With the coming changes to how the WSU email exchange server will handle authentication, many of you have to change to or upgrade Outlook. Outlook is part of the WSU Office365 license package and is available to all faculty, staff, and students free (download from office365.wsu.edu or from your device’s App store). However, the newest version has a “feature” that may not be familiar to everyone. This is the Focused Inbox mode which is the default setting. Focused Inbox automatically sorts all the email that comes directly to you into the Focused Inbox folder. Everything coming through a listserve (notices from TFREC, CAHNRS, WSU, Mailchimp, etc.) all go into the “Other” inbox folder.
If you are not used to this feature, you likely will forget to check the Other inbox with any regularity. You will miss any important notices that are sent via a list. If you like the Focused Inbox feature and want to keep it, just don’t forget to check the Other inbox. However, if you want to go back to the normal view, here are links to show you how to change it depending on your operating system/device.
- Outlook for Windows/Outlook for Mac/Outlook online instructions
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/turn-off-focused-inbox-f714d94d-9e63-4217-9ccb-6cb2986aa1b2 - Outlook for Android devices (turning Focused inbox on/off)
https://www.concurrency.com/blog/december-2017/focused-inbox-in-the-outlook-mobile-app - General setup instructions for Android
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/set-up-email-in-the-outlook-for-android-app-886db551-8dfa-4fd5-b835-f8e532091872 - Outlook for iOS devices (shows you how to turn it on – just do the opposite!)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/video-focused-inbox-email-filter-d9af3f3a-3a7d-4898-8079-39df8924f8e1 - General setup instructions for iOS (iPhone/iPad):
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/set-up-email-in-outlook-for-ios-mobile-app-b2de2161-cc1d-49ef-9ef9-81acd1c8e234
If you do want to keep the focused view there are ways to get emails that are automatically directed to the Other inbox to go into the Focused inbox. You select the desired email and click on the choice to move it. Choose Focused. It should ask if you want all of that type of email to go to Focused. I have not tried this, so I can’t tell you how accurately it works.
Feel free to emial me if you have questions about this.
Wendy
wendyej@wsu.edu