Microsoft pulls the plug on Outlook’s AI inbox assistant
Microsoft is retiring the Prioritize My Inbox feature in Outlook, a Copilot-powered AI assistant designed to automatically sort and organize incoming emails. Originally introduced with considerable fanfare as a potential revolution in email management, the feature will be discontinued as part of a broader cleanup effort by the company.
The retirement timeline begins on October 26, 2026, with a gradual phase-out that will be complete by March 31, 2027. All Outlook clients across different platforms will be affected by the removal. Users who have relied on the AI-assisted prioritization system will need to find alternative methods for managing their inbox volume.
This marks a relatively short lifespan for the feature, which had been in service for only about one year. The decision reflects Microsoft’s ongoing evaluation of its AI-assisted productivity tools and suggests the company may be streamlining its Copilot offerings to focus on more widely adopted or effective implementations.