Hello, In the new Outlook for Windows, the experience is generally good except for an issue where emails read in it still appear as unread when viewed in a different client, like the Outlook desktop app or the iPhone mail app. Any ideas why? Has anyone else experienced this? To reproduce: Open your Outlook for Windows and another client (e.g . Gmail) Find a read email in the alternate client and mark it as unread New outlook for Windows will update after ~10 seconds displaying the unread status - this is GOOD Now try doing this the opposite way around - both marking an email as read or unread within the new Outlook for Windows doesn't sync to the actual mail server. It does maintain this unread state within the Outlook for Windows even after closing however. It's annoying because if I go through my emails on my computer, then look at them later on my phone, it still shows all emails as unread. Edit 28th Feb 2024: I have unmarked this as resolved because there are clearly many people with later versions who still experience this issue. Please sort this out Microsoft - it's incredibly annoying. Thanks in advance, Jonathan

It's unbelievable... isn't it? It almost feels like Microsoft is holding the public hostage...

As of May 8th, this is still a problem. Outlook does not sync read status of mail properly . The old Win 11 Mail did it just fine. I'm not sure why it's so hard to fix it in Outlook. I've done everything possible to get Outlook to work. Uninstall re-install, remove all traces of win 11 mail, try again, still it NEVER works. Syncing read status is perhaps one of the most necessary features of a mail client. It's mind boggling that MS doesn't accept that it's an Outlook problem and it exists. You have a working example (win 11 mail) and a non-working example (new outlook). Should be pretty straightforward to work out how to fix it.

Just an update on my original post. I recently spent over an hour with the microsoft suport chat. They refused to believe that there was a fault with new outlook, and kept making me reinstall it. Thanks to all the people replying and making it clear that this a real, widespread, and long-known bug.

To MICROSOFT! When are you going to resolve this read/unread showstopper issue (and possibly other significant shortcomings like the inability to print a draft email)? In recent weeks you have been forcing this deficient software "NEW OUTLOOK" on me and others, disregarding it's deficient state, by disabling the old simple yet proven "MAIL" app. Then I have to go thru the process of denying using it and have take steps to reverting back to the MAIL app. This happened several times already. I cannot see how you, mighty Microsoft, legally force anyone to use a specific piece of software, especially in it's deficient state. This is unlike a critical update to an operating system... What I suggest to you is to focus your talented staff on a very timely, and hopefully very short, effort of repairing these very basic issues at which time I, and I am certain others as well, will be more than happy to switch to this NEW Outlook for windows. Thank you

New outlook for Windows not syncing read/unread status of emails

Anonymous

Hello,

In the new Outlook for Windows, the experience is generally good except for an issue where emails read in it still appear as unread when viewed in a different client, like the Outlook desktop app or the iPhone mail app. Any ideas why? Has anyone else experienced this?

To reproduce:

Open your Outlook for Windows and another client (e.g . Gmail)
Find a read email in the alternate client and mark it as unread
New outlook for Windows will update after ~10 seconds displaying the unread status - this is GOOD
Now try doing this the opposite way around - both marking an email as read or unread within the new Outlook for Windows doesn't sync to the actual mail server. It does maintain this unread state within the Outlook for Windows even after closing however.

It's annoying because if I go through my emails on my computer, then look at them later on my phone, it still shows all emails as unread.

Edit 28th Feb 2024: I have unmarked this as resolved because there are clearly many people with later versions who still experience this issue. Please sort this out Microsoft - it's incredibly annoying.

Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

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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56 answers

Anonymous

2024-05-08T16:25:40+00:00

It's unbelievable... isn't it? It almost feels like Microsoft is holding the public hostage...
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Anonymous

2024-05-08T13:10:47+00:00

As of May 8th, this is still a problem. Outlook does not sync read status of mail properly. The old Win 11 Mail did it just fine. I'm not sure why it's so hard to fix it in Outlook. I've done everything possible to get Outlook to work. Uninstall re-install, remove all traces of win 11 mail, try again, still it NEVER works.

Syncing read status is perhaps one of the most necessary features of a mail client. It's mind boggling that MS doesn't accept that it's an Outlook problem and it exists. You have a working example (win 11 mail) and a non-working example (new outlook). Should be pretty straightforward to work out how to fix it.
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2 people found this answer helpful.

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Anonymous

2024-04-02T15:56:26+00:00

UNBELIEVABLE...
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Anonymous

2024-04-02T13:30:59+00:00

Just an update on my original post. I recently spent over an hour with the microsoft suport chat. They refused to believe that there was a fault with new outlook, and kept making me reinstall it. Thanks to all the people replying and making it clear that this a real, widespread, and long-known bug.
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5 people found this answer helpful.

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Anonymous

2024-04-02T12:26:27+00:00

To MICROSOFT!

When are you going to resolve this read/unread showstopper issue (and possibly other significant shortcomings like the inability to print a draft email)?

In recent weeks you have been forcing this deficient software "NEW OUTLOOK" on me and others, disregarding it's deficient state, by disabling the old simple yet proven "MAIL" app. Then I have to go thru the process of denying using it and have take steps to reverting back to the MAIL app. This happened several times already.

I cannot see how you, mighty Microsoft, legally force anyone to use a specific piece of software, especially in it's deficient state. This is unlike a critical update to an operating system...

What I suggest to you is to focus your talented staff on a very timely, and hopefully very short, effort of repairing these very basic issues at which time I, and I am certain others as well, will be more than happy to switch to this NEW Outlook for windows.

Thank you
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3 people found this answer helpful.

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