Inbox Issue

I think you are talking about a known change (March 2026 update). If not, please give me some more details. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-s-new-in-new-outlook-for-windows-c4c33813-1e9a-4304-8499-90fe7f164bd1

Keep your place when switching folders Message selection and scroll position are now preserved when changing folders

Lots of people don't like it. e.g.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5850946/when-selecting-my-inbox-outlook-shows-the-email-in

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5853037/how-to-disable-keep-your-place-when-switching-fold

Workaround is to press ESC to close the email.

You can also Vote for and Comment on this Feature Request (and pray for a miracle).

Add option to disable persistent message selection when switching folders https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/7fa1c14d-1d34-f111-9a91-7c1e52d4091c
(You must "Sign In" at the top right of the Feedback page before you can vote).

Hi @Nova,

Thank you for reaching out and explaining the behavior you’re seeing in Outlook on the web.

When the reading pane no longer returns to the inbox after opening a message, especially when this change happens unexpectedly, it can interrupt your workflow.

Based on current behavior in Outlook on the web, the closest available workaround is to adjust the Reading Pane settings.

If the goal is to avoid staying on the same email after clicking Inbox, you can change how the Reading Pane behaves:

• Open Outlook on the web
• Go to View > Reading Pane
• Select Fill Screen or Pop‑out only, depending on your preference.

If this change started suddenly:

You may also want to try the following browser‑side steps, as they can sometimes help resolve unexpected UI behavior:

• Clear your browser’s cache and cookies.

• Sign out completely, then sign back in
• Try a different browser or open an InPrivate/Incognito window.

I hope this information helps. Please try the steps above and let me know whether they resolve the issue. If the behavior continues, we can continue working together to explore other options.

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