How to stop ads in the Outlook app on Android and iPhone
To stop ads in the Outlook app on Android and iOS, you have two official options and one technical one. A Microsoft 365 subscription (including the low-cost Microsoft 365 Basic plan) removes the ads completely. Turning on Focused Inbox keeps them out of your main inbox and limits them to the Other tab. An ad-blocking DNS service can also filter the ad banners at the network level. Switching to an ad-free mail app is the fourth option.
This guide explains where the ads appear, how each method works step by step, what it costs, and when switching to an ad-free mail app is the better choice.
Why does the Outlook app show ads?
The Outlook app shows ads because Microsoft funds the free version of Outlook with advertising. Microsoft's support page states that free Outlook users see ads alongside their inbox messages, marked with an "Ad" label, and that the ads come from Microsoft and third-party advertising partners. Accounts with a Microsoft 365 subscription do not see them.
The ads are native ads: they sit in the message list and look much like a regular email, with a sender-style bubble and a subject line. The small "Ad" label is easy to miss, which is why many people tap them by accident. Since August 2022, when Microsoft expanded the placement, the ads can appear at the top of the primary inbox instead of only in the Other tab.
Swiping an ad away works like dismissing an email, but it is not permanent. In our 2022 check the ad returned after a while or after restarting the app. Tapping an ad opened the advertiser's page in the default browser.
The table shows what each method does.
| Method | Effect on ads | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 subscription | Removes all ads in Outlook | Paid (Basic is the cheapest plan) |
| Focused Inbox | Moves ads to the Other tab | Free |
| Ad-blocking DNS | Filters ad requests on the device | Free tiers exist |
| Different mail app | No Outlook ads at all | Free options exist |
How to remove Outlook ads with a Microsoft 365 subscription
A Microsoft 365 subscription is the only method Microsoft offers that removes ads from the Outlook app entirely. Microsoft 365 Basic is the entry plan: Microsoft's store page lists "Outlook ad-free secure email" and 100 GB of cloud storage, priced at USD 1.99 per month (prices vary by region). Microsoft 365 Personal and Family also remove the ads.
Outlook.com addresses (outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com, msn.com) and Gmail accounts get the ad-free benefit automatically once the subscription is active. If you still see ads after paying, the email address used for the purchase is usually missing from the app. Add it like this:
- Open the Outlook app and tap your account icon (Android) or Inbox (iOS) at the top.
- Tap the settings gear at the bottom of the menu.
- Go to Accounts, then Add Account.
- Tap Add Subscription and sign in with the Microsoft account that holds the subscription.
You can confirm the subscription status on your Microsoft account subscriptions page. Microsoft notes that Add Subscription is not available in classic Outlook for Windows or on Outlook.com, only in the mobile apps. See the official Ads in Outlook Mobile help page for the full details.
How to keep ads out of your main inbox with Focused Inbox
Focused Inbox is the free way to keep Outlook ads out of your primary view. Microsoft told The Verge in 2022 that enabling Focused Inbox restricts the ads to the Other tab, so the messages Outlook considers important stay ad-free. Ads are not removed, they just move.
Turn Focused Inbox on in the Outlook app for Android or iOS:
- Tap your profile picture or the Home icon at the top left to open the menu.
- Tap the settings gear.
- Open Mail.
- Switch the Focused Inbox toggle on.
The message list now shows two tabs, Focused and Other. If a real email lands in the wrong tab, open it, tap the More options icon in the header and choose Move to Focused Inbox (or Move to Other). Outlook learns from these corrections over time. Microsoft's Focused Inbox help page covers the feature in more depth.
How to block Outlook app ads with a private DNS service
An ad-blocking DNS service can stop the Outlook app from loading its ad banners, because the app fetches ads from advertising servers that DNS filters can refuse to resolve. When we tested this in 2022 with NextDNS, the inbox ads disappeared with the DNS enabled and returned when it was switched off. Close and reopen Outlook after changing DNS settings so the change takes effect.
How to set it up:
- Android: open Settings and search for Private DNS (the exact location depends on the phone maker), choose the private DNS provider hostname option, and enter the hostname your DNS service gives you.
- iPhone and iPad: install the DNS provider's official app or its configuration profile, then enable it in Settings.
- Whole home network: set the filtering DNS on your router so every device benefits.
Services such as NextDNS, AdGuard DNS and Control D offer blocklists for ads and trackers. Keep two caveats in mind: Microsoft can change the servers it uses for ads at any time, so results are not guaranteed, and a DNS provider sees the domains your devices look up, so pick one whose privacy policy you trust. Mullvad also runs public encrypted DNS servers with ad-blocking options.
Ad-free alternatives to the Outlook app
Switching mail apps removes Outlook's ads entirely, and your Outlook.com or Hotmail address keeps working in other clients. On Android, two open-source options stand out:
- FairEmail: privacy-focused, 100% open source, no advertisements, and works with Outlook, Gmail and Yahoo accounts.
- K-9 Mail: now part of the Thunderbird family, open source, with no data collected according to its Play Store listing.
On iPhone and iPad, the built-in Apple Mail app supports Outlook.com accounts without ads. If you stay with Outlook on iOS and run into sign-in loops after changing settings, see how to fix Outlook asking for a password on iPhone.
If you would rather leave ad-funded email altogether, privacy-focused providers are another route, for example a free Proton Mail address.
FAQ
Can I opt out of personalized ads in Outlook?
Yes. The advertising page of the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard lets you control what data Microsoft uses for ads. Opting out does not reduce the number of ads, it only makes them less tailored to you.
Why do I still see ads after buying Microsoft 365?
The email address used for the purchase is probably not added in the Outlook app. Add it through Settings, Accounts, Add Account, Add Subscription, then check your subscription status on your Microsoft account page.
Does turning on Focused Inbox remove Outlook ads?
No. Focused Inbox only moves the ads to the Other tab, so your main inbox stays clean. Only a Microsoft 365 subscription removes them completely.
Related: AdGuard DNS explained, Outlook keeps asking for a password on iPhone, Mullvad encrypted DNS
With BlueMail, there were never any ads shown. Been using it ever since I got my S8 and now on my S22. Recently, our entire company shifted to use BlueMail instead of the old clunky Outlook. We are using the enterprise version, and very happy with it. Highly recommended!
I personally use NetGuard, and hav never seen any ads in my Outlook app since using it. In all honesty, I have not seen any ads in any app that I get from playstore since using and downloading the host file from NetGuard.
Luckily AdGuard for Android blocks ads in apps.
Outlook.com is doing it as well. Placing ads on top line of emails hoping you will click on it thinking its a email. Brings back memories of Microsoft’s campaign against Google. Now its hard to tell them apart. Same goes for Apple, who is taking a similar path to ads.
@JohnIL
Not so hard: Gmail is the one without any ads, most esp. ads made to look like actual email. Talk about spammy. (Sure, Google has ads in other places; just not in Gmail. Not for a long, long time; and way back when they did, they were clearly marked as ads and were text-only and context relevant–easy to ignore or remove/hide.)
@allen:
Nope, there are still ads in Gmail if you have enabled category tabs (offers, socials etc.)Typically there are the first two. Still you can get rid of ads easily if you disable all of the cards, leaving just the Main one.
So is Gmail
Better way to get rid of the ads? Stop using Outlook.
Fastmail. When I need to check it on my phone it’s with K-9. Works great.
> Fastmail,
Fastmail and all other Australian companies are subject to the “Assistance and Access Bill”, which compels them to assist law enforcement in accessing encrypted communications if warranted during an investigation.
Assistance and Access Bill,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_surveillance_in_Australia#Telecommunications_and_Other_Legislation_Amendment_(Assistance_and_Access)_Act
I’ve recently discovered FairEmail. Highly recommended!
using Nine mail on 5 android devices as it uses ews ro connect to exchange server
I use Gmail app
And you’re proud of this?
@45RPM
Very much so.
I don’t know if “proud” is the right word but I use Gmail also.
Works for me for what I need to do. My email arrives w/o delay and I can access it easily from my Pixel Android phone or my Windows 10 desktop.
And I never see any ads using Blokada, UBlock Origin and Ghostery.
K-9 (and Thunderbird) current releases support OAuth2.
“…iOS users may want to stick with the stock Mail app in iOS.”
Samsung users can also use the Samsung Email app along with Samsung Contacts and Samsung Calendar to sync calendar/contacts/email (including with outlook.com). They work better than the Outlook app anyway.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samsung.android.email.provider
Using an ad-blocking VPN on Android seems to be a “must have” given that just about every app tries to display ads.
That’s not the only place Microsoft is putting ads. I found one in the Windows Photo App for Windows 10, and I’m betting it’s in Windows 11, as well. Just a small thing from the “three dot” menu or on the toolbar for videos. A small thing, for now.
It is a free app what do you expect?
This is exactly the kind of accepting attitude that creates these problems in the first place. Nothing will ever change if people just accept whatever these big companies do.
Microsoft forces an outlook.com account on Windows users. They have deliberately made it so that users can’t sign into Windows without an outlook.com account, unless they jump through a bunch of hoops. Then Microsoft use that to start shoving ads down those same users’ throats. They are abusing their position.
Windows also isn’t free, we have to pay for it (either directly when buying a licence, or pay the cost of the licence as part of the cost of the machine when buying it). But we know full well that the new Windows 11 email app that Microsoft are currently working on will have this same ad crap in it – probably the Windows 10 one too, which they previously claimed was an “accident” (https://twitter.com/fxshaw/status/1063518403036557312). Microsoft are double-dipping their customers – purely out of greed.
This is also the same company that ran a “Don’t Get Scroogled by Gmail” campaign attacking Google and telling people to use outlook.com instead. Only to become just like Google.
It is also disingenuous. Putting an ad directly in the inbox isn’t much different to spam. Microsoft are now an email spammer.
I think we should go back to spelling Micro$oft with a dollar sign again. Someone should also suggest a new corporate slogan to that Satya Nadella crook: “Embrace, extend, and extinguish”.
One thing that has become absolutely clear, avoid American products wherever possible.
From a company that earns billions every few months *not* from ads, I expect no ads. F*uck them.
>Do you use the Outlook app on your phone?
Hell no.
K-9 Mail works just fine.
Doesn’t have a conversation/threaded view though, which is a major turn-off for me.
Luckily we still have a choice to use open source apps… But that’s the next step, breaking third party apps from connecting to their services. Something needs to be done to breakup this large tech companies. Sometimes I feel we all need to go back to flip phones. We would all be better off.
Use Blokada if you are seriously on a non-rooted de-googled Android:
[https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.blokada.alarm/]
Anti-features:
This app promotes or depends entirely on a non-free network service
This app tracks and reports your activity
These only apply if you do not use filter lists, but use an external DNS service that blocks ads for you rather than filtering locally and using the ISP DNS.
Bluemail desktop works for me. I don’t touch email on the phone so cannot say how it works there but they say ad-free and it does happen that way in the desktop app. Could it improve? Yes. I’m not impressed by a select list for different email accounts and difficulty finding some of the settings. Sort order for arriving mail can be changed to have most recent at the top but same subject emails are ordered oldest to newest and no apparent way to change the sort. That is offset to some extend by grouping of same-subject mail. Right click on the old one in the preview pane and it gives you the option to delete. There are a few other minor annoyances, as well but it works reliably (unlike my experience with Thunderbird).
That skating scoring from outside the boundary. If there were reasonable laws it would not be permitted.
It says “Contains ads • In-app purchases” right there on the top of the Play Store page.
If there were reasonable laws there would be no ignoramus posts by anonymous trolls.