How to View All Mail in Outlook: Full Inbox Guide

This guide shows you how to see every email in your Outlook inbox, including messages that are buried in folders, archived, or hidden by Focused Inbox. You’ll learn the exact steps to display all mail in both the new Outlook and classic Outlook, so you never miss an important message again.

What You’ll Need

Access to your Outlook account (Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, or Exchange)
The Outlook desktop app, web app, or mobile app
Your login credentials (if not already signed in)

Step-by-Step

View All Mail in the New Outlook (Windows and Web)

Open Outlook and sign in to your account.
In the left navigation pane, locate the Mail icon (it looks like an envelope) and click it.
Look at the top of the folder list. You’ll see a search bar and beneath it a dropdown that currently says “Focused” or “Other”. Click this dropdown.
Select “All” from the dropdown menu. This will combine your Focused and Other tabs into one single view, showing every email in your Inbox.
If you want to see emails from all folders (not just the Inbox), click the “All” dropdown again and choose “All folders” (if available). Alternatively, click on the “…” (three dots) next to your account name in the left pane and select “Folder options” to customize which folders appear.
To view emails that are archived or in subfolders, expand the folder list by clicking the arrow next to each folder name. Click on any folder to see its contents.

View All Mail in Classic Outlook (Desktop)

Open the classic Outlook desktop app.
In the left navigation pane, click on “Inbox” to see your main inbox.
If you have Focused Inbox enabled, you’ll see two tabs at the top of the message list: “Focused” and “Other”. Click the “Other” tab to see those messages, or click “Focused” to see the primary ones. To see both at once, click the “View” tab in the ribbon, then click “Show Focused Inbox” to toggle it off. This will merge both tabs into a single list.
To see all emails across all folders, use the “Search” box at the top of the message list. Type “*” (asterisk) and press Enter. This will display every email in your mailbox, regardless of folder.
Alternatively, click on “All Mail” if you have that folder set up (it’s a default folder in some configurations). If not, you can create a search folder: go to the “Folder” tab, click “New Search Folder”, choose “All mail”, and click OK.

View All Mail in Outlook Mobile App

Open the Outlook app on your phone or tablet.
Tap the “Inbox” icon at the bottom to go to your inbox.
At the top of the message list, you’ll see a filter icon (a funnel). Tap it.
Select “All” from the filter options. This will show all emails in your inbox, including those in the “Other” tab.
To see emails from all folders, tap the “Folder” icon (usually a folder symbol) at the top left, then tap “All folders” to expand the list and select any folder.

Common Mistakes

Not turning off Focused Inbox: If you only see “Focused” emails, you’re missing the “Other” tab. Toggle off Focused Inbox to combine them.
Confusing “All” with “All folders”: The “All” dropdown in the new Outlook only combines Focused and Other within the Inbox. To see emails from other folders, you must click on each folder individually or use a search folder.
Forgetting to expand folders: In the left pane, folders like “Archive” or “Sent Items” are often collapsed. Click the arrow to expand them.
Using the wrong search term: Searching for “*” works in classic Outlook but may not in the new Outlook. Instead, use the “All folders” view or search folder.

Tips

Create a “All Mail” search folder in classic Outlook for one-click access to every message.
In the new Outlook, you can pin frequently used folders to the top of the navigation pane for quicker access.
Use the “Filter” option (funnel icon) in the new Outlook to quickly switch between “All”, “Unread”, and “Flagged” views.
If you have multiple accounts, remember that “All” only applies to the selected account. Switch accounts in the left pane to see their mail.
Set up rules to automatically sort emails into folders, but check the “All Mail” view regularly to ensure nothing important is missed.

Troubleshooting

Issue: The “All” option is missing in the dropdown.
This usually happens when Focused Inbox is disabled. Go to View > Show Focused Inbox (classic) or Settings > Mail > Layout > Focused Inbox (new) and turn it on. Then the “All” option will appear.

Issue: Emails from subfolders are not showing in “All”.
The “All” view only covers the Inbox. To see subfolders, click on each folder in the left pane. For a unified view, create a search folder that includes all folders.

Issue: The search for “*” returns no results.
In the new Outlook, the wildcard search may not work. Instead, use the “All folders” view or the search folder method. Also ensure you are searching in “All Mailboxes” if you have multiple accounts.

Issue: Focused Inbox toggle is grayed out.
This can happen if your account is an Exchange or Microsoft 365 account managed by an IT department. Contact your admin to enable or disable Focused Inbox.

Issue: “All folders” option is not visible in the new Outlook.
This option appears only when you have more than one folder. If you only have the Inbox, it won’t show. Create a new folder (right-click on your account name > New Folder) and the option will appear.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I see all my emails in one list?

Outlook separates your inbox into Focused and Other tabs. To see them together, turn off Focused Inbox or select “All” from the dropdown.

How do I view archived emails in Outlook?

Click on the Archive folder in the left navigation pane. If you don’t see it, click the “…” (more) button to reveal hidden folders.

Can I see all emails from all accounts at once?

No, Outlook displays one account at a time. You can switch accounts in the left pane, or use a unified inbox if your email provider supports it (e.g., Microsoft 365 with a shared mailbox).

Does “All” include emails from subfolders?

No, “All” only combines the Focused and Other tabs within your Inbox. To see subfolder emails, click on each folder individually.

How do I create a search folder that shows all mail?

In classic Outlook, go to the Folder tab, click New Search Folder, choose All mail, and click OK. The new Outlook does not support custom search folders yet.

Why are some emails missing from my Inbox even after selecting “All”?

Emails may be in a different folder (like Archive or Junk), or they might be filtered by a rule. Check the folder list and your rules to ensure nothing is being automatically moved.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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