Read time: 6 minutes
Quick answer: To disable Clutter in Microsoft 365 mailbox, connect to Exchange Online PowerShell and run Set-Clutter -Identity “abc@testing.com” -Enable $false. It is the most reliable way that admins prefer. Additionally, Microsoft also provides a way (for individual users) to disable Clutter in Outlook on the web by changing Mail Settings when the Clutter setting is available.
Microsoft 365 Clutter was designed to move less important email messages away from the Inbox and into a separate Clutter folder. Although Focused Inbox has replaced Clutter in modern Outlook, Clutter can still be managed in Exchange Online for mailboxes where it is enabled.
If you still have users working with Clutter, you can disable it using Exchange Online PowerShell. Individual users may also be able to turn off Clutter in Outlook on the web, depending on their mailbox configuration. This guide explains how to disable Clutter in Office 365, how to check its current status, how to manage it for multiple mailboxes, and what to do if users are actually seeing ‘Focused’ and ‘Other’ instead of a Clutter folder.
What is Clutter in Microsoft 365?
Clutter is a Microsoft 365 email organization feature that identifies messages that appear to be lower priority and moves them to the Clutter folder. For example, messages that a user rarely reads may be moved away from the main Inbox. This can help reduce Inbox noise, but some users may prefer to see all messages in one place. If that is the case, you can disable Clutter in Office 365 mailbox.
Is Clutter Discontinued in Microsoft 365?
Clutter has been superseded by Focused Inbox, but it has not simply disappeared from Exchange Online administration. Microsoft still provides the Get-Clutter and Set-Clutter Exchange Online PowerShell cmdlets for viewing and changing Clutter settings. At the same time, Microsoft recommends moving users to Focused Inbox because Clutter is eventually being replaced by the newer experience. This means there are two situations to consider:
- If the mailbox is still using Clutter, you can manage it with Set-Clutter.
- If the user sees Focused and Other tabs, they are using Focused Inbox, and you should manage that feature instead.
Understanding this difference is important because disabling Clutter does not automatically disable Focused Inbox.
Clutter vs. Focused Inbox
Clutter and Focused Inbox are related, but they are not the same feature.
|
Feature |
Clutter |
Focused Inbox |
|
Main purpose |
Moves lower-priority messages to Clutter |
Separates messages into Focused and Other |
|
Where messages appear |
Clutter folder |
Focused or Other tab |
|
Current status |
Legacy/superseded experience |
Modern replacement for Clutter |
|
PowerShell command |
Set-Clutter |
Set-FocusedInbox |
|
Can it be managed with Exchange Online PowerShell? |
Yes |
Yes |
How to Disable Clutter in Microsoft 365
There are two practical ways to disable Clutter in Office 365 mailboxes:
- Using Exchange Online PowerShell (Admin Level Method)
- Using Outlook on the web (User-Level Method)
Method 1: Disable Clutter in Office 365 Mailboxes Using Exchange Online PowerShell
Exchange Online PowerShell provides the Set-Clutter cmdlet for enabling or disabling Clutter for a mailbox. For Microsoft 365 admins managing several mailboxes, it is the more useful approach. Get the required Exchange permissions and can connect to Exchange Online PowerShell.
- Open PowerShell and run the below command the connect Exchange Online:
Connect-ExchangeOnline
- Use your Exchange Online admin credentials and login in. This uses the modern Exchange Online PowerShell connection method rather than the older remote PowerShell session approach.
- Before changing anything, check the mailbox’s current Clutter setting using the cmdlet below:
Get-Clutter -Identity “xyz@testing.com”
- To disable Clutter for the mailbox, run:
Set-Clutter -Identity “xyz@testing.com” -Enable $false
- After running the command, check the mailbox again by running the command below:
Get-Clutter -Identity ” xyz@testing.com”
Note: Replace xyz@testing.com with the actual mailbox address
Disable Clutter for Multiple Microsoft 365 Mailboxes
If you need to disable Clutter in Office 365 for several specific users, you can create a list of mailbox addresses and run Set-Clutter against each one.
$users = @(
“abc1@testing.com”
“abc2@testing.com”
“abc3@testing.com”
)
foreach ($user in $users) {
Set-Clutter -Identity $user -Enable $false
}
Afterward, you can verify the settings individually with:
Get-Clutter -Identity “abc1@testing.com”
Disable Clutter in Microsoft 365 for All Mailboxes
If your organization has decided that Clutter should no longer be used, you can apply the setting to a broader mailbox number.
Get-Mailbox -ResultSize Unlimited | ForEach-Object {
Set-Clutter -Identity $_.Identity -Enable $false
}
Note: Be careful with tenant-wide or large-scale mailbox changes; review the mailboxes that will be affected and test the command with a small group first.
Method 2: Disable Clutter from Outlook on the Web
Individual users may also be able to turn off Clutter in Outlook on the web. Here are the steps to follow:
- Login to Outlook on the Web, go to Settings (Gear icon), then tap on Mail.
- Tap on Automatic processing, then locate Clutter.
- Select Don’t separate items identified as Clutter, and then click Save.
Note: The availability of the Clutter setting depends on the mailbox configuration:
- If you currently have Clutter enabled in the mailbox, Clutter settings appear.
- If you currently have Focused Inbox enabled in the mailbox, Clutter settings don’t appear.
- If Clutter and Focused Inbox are both disabled in the mailbox, both Clutter and Focused Inbox appear as options in your Mail Settings.
What Happens After You Disable Clutter in Office 365?
When Clutter is disabled for Office 365 mailboxes, messages that would previously have been redirected to Clutter are no longer handled by Clutter. For organizations (that are transitioning users to newer Outlook clients), if Clutter is disabled before a user’s client supports Focused Inbox, messages that were previously redirected to Clutter can remain in the Inbox. Therefore, admins should consider the user’s Outlook environment before making a broad Clutter change.
Disabling Clutter does not normally remove your mailbox data, but administrators may still want a separate copy of important emails before making mailbox-wide changes. This is especially useful when managing large numbers of Microsoft 365 mailboxes or making several configuration changes at once. The Kernel Office 365 Backup tool can be used to create a separate backup of Microsoft 365 mailbox data, giving administrators an additional copy of important emails and other mailbox items when needed.
Last Say
Whether you’re an Exchange admin or individual user, you know how to disable Clutter in Office 365 mailboxes. For organization-wide administration, Exchange Online PowerShell is the better approach because it allows admins to explicitly manage the mailbox configuration.
However, Microsoft has replaced Clutter with Focused inbox that keeps all your emails together but in two different tabs: Focused (for your most important & urgent emails) and Other (For lower-priority emails, newsletters, etc.). Before performing tasks related to Microsoft 365 mailbox management, it is important to keep a safe copy or backup because Microsoft doesn’t protect your data from accidental deletion.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Focused Inbox replaced Clutter as the newer Outlook email organization experience. It divides the Inbox into Focused and Other.
A: Yes. Individuals can disable Clutter in Outlook on the Web, and for organization-wide tasks, admins can still use the Exchange Online PowerShell Set-Clutter cmdlet.
A: You cannot find Clutter in Outlook if the Focused Inbox is enabled.
A: No. Clutter and Junk Email have different purposes. Clutter is an email organization feature that separates lower-priority messages, while Junk Email is designed to handle messages identified as spam or unwanted email.
