Using Clutter to sort low priority Messages

What is Clutter?

In Outlook, "Clutter" can help you filter low-priority email, saving time for your most important messages. The email server keeps track of the email you read and the ones you don't. Once you turn it on, Clutter is automatic. As new email comes in, it takes messages you're most likely to ignore and puts them into the "Clutter" folder. The more you use it, the better it gets. And if you find Clutter isn't for you, you can turn it off.

Turn Clutter off

If you want to turn off clutter here's how you do this.

1. Sign in to Outlook Web App.

2. On the top right corner of the page, go to Settings > Options > Mail > Automatic processing > Clutter.

3. Untick Separate items identified as Clutter, then Save .

NOTE The Clutter folder remains in Outlook after you turn off the Clutter feature.

How Clutter filters messages

Clutter and junk email are both filtered out before they reach your Inbox. Junk email is evaluated and filtered first, then Outlook processes the rules (if you have set up any). Next, Clutter analyzes the remaining messages and filters out the types of messages that you usually ignore or don't respond to, based on your past behavior.

Messages from certain people will never be identified as clutter:

• You
• Anyone in your management chain
• Your direct reports

Clutter looks at various aspects of messages to understand what you don’t typically read, for example:

• The sender
• Whether you’ve participated in the conversation
• If you’re the only recipient
• The importance

As your reading habits change, Clutter learns and adapts.

Help Clutter learn you preferences faster

It might take Clutter a few days to fully adapt to your preference, as the system records your choices and uses the information to identify similar messages in the future. But you can help Clutter learn your choices faster:

• If you see a low priority email in your Inbox, right-click the message and choose Move > Clutter, or drag the email from your Inbox and drop it into the Clutter folder.
• If you see a message that was sent to Clutter by mistake, drag the email from the Clutter folder and drop it in your Inbox.