How do I stop Outlook from opening an automatically selected email when I compose and send an email in the "NEW" Outlook?

Question

How do I stop Outlook from opening an automatically selected email when I compose and send an email in the "NEW" Outlook?

Taylour Kissinger 0

Each time I compose a new email and then send the email I am taken back to an automatically opened email from my inbox. Before it would just take me back to my inbox and allow me to select the email I want to open next. Every work around or how to does not work and random emails are popping open and then are marked as read. How can I stop this from happening?opens a new emial.png

Matt J 0 Reputation points

2026-08-04T01:27:26.1233333+00:00

I've been noticing the same problem and it's driving me crazy!

The answer provided above is not correct and did not understand the issue that is happening.

This happens when there is NO message already open.

I am in my 'inbox' with no message open. I create a new message and hit send.

The sent message closes and then instead of going back to the inbox where I was before it automatically opens whatever message happens to be in the "selected" line... you know where you can arrow up or down and it goes through the messages.

That is what is happening. It has nothing to do with a message already being open. I very rarely send a new message when a message is already open but this is happening EVERY time I send a message from the INBOX with no open messages to start with. It is very frustrating.
Hornblower409 11,955 Reputation points

2026-08-04T23:31:34.4+00:00

@Matt J said

The answer provided ... is not correct and did not understand the issue that is happening.

You will probably not get any help for your issue by adding to an old post. I would suggest that you start a new thread using the "Ask a question" button at the top of this page to create a new Question. (You can put the link for this page in your new Question for reference).

Include the details of why this answer was not what you were looking for.

This provides much higher visibility to your issue than adding on to an old post, which is only seen by people who are already following this question.
Matt J 0 Reputation points

2026-08-05T22:50:42.96+00:00

@Hornblower409 what are you talking about "old post"?? This post is from July 31st 2026 and my comment was made on August 3rd 2026, not even one week later.

Additionally I was simply expressing that I am having the same issue and it is very clear @Jay Tr did not fully understand the issue based on the "answer".
Hornblower409 11,955 Reputation points

2026-08-05T23:44:45.9333333+00:00

@Matt J said

This post is from July 31st 2026 and my comment was made on August 3rd 2026, not even one week later.

My apologies. I was using my "boilerplate" for when someone adds on to a Question where they were not the author of the original question. It is usually an older thread.

I am having the same issue and it is very clear [Jay Tr] did not fully understand the issue based on the "answer".

Understand. But my original advice still goes. You would best be served by starting a new Question (so you are the author) and include the details you put in your comment here, so what you are asking about is clearer than the Question in this thread.

You can put the link for this Question in your new Question for reference, if you think it will help illuminate your problem.

1 answer

Your answer

Matt J 0 Reputation points

2026-08-04T01:27:26.1233333+00:00

I've been noticing the same problem and it's driving me crazy!

The answer provided above is not correct and did not understand the issue that is happening.

This happens when there is NO message already open.

I am in my 'inbox' with no message open. I create a new message and hit send.

The sent message closes and then instead of going back to the inbox where I was before it automatically opens whatever message happens to be in the "selected" line... you know where you can arrow up or down and it goes through the messages.

That is what is happening. It has nothing to do with a message already being open. I very rarely send a new message when a message is already open but this is happening EVERY time I send a message from the INBOX with no open messages to start with. It is very frustrating.
Hornblower409 11,955 Reputation points

2026-08-04T23:31:34.4+00:00

@Matt J said

The answer provided ... is not correct and did not understand the issue that is happening.

You will probably not get any help for your issue by adding to an old post. I would suggest that you start a new thread using the "Ask a question" button at the top of this page to create a new Question. (You can put the link for this page in your new Question for reference).

Include the details of why this answer was not what you were looking for.

This provides much higher visibility to your issue than adding on to an old post, which is only seen by people who are already following this question.
Matt J 0 Reputation points

2026-08-05T22:50:42.96+00:00

@Hornblower409 what are you talking about "old post"?? This post is from July 31st 2026 and my comment was made on August 3rd 2026, not even one week later.

Additionally I was simply expressing that I am having the same issue and it is very clear @Jay Tr did not fully understand the issue based on the "answer".
Hornblower409 11,955 Reputation points

2026-08-05T23:44:45.9333333+00:00

@Matt J said

This post is from July 31st 2026 and my comment was made on August 3rd 2026, not even one week later.

My apologies. I was using my "boilerplate" for when someone adds on to a Question where they were not the author of the original question. It is usually an older thread.

I am having the same issue and it is very clear [Jay Tr] did not fully understand the issue based on the "answer".

Understand. But my original advice still goes. You would best be served by starting a new Question (so you are the author) and include the details you put in your comment here, so what you are asking about is clearer than the Question in this thread.

You can put the link for this Question in your new Question for reference, if you think it will help illuminate your problem.

Answer 1

Hi Taylour,

Thank you for reaching out and for sharing the screenshot.

I tested the same workflow in the new Outlook for Windows and was able to reproduce the behavior you described.

When an email is open and you select New mail, the draft opens in another tab. After the message is sent, that draft tab closes and Outlook returns to the email that was open before the draft was created. This explains why the previously viewed message appears again instead of Outlook returning to the Inbox.

There is currently no visible option in the new Outlook settings to make Outlook return automatically to the Inbox after sending the message. As a temporary workaround, you can close the previously opened email tab before composing a new message.

I recommend submitting feedback directly to Microsoft via the Feedback Portal to help prioritize this feature in future updates.

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Sharing your experience through this channel is the most impactful way to advocate for a change that would benefit you and other users.

Just a quick note as well: this is a user‑to‑user support forum. Moderators here, including myself, are regular users too and don’t have the ability to change or influence Microsoft product features or design decisions. What we can do is share findings, observed behaviors, and practical tips based on experience and available information.

Once you’ve submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here. I’d be happy to upvote it to help increase its visibility.  Moreover, if you are unable to submit feedback, please inform me at your convenience. In that case, I will gladly assist by submitting it on your behalf to ensure your request is properly captured.      

I hope you found the answer helpful, and I would greatly appreciate it if you could mark it as accepted. This helps highlight the solution for others who may be searching for similar information in the community. Your contribution not only supports fellow users in finding the right guidance more quickly, but also helps build a more resourceful and collaborative space for everyone.

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Wishing you a smooth rest of your day.

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Matt J 0 Reputation points

2026-08-04T01:28:50.1033333+00:00

This is not an accurate understanding of the problem. It is happening from the inbox when there are not any messages already open. I compose a new message, click send, and then it is automatically opening a message from the inbox.