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New Outlook app automatically expands every email in a conversation thread in the message list when selected

Partridge, William (PCNA-MC2) 0 Reputation points
2026-06-03T14:08:01.5833333+00:00

I am using the new Outlook app, not classic Outlook. Before resetting Outlook, I was able to click a conversation thread once and have the full conversation appear in the reading pane. From there, I could reply, reply all, or forward individual emails within the conversation.

After resetting Outlook, whenever I click a conversation thread in the message list, Outlook automatically expands the thread downward in the left/message-list pane and shows every individual email in the chain. I do not want this behavior. I want the conversation to remain as one selectable item in the message list, while still being able to view and interact with the individual messages inside the reading pane.

I have checked Settings → Mail → Layout, but I do not see an option called “Automatically expand conversations” or “Always expand selected conversation.” I have also looked through the visible conversation/message organization settings and cannot find a way to stop the left message list from expanding every email in the chain.

This issue started only after resetting Outlook. I have used the new Outlook app before without this behavior, so I believe this is either a hidden setting, a changed setting, or a bug in the current new Outlook app.

I am unable to respond to any email directly from the chain without first selecting it from the auto drop down.

Can someone please tell me exactly how to disable automatic expansion of conversation threads in the message list in the new Outlook app?

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Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For business

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  1. Chris Duong 9,085 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-03T16:51:47.2366667+00:00

    Hi @Partridge, William (PCNA-MC2), 

    Good day. Sorry you’re going through this and I really appreciate the detailed information you shared. 

    Before we proceed, please note that this is a user-to-user community forum. As a moderator, I don’t have access to your Microsoft 365 tenant, your account, or your device to make changes directly. However, I’ll do my best to support you by sharing the appropriate resources and directing you to the right support channels. 

    After checking on my side, I was also unable to find any available setting in the current New Outlook experience that specifically disables this automatic conversation expansion in the message list. Therefore, this does not appear to be controlled through a visible user-configurable setting and may instead be related to the current app behavior or interface experience after resetting Outlook.

    In the meantime, here are a few workarounds you can try: 

    1/ Adjust the Conversation view settings 

    • Go to View > Conversation message list 
    • Try switching to the “Group messages by branches within conversations” option 
    • User's image
    • In the Reading Pane, you may also try the available conversation display options, such as “Show only selected message” or “Show all messages”, to see whether one of them provides an experience closer to what you had previously or refreshes the way the thread is displayed 
    • User's image

    2/ Consider using Outlook on the web (OWA) or classic Outlook temporarily 

    • If this is affecting your workflow, you may consider using Outlook on the web or classic Outlook, if available, to avoid disruption to your work until the behavior can be reviewed further. 
    • You can toggle off the New Outlook button at the top-right corner of the app to switch to Classic Outlook.   
    • If your organization does not show the toggle, it may have been disabled by your administrator.  

    3/ Contact your IT department 

    If the issue still continues after trying the steps above, it may stem from a deeper system-level cause. Please reach out to your local IT team so they can further review the environment and help confirm whether this is specific to the app. 

    Additionally, if needed, your IT team can also raise a support ticket with Microsoft Support through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center for deeper investigation. They have access to backend configurations and can perform a more in-depth investigation. At the very least, they can provide the most effective workaround to ensure your experience remains smooth and secure.      

    In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support  

    I hope this information is helpful. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please feel free to share them in the comment below. I'm very happy to help.  

    Thank you again for your understanding and cooperation. 

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. 

    Note: Follow the steps in our documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive email notifications related to this topic. 

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