How to get notifications for all my inboxes in Outlook

This guide will teach you how to get notifications for all your inboxes in Microsoft Outlook. That will include guides for the desktop version of Outlook, Windows devices, and on mobile.

How to get notifications for all your inboxes in Outlook (Desktop App):

• First, open your Outlook desktop application.
• Go to “File” > “Manage Rules & Alerts.”
• Click “New Rule…” in the “Email Rules” tab.
• Select “Apply rule on messages I receive” and click “Next.”
• Ensure that no conditions are selected and click “Next.”
• Click “Yes” when the dialog box pops up.
• Click the select box next to “display a Desktop Alert” and click “Next.”
• Ensure that no conditions are selected and click “Next.”
• Give the rule a name and select the box for “Turn on this rule.”
• Finally, click “Finish.”

How to get notifications for all your inboxes in Outlook (Windows PC):

• Type “Notifications” into your Windows search bar.
• Click to “Open” the “Notifications and actions settings.”
• Look for “Outlook” and make sure it’s toggled “On.”

How to get notifications for all your inboxes in Outlook (Mobile – Android):

• Open your Outlook mobile application.
• Tap your profile icon or the Office icon in the top left.
• Tap the Settings icon in the bottom left.
• Select “Notifications” at the top.
• Ensure “Allow notifications” is toggled on.
• Tap on “Notifications from.”
• Select “All email” from the popup menu.

Please continue reading for a full visual guide on getting notifications for all your Outlook inboxes.

Note: if you are using an Outlook version older than Outlook 2010, there is a small difference to Solution 1, which we will explain in the step-by-step process section.

Overview: What are the default notifications settings for inboxes in Outlook?

By default, Outlook will only send notifications for mail that enters your inbox, not any other folders. That’s because important mail usually ends up in your inbox folder.

However, that is not always the case. Sometimes, a vital email accidentally lands in the wrong folder. And if you don’t receive a notification for that email, there’s a risk of missing it altogether. So, if you want to set up notifications for all your email folders in Outlook, please follow the upcoming step-by-step process.

How to get notifications for all your inboxes in Outlook

Note: the solutions in this guide are not mutually exclusive, meaning you can try all of them to maximize the chances of seeing notifications for all received emails in Outlook.

Solution 1: How to get notifications for all your inboxes in Outlook (Desktop)

• First, open your Outlook desktop application.
• Go to “File” in the top menu.
• Then select “Manage Rules & Alerts” in the “Info” tab.
• Alternatively, select “Rules” > “Manage Rules & Alerts” in the “Home” tab.

• The “Rules and Alerts” dialog box will pop up.
• Click “New Rule…” in the “Email Rules” tab.

• The “Rules Wizard” dialog box will pop up.
• Select “Apply rule on messages I receive” at the bottom of the list. (1)
• Then click “Next.” (2)
• Ensure that no conditions are selected and click “Next.” (3)

Note: If your version of Outlook is older than Outlook 2010, the option you need to select here is “Check messages when they arrive.”

• Click “Yes” to confirm if a dialog box appears.
• Next, scroll down and click the select box next to “display a Desktop Alert.” (1)
• Click “Yes” to confirm if a dialog box appears.
• Then click the “Next” button. (2)
• On the next page, ensure that no conditions are selected and click “Next.” (3)

• Give the rule a name. (1)
• Select the checkbox for “Turn on this rule.” (2)
• Finally, click “Finish” and “OK” when the dialog box appears. (3)

Provided that your Outlook application is running, you will now see notifications on all emails received, regardless of which folder they are sorted into.

To delete the rule, return to “File” > “Manage Rules & Alerts” or “Home” > “Rules” > “Manage Rules & Alerts.” Then, select the rule, and click the delete button above.

Solution 2: How to get notifications for all your inboxes in Outlook (Windows PC)

You may have turned your Outlook notifications off in your system settings if they are not coming through. Please follow the steps below to ensure that notifications are turned on.

• First, type “Notifications” into your Windows search bar. (1)
  • If you can’t find the Windows search bar, press the Windows + S keys.
• Then click to “Open” the “Notifications and actions settings.” (2)

• Scroll down and look for “Outlook.”
• Make sure it’s toggled “On.”

Set Outlook email notifications priority

• If email notifications are a high priority, click the Outlook icon to reveal more options.
• Check the box next to “Show notification banners.” (1)
• Check the box next to “Show notification in Action Center.” (2)
• Toggle “Off” the “Hide content when notifications are on lock screen” option. (3)
• Toggle “On” the “Play a sound when a notification arrives” option. (4)
• Click the select box under “Number of notifications visible in Action Center” and choose “20.” (5)
• Click the “Top” radio button under “Priority of notifications in Action Center.” (6)
• Finally, click the “Confirm” button. (7)

Ensure Outlook icons appear in the Windows taskbar

You could miss important emails if your Outlook icon does not appear in the Windows taskbar. Please follow the steps below to always see the Outlook icon and the new mail notification.

• First, open your Outlook desktop application.
• Right-click the Outlook icon in the taskbar.
• Then select “Pin to taskbar” in the popup menu.

• Next, right-click the Windows taskbar.
• Select “Taskbar settings” from the popup menu.

• Go to the “Notification area” header and click “Select which icons appear in the taskbar.”
• Finally, toggle “On” next to “Microsoft Outlook.”

• You should now see a small Outlook icon in your taskbar.
• Right-click the small Outlook icon.
• Ensure that “Show Microsoft Exchange Messages” is checked.
• Ensure that “Show New Mail Desktop Alert” is checked.

Solution 3: How to get notifications for all your inboxes in Outlook (Android)

If you are using the mobile version of Outlook, you can get notifications for all your inboxes by following the steps below. To begin, please open your Outlook application.

• First, tap your profile icon in the top left corner. (1)
• Then tap the settings icon in the bottom left. (2)

• Tap on “Notifications” at the top of the Settings page. (1)
• Go down and tap on “Notifications from.” (2)
• Then select “All email” from the popup list. (3)

Turn on Outlook notifications on your Android phone

• First, open your “Settings” app or swipe down from the top and tap the Settings icon.
• Tap “App notifications” at the top.
• Scroll down and toggle on the notifications for “Outlook.”

Conclusion

Turning on your Windows notifications is vital to ensure that you always see your emails. If you don’t enable notifications on your device, creating a new rule within Outlook will not generate notifications. As such, Windows PC users should follow solutions 1 and 2, respectively.

Similarly, mobile users should ensure that “All email” is selected in the “Notifications” settings in the Outlook app and that Outlook notifications are also turned on in the phone’s settings.

Thank you for reading.