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

@Cian Allner

 

We have 1803 rolling out now to our users, (Semi Annual Targetted).  Focused Inbox does not appear to be present.  

 

Based on the discussion and links you have sent, it should be active.  Are we missing anything else that should make it available for our users?

 

We have some users on Monthly, and Focused Inbox works great, but when we downgrade to 1803 Semi Annual Targetted, it doesnt come back.

@Brent Ellis

Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted) should have received Focused Inbox on March 13, 2018 with
Version 1803 (Build 9126.2072), according to https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/mt465751

Have you correctly configured Focused Inbox for everyone in your organization?

See https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Configure-Focused-Inbox-for-everyone-in-your-organization-6...

Yes, after some more exploration, a full reboot triggered it. Users were running the update, and it wouldn't show up.

I'm going to take a wild guess that nobody had the smarts to create a registry key or group policy for us admins to disable focused inbox on a per computer or per user basis. No of course not that would be the competent thing to do.

No, As that would require us to configure this on every single portal past present and future as opposed to once in one central location during OSD

Outlook 1809 10827.20181 on both work & home machine

 

Work, domain joined computer gets Focused Inbox fine.

Home non-domain joined machine using the same Office 365 WORK account does NOT

 

Any ideas?

 

Seb