

Focused Inbox is coming to an Outlook near you! Here is an update on our status for Outlook 2016 for Windows. If you want to see our latest for other platforms, see our blog post, as these details haven’t changed.

 

Note: we have provided admins the ability to control the rollout of Focused Inbox in their organizations. For more details, read our blog post on admin controls.

 

Rollout status

As a reminder, there is a client and service side component required for Focused Inbox to appear in Outlook. The user’s mailbox in Office 365 & Outlook.com must receive a service side update to be Focused Inbox enabled. Secondly, the user must have a build of Outlook that includes the client-side updates necessary for Focused Inbox to appear.

 

Service side status:

We deployed to 100% of Office 365 (Exchange Online) and Outlook.com mailboxes. This is no longer a factor in availabilty.  

 

Client side status:

There are a few client side requirements:

  • Requires build 16.0.7967.2xxx+.  
    • This build began rolling out on April 21, 2017 to the Monthly (formerly Current) Channel for Office 365 ProPlus as Version 1703.
    • Those using a Semi-Annual (formerly Deferred) Channel build will not have access to this feature right now, as those channels offer delayed access to builds. Semi-Annual Channel will get Focused Inbox in 2018. 
  • Currently, the feature requires Office 365 modern authentication be enabled.
  • Previous use of Clutter
    • To ensure a good experience for those who previously used Clutter, user may get Focused Inbox rolled out in a defaulted-off state. See the chart in the “Transition from Clutter” section of our blog post.

 

186 Replies

Focused Inbox using Outlook 2016 as part of my office 365 home edition connecting to outlook.com just started working today.

Hi Llloyd: 

 

 

What version and build of O365 are you using?   Can someone tell me if this is a universal roll out or just by accounts?  If I don't use outlook.com, will it still work? (I  use IMAP accounts primarily). 

 


@Lloyd Cox wrote:

Focused Inbox using Outlook 2016 as part of my office 365 home edition connecting to outlook.com just started working today.

 

 


 

I am on office 365 ProPlus (home edition) version 1709 build 8528.2084, insider, monthly channel (targeted).

 

I know from this blog that MS was working to fix outlook 2016 so it would work with outlook.com accounts (personal accounts, not O365 business accounts) and that has finally happened since I now see the focused inbox option in Outlook 2016.  

Hi Allen, I picked up on this post because I am thoroughly confused by Focused inbox availability.  My office is currently on Office 2013, stand alone, but use Microsoft's Exchange Online as our email server.  My boss opened Outlook 2013 one day to find cluttered had disappeared.  Clutter completely changed the way she did email in a good way!  And it's gone.  But focused inbox is not available for Outlook 2013.

 

So I was thinking we will move to Office 2016, again, stand alone. But you're saying here that Office 2016 will never get the Focused Inbox?

 

I just find your analogy of a car so frustrating and here's why: We're driving along on stone wheels (like the Flintstones) with Office 2013 when Microsoft shows up and hands us rubber tires.  Didn't have to upgrade to new versions or change the way we purchase Office...didn't have to buy the new car!

 

Then a year later Microsoft comes back and takes the tires back because they have a new and improved tubeless tire.  But, sorry, you have to buy the new car and no, you can't keep using clutter, so back to the stone age for you with no recourse.

 

Oh, and by the way, the latest model of the car also won't use the new and improved tubeless tire.  Only cars you rent from us.

 

Now I've wasted half my morning wondering if purchasing Office Professional Plus 2016 will get her a focused inbox or not.

 

I am venting. It's ridiculous.

 

Can you answer one question for me: As of October 17, 2017 does the Office Professional Plus 2016 version of Outlook have focused inbox?

I have that - actually Version 1709 - build 8528.2139 Click to run monthly channel targeted - and still no Focused inbox.

I have Comcast Business Internet which gives us two exchange accounts and sharepoint as per of the package -- on Wedensday, they were changing to Microsoft o365 servers - wonder if that will fix the problem - maybe we will get office from them as well.

Still frustrated with Microsoft because this should have been made available to all of us home users a while ago.
Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, and I'm sorry that it has not been the best thus far.

Addressing the most significant issue for your boss first - Clutter is not gone. You can turn Clutter back on for your boss, until you get to a version of Office that includes support for Focused Inbox. My guess is your boss was using Outlook on the web at some point and turned on Focused Inbox, not knowing that turning on FI would turn off Clutter (as FI is the replacement for Clutter, see this blog for details: https://blogs.office.com/en-us/2016/07/26/outlook-helps-you-focus-on-what-matters-to-you/).

To get back to clutter, you can turn it back on with PowerShell. Example: Turn on Clutter for a single user named Allie Bellew. Set-Clutter -Identity “Allie Bellew” -Enable $true

If you need the non-powershell way to do this, let me know.

Answering your second question about availability: Office Professional Plus 2016 (bought standalone, rather than part of Office 365) does not and will not support Focused Inbox. Traditional versions of Office (what you are calling standalone) are point-in-time purchases. The product code that we released when we shipped 2016 is the code you get, no matter what day you buy it. Traditional Office clients only get security or bug fixes, the price does not include updates. You will need to buy Office 365 ProPlus in order to get any product updates, including FI. As said above, for those who are not going to update, we will support Clutter for the next several years. However, the long term status is that you will need to eventually go to Office 365 clients.

Hopefully this helps clarify our status a bit. Let me know if that isn't clear.
Thanks for reaching out. Your build is certainly capable of supporting FI. As stated in the top of this article, you are missing one of 2 other requirements:
1. Using Office 365/Exchange Online email - I'm not familiar with what email Comcast provides. It sounds like they are moving to Office 365/Exchange Online, which is great. But that would mean you don't have EXO today, so that could be why you aren't seeing it.
2. Modern Auth enabled - this would be controlled by the tenant admin. Do you know if you have access to your Admin Portal? Or will you once you get moved to EXO? There, you would need to turn on Modern Auth in order to get FI (see article at top for how to turn on Modern Auth).

As I've stated here, we are removing the Modern Auth requirement by end of year. So if you can't figure that part out in the interim, just sit tight and we will get rid of that soon.

Thanks for response, Allen.  Forgive my tirade.  I was not aware that clutter was still available and had really spent most of my morning looking at all the ways FI was not available for our typical way of doing things when I have a host of other things I need to get done.

 

She did exactly as you said...logged on to the web version and clutter disappeared.

 

Please provide the non-powershell way to turn it back on.

 

We will get ready for the changes.  Honestly, if I could get her to use OWA it would be so much easier! So much better.

 

Anyway, thanks!

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web with your boss's account. Note: You need to be using the regular version of Outlook on the web, not the 'light' version. If using Light, switch to full version by navigating to Options > General > Light version and clear the Use the light version of Outlook on the web check box.

Then:
2. In the upper-left corner of the page, choose App launcher > Outlook.
3. On the navigation bar, go to Settings > Mail > Layout > Focused Inbox. Choose Don’t sort messages. Click Save.
4. Return to inbox. Refresh the browser.
5. On the navigation bar, return to settings and the Clutter options should now be available. Settings > Mail > Automatic processing > Clutter.
6. Choose Separate items identified as Clutter > Save

It's back.  Thanks again!  Now we can take a few months to plan for future changes.

So now that my Exchange account  has been moved to Microsoft servers -- I do get focused inbox on that email account only -- however I only use my exchange account for tasks, calendars, notes, and people and not much email (Except text message backup) 

 

There are no focused inbox option on my IMAP accounts - which make up the majority of my email aaccounts -- do I have to wait until Modern Authorization is disabled? 

 

Good to hear Jeff. As I noted above, it will only work against Exchange accounts, as the intelligence required to determine if an item should be in Focused v Other is done in our datacenters. So it will not work for IMAP accounts, or anything other than Exchange and Outlook.com accounts.

Thanks!

So when will it work against IMAP accounts just like my Android --- by the end of the year when Modern Authorization requirement is dropped? - Please confirm.

Hey Jeff - as I noted above, it will not work for IMAP accounts. We have no plans to enable this broadly for IMAP accounts in Outlook 2016 for Windows/Mac. We will support Gmail, but we don't have plans past that.
So why do IMAP accounts it work on a less powerful Android Device. And is there a way to link an IMAP account to my Exchange account - so it becomes a subemail box of Exchange? I think I speak for many users when I say that you should work on it with IMAP accounts as that is most of the accounts we use.

I have the latest update of Outlook 2016, shouldn't I see this by know?   

Nope. Just read the article at the top of this conversation, which explains why. Requires Exchange Online mailbox and modern auth.

I have Outlook.com which supports exchange so I should see it, so why don't I?  

Thanks for clarifying. Outlook.com is not supported right now. Will be supported in an upcoming update.

This thread has confused me even more, I'm afraid.  Still not sure why we don't have focused inbox for the Targeted Semi-annual Channel.  We are O365 clients (exchange online, etc), have modern auth and FI enabled.  The monthly channel sees FI in Outlook 2016, but the rest don't.  The semi-annual users are up to version 1708, have FI for OWA and iOS apps, but complain that they don't have it on the desktop. 

 

When exactly should we see FI available across all of Outlook 2016 (O365 pro-plus) update channels?