Clicking on email notification pop-up won't open the email message

Anonymous
2020-06-15T16:17:34+00:00

When I receive pop-up email notifications through Outlook, I used to be able to just click on the pop-up and it would open the email message. When I click on the notification now, nothing happens except that the notification goes away. In addition, subsequent emails that come in populate a notification but the notification is the same one that I previously received (for example, if the first email I received upon opening Outlook was from Sender A, I will get a notification from Sender A and clicking on that does not open the email. When I get an email from Sender B, I get another notification but it is the same notification as I received from Sender A; again, clicking on it does nothing except to dismiss the notification). If I instead click "dismiss" on the notification, then the new sender's information on the subsequent notification will be accurate. 

Can this be fixed? How can I again get the email message to appear when I click on the email notification?

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-08-13T17:53:12+00:00

    I am having the same issue.  Came here to discover it is widespread.

    Clicking on the notification DOES open the email, but it opens it behind other windows.  So I can't see it, can't tell it has been opened, and the email is marked as "read".  

    I've turned pop-up notifications on for a reason - to respond quickly to certain emails.  Opening the email "invisibly" does not meet that need.

    Microsoft, this is worse than no pop-ups at all.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-08-13T19:11:16+00:00

    That's better than mine, mine doesn't open the email at all, it just closes the popup notification and then nothing happens.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-08-18T20:39:06+00:00

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-08-31T09:17:56+00:00

    I get a similar problem. I double click on the notification, and yes it does bring up the notified email but hidden behind all my other windows. 

    This is not terminal, just very annoying for workflow. I first thought nothing was happening but then on close down found all these windows waiting. When I double click I want to deal with that now not have it appear as a background window.

    It always used to bring that email to the front for immediate action.

    Is there some setting for this? If it's a bug can it be fixed. 

    I'm using the latest updated version of Microsoft 365 on a year old MS Surface top of the range laptop with the latest Windows OS

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-08-31T09:20:52+00:00

    Why is this thread which identifies this exact problem locked for replies with no helpful answer being supplied?

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/clicking-on-an-outlook-notification-opens-the-new/eaf67f53-8900-44f9-bf46-b974a22fb972

    At least it throws light on one anomaly: the double click does work as expected when you're not in Outlook at the time.

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