What is Outlook's Focused Inbox?

Focused Inbox is Microsoft's email sorting feature that separates incoming mail into two tabs: Focused for important messages and Other for everything else that is not spam.

The system uses machine learning to predict what each user considers important based on their interaction patterns. Senders they frequently engage with, and message types they consistently read, are more likely to appear in Focused.

Focused Inbox is not spam filtering. Messages in Other have passed spam checks and are delivered. They are simply categorized as lower priority for that specific user.

Users can train the system by moving messages between tabs. Moving something to Focused teaches the filter to prioritize that sender.

For senders, landing in Other is better than spam but means reduced visibility. Strong engagement from recipients improves Focused placement.

Focused Inbox is the priority queue. Both queues lead to the inbox, but one gets attention first.