Try the example, then check the result.
Quick answer: In Outlook on the web, open Settings > Mail > Layout. Under Message organization, choose Do not group messages and save. Some versions also expose Conversations on the View tab.
Download the fictional material and follow the steps below. The video uses English illustrative diagrams; it does not present a live app recording. Product controls may vary by version.
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Watch the complete lesson.
The video uses English illustrative diagrams; it does not present a live app recording. English captions. Product menus may differ in your account.
Quick answer: In Outlook on the web, open Settings > Mail > Layout. Under Message organization, choose Do not group messages and save. Some versions also expose Conversations on the View tab.
Show messages separately in Outlook on the web instead of grouping them into conversations, then confirm how to undo the view change. Download the fictional practice and answer check.
Before starting: Outlook's web UI varies between Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com. The Settings > Mail > Layout wording is documented for Outlook.com; Microsoft's separate page points to View > Conversations in newer layouts. Changing conversation view changes display, not message content or delivery. This is not the mobile app path.
1. Use a safe example
The practice sheet describes two fictional emails with the same subject: an original Workshop agenda and a reply. If you have an authorized test folder with a similar pair, note whether Outlook shows one expandable row or two. If you do not have a safe pair, you can still verify the saved setting, but you should not claim a specific mailbox result was observed.
Checkpoint: Original and reply; Same subject; Check one or two rows.
2. Find the web setting
In Outlook on the web, open Settings, then Mail and Layout. Look for Message organization. On some current layouts, Microsoft also exposes a Conversations control on the View tab. Use the control you actually see; do not follow an Outlook mobile or classic desktop path. Read the existing choice before changing it, so you can restore that preference afterward.
Checkpoint: Settings > Mail > Layout; Message organization; Or View > Conversations.
3. Choose separate messages
Under Message organization, choose Do not group messages, then save if Outlook offers a Save button. If your version uses View, Conversations, select the ungrouped option there. Return to the same folder and look at the practice pair. The original and reply should now have separate rows. Their contents and dates remain unchanged; only the display grouping has changed.
Checkpoint: Do not group messages; Save if prompted; Return to folder.
4. Avoid the Focused Inbox detour
If you see Focused and Other tabs, that is another layout feature. Turning Focused Inbox off does not necessarily ungroup conversations. Likewise, sorting newest first changes order, not grouping. If your two test emails still appear together, reopen the conversation setting, confirm it saved, and make sure you are viewing the same folder and account where the pair lives.
Checkpoint: Focused Inbox is separate; Sort is separate; Verify same folder.
Check the finished result
After the check, you can leave separate rows on or return to grouped conversations using the same Layout or View control. The answer check is deliberately narrow: one fictional original and one reply appear as two rows when grouping is off. Do not infer that a message vanished just because it was hidden inside a grouped thread before the setting changed.
Expected answer: With conversation grouping off, the fictional 'Workshop agenda' message and its reply should appear as separate rows in the chosen folder instead of one expanded conversation. Message content and folder location do not change. Restore the previous view by choosing a grouped conversation option in the same Layout or View control.
If it still fails
If messages remain grouped, reopen Message organization or View > Conversations and confirm the ungrouped choice saved. Check the same folder and account; Focused Inbox and sort order are separate controls.
Official references
Checked 16 October 2026. On-screen explanatory panels are labelled illustrative diagrams; any separately identified actual capture is a genuine English app view.
Practice downloads.
The exercise files contain invented information. Save a local copy before editing.