Outlook Conversation View: How to Turn It On or Off, and Why Emails Seem Missing from a Thread
Your inbox shows one line for a whole back-and-forth, or it shows every reply on its own line and you want them grouped. Either way, the switch is in a different place in each Outlook. If an email seems to be missing from a thread, conversation view is often the reason, and the email is usually still there.
In short: conversation view (also called threads) groups messages with the same subject into one line in the message list. Most Outlook accounts start with it on. To turn it on or off in new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web or Outlook.com, go to Settings > Mail > Layout and, under Message organization, choose Group messages by conversation or Do not group messages. In classic Outlook for Windows, select View > Show as Conversations, then This folder or All mailboxes. On a Mac, use View > Show as Conversations. In the iPhone and Android app, go to Settings > Mail > Email Organization and switch Group emails by conversation. An email that seems missing is usually collapsed inside a thread, or it sits in another folder such as Sent Items.
What Outlook Conversation View Does
Microsoft’s conversation view article says a conversation “includes all messages in the same thread with the same subject line,” and that most account types show messages in conversations by default. In classic Outlook:
- A conversation with more than one message has a small triangle next to it. Select it to expand or collapse the thread.
- When a new message arrives, its whole conversation moves to the top of the list.
- An unread conversation shows its subject in bold, with the number of unread messages next to it.
- Messages inside a conversation are sorted with the newest on top, and Microsoft says you can’t change that order.
Conversation view only changes how mail is displayed. Turning it off doesn’t move, delete or merge any messages.
Where the Conversation View Setting Is in Each Outlook
| Outlook | Turn conversation view on or off | Other conversation options |
|---|---|---|
| New Outlook for Windows | Settings > Mail > Layout > Message organization | What the reading pane shows; deleted items in conversations |
| Outlook on the web and Outlook.com | Settings > Mail > Layout > Message organization | Same as new Outlook |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | View > Show as Conversations, per folder or all mailboxes | View > Conversation Settings |
| Outlook for Mac | View > Show as Conversations | Outlook > Settings > Reading > Conversations |
| Outlook for iPhone and Android | Settings > Mail > Email Organization | — |
How to Turn Conversation View On or Off in New Outlook and Outlook on the Web
The steps are the same in new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web with a work or school account, and Outlook.com with a personal account.
- Select Settings (the gear icon) at the top of the window.
- Select Mail, then Layout.
- Under Message organization, choose Group messages by conversation to turn threads on, or Do not group messages to turn them off. Microsoft also lists Group messages by branches within conversations.
This is the path in Microsoft’s message list article and its Outlook.com help page. One Microsoft article, on conversation view, puts it under Reading pane instead, so look there if your settings show that page.
The same section has two more questions, according to the message list article:
- What do you want to see in your Reading Pane? Show all messages in the conversation, or only the message you selected.
- Do you want to see deleted items in your conversations? Show or hide messages you have deleted.
How to Turn Conversation View On or Off in Classic Outlook
- Open any mail folder, such as your Inbox.
- Select View > Show as Conversations. A check mark means it is on.
- Choose This folder to change only the folder you are in, or All mailboxes to change every folder.
Because the setting can be per folder, conversation view can be on in your Inbox and off in another folder. Check the folder you are looking at.
Conversation Settings in Classic Outlook
Select View > Conversation Settings for four options:
- Show Messages from Other Folders: shows messages in the conversation that were moved to other folders, and messages you sent that are stored in Sent Items. Turn this on to see your own replies inside the thread.
- Show Senders Above the Subject: shows sender names at the top of the conversation instead of the subject.
- Always Expand Selected Conversation: keeps the conversation you select expanded.
- Use Classic Indented View: indents each message by its place in the conversation.
How to Turn Off Conversation View in Outlook for Mac
From Microsoft’s Mac article:
- Outlook for Mac: on the View menu, uncheck Show as Conversations. Check it again to turn threads back on.
- Legacy Outlook for Mac: on the Organize tab, select Conversations. Microsoft said support for legacy Outlook for Mac would end in October 2026.
For more options, go to Outlook > Settings, select Reading under Email, and choose what you want under Conversations. On a Mac, messages are sorted newest on top within a conversation, and messages in Junk E-Mail and Deleted Items are not included in conversations.
How to Turn Off Conversation View in Outlook for iPhone and Android
The app groups messages by conversation by default. Microsoft’s mobile article gives these steps:
- From the message list, open the folder pane and tap Settings.
- Under General, tap Mail.
- Under Inbox, tap Email Organization.
- Switch Group emails by conversation off. Switch it on to group them again.
Why Emails Seem Missing from a Thread
With conversation view on, most “missing” emails are hidden by the view, not gone. Check these in order:
- The thread is collapsed. An older message sits inside the conversation, under the latest reply, and the whole conversation moves to the top of the list when a reply arrives. Expand the conversation with its triangle or arrow.
- Your reply is in Sent Items. In classic Outlook, turn on Show Messages from Other Folders to see your sent replies inside the thread.
- The message was filed in another folder. A rule or a move put it elsewhere. In classic Outlook, the same setting shows it in the thread; otherwise search all folders.
- The unread count doesn’t match what you see. Unread messages inside a collapsed conversation show only as a number next to the subject. Expand the conversation to find them.
- Deleted items are hidden. In new Outlook and on the web, the setting for deleted items in conversations decides whether deleted replies appear in the thread.
If an email isn’t in the thread or anywhere in the folder, see where disappearing Outlook emails usually go for rules, Focused Inbox, archiving and other causes.
Delete, Ignore or Clean Up a Whole Conversation
A conversation line stands for every message in the thread, so an action on it can reach more than the one email you meant. Microsoft’s current help doesn’t say how far Delete or Move reaches when the whole conversation is selected. To act on one email only, expand the conversation and select that email first.
Ignore in classic Outlook goes further. It removes the conversation and moves every future message in it straight to Deleted Items, per Microsoft’s Ignore article. To use it, select the message and choose Home > Ignore in the Delete group. If replies keep landing in Deleted Items, you may have ignored the thread by mistake:
- Select the Deleted Items folder, then the message.
- On the Home tab, select Ignore in the Delete group. It is highlighted when the conversation is being ignored.
- If asked, select Stop Ignoring Conversation.
The message leaves Deleted Items, and new replies stop being deleted. This works only while the conversation is still in Deleted Items, so don’t empty that folder until you have checked. Microsoft’s troubleshooting article notes that Ignore doesn’t work with an Online mode profile.
Clean Up in classic Outlook removes messages whose full text is already quoted in a later reply. Select Home > Clean Up, then Clean Up Conversation, Clean Up Folder or Clean Up Folder & Subfolders. Microsoft’s Clean Up article says the removed messages go to Deleted Items unless another folder is set under File > Options > Mail > Conversation Clean Up. Clean Up Folder acts on every conversation in the folder, and Clean Up Folder & Subfolders on every folder inside it too, so start with one conversation if you aren’t sure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop Outlook from grouping emails by conversation?
In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, go to Settings > Mail > Layout and choose Do not group messages under Message organization. In classic Outlook, uncheck View > Show as Conversations. On a Mac, uncheck View > Show as Conversations. In the phone app, turn off Group emails by conversation under Settings > Mail > Email Organization.
Why are my sent replies not shown in the conversation?
Your replies are stored in Sent Items, not in the Inbox. In classic Outlook, select View > Conversation Settings > Show Messages from Other Folders to show them inside the thread.
Does turning off conversation view delete any emails?
No. Conversation view only changes how the message list is displayed. Every message stays in its folder whether the view is on or off.
Can I show the newest message at the bottom of a conversation?
Not in classic Outlook or Outlook for Mac, where Microsoft says messages are sorted newest on top. Microsoft’s help for new Outlook and Outlook on the web doesn’t describe the order of messages inside a conversation.
Why did conversation view turn on in only one folder?
In classic Outlook, View > Show as Conversations asks whether to apply it to This folder or All mailboxes. Choose All mailboxes to use the same setting everywhere.
Why do replies in a thread go straight to Deleted Items?
The conversation was probably ignored. In classic Outlook, open Deleted Items, select the message, select Ignore on the Home tab, and choose Stop Ignoring Conversation. This works only while the conversation is still in Deleted Items, so don’t empty that folder first.