Outlook cursor jumps, deletes, or archives my email when typing replies

Question

Outlook cursor jumps, deletes, or archives my email when typing replies

Alan Barker 0

A recurring issue I have, almost daily, is I click "Reply" to an email and when I start typing, the keystrokes are doing something other than typing. They are often jumping the cursor down the page to the original message, deleting or archiving the thread.

I am using the Outlook desktop app, version 1.2026.630.300 for reference.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

K R 0

I'm experiencing this same issue and I do not want to turn off keyboard shortcuts. This is a new issue that has appeared within the past month, isolated to Outlook, and my Outlook desktop app is up to date. Are there any other solutions I can try to resolve this?

Hornblower409 13,000 Reputation points

2026-08-18T10:02:14.1133333+00:00

@K R said

I'm experiencing this same issue and I do not want to turn off keyboard shortcuts.

You might be better served by starting a new thread using the "Ask a question" button at the top of this page to create a new Question and include the details for your specific problem and requirements.

This provides much higher visibility to your issue than commenting on an existing post, which is only seen by people who are already following this question.

(You can put the link for this page in your new Question for reference)

Answer 2

Liora D 18,910 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @Alan Barker,

I hope you’re having a good day.

Thank you for the additional information.

Since you're using the New Outlook desktop app rather than a browser, I would recommend trying a few troubleshooting steps to see whether the issue is related to focus changes or keyboard shortcuts being triggered unexpectedly.

First, try disabling keyboard shortcuts in Outlook and see whether the behavior improves. If Outlook is temporarily losing focus from the reply to editor, keystrokes may be interpreted as commands such as Archive or Delete instead of normal text entry.

User's image

Next, please make sure Outlook is fully updated to the latest available version, as issues related to cursor movement, focus, and message list behavior have been reported in some Outlook builds.

I would also recommend testing on:

A different computer, if available.
A different mouse.
Temporarily disconnecting any external input devices or keyboard-related utilities.

This will help determine whether the issue is specific to the Outlook installation, the device, or an input device interacting unexpectedly with the application.

Please let me know whether disabling keyboard shortcuts or testing on another device changes the behavior. That information will help narrow down the cause and determine the next appropriate step.

Kind regards.

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Liora D 18,910 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-18T13:32:35.15+00:00

Hi Alan Barker,

I just wanted to follow up to see how things are going with the information I shared above. I truly hope it was helpful and brought you closer to resolving the issue.

If you’ve had a chance to review it and have any updates, questions, or if you ran into any difficulties along the way, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m more than happy to assist further if needed.

It would be great to hear back from you!

Warm regards,

Liora.
Alan Barker 0 Reputation points

2026-07-18T16:45:22.6733333+00:00

Turning off keyboard shortcuts didn't help. I also tried a different mouse, as well as no mouse at all, just my touch pad and neither of those options worked for me.

I tried to run an update, but for some reason, when I log into my account on Microsoft, the account that is under my current email address takes me to a different inbox, and I can't access my actual inbox on the web, and I can't access updates in the app.

I also can't try on another device because on other devices, my log in takes me to the different inbox.
Liora D 18,910 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-20T13:04:34.5966667+00:00
Hi Alan,

Thank you for your patience and for testing those steps.

Since disabling keyboard shortcuts, using a different mouse, and even working without a mouse did not change the behavior, it seems less likely that the issue is being caused by an input device or Outlook shortcut settings.

What stands out from your update is that signing in with your email address appears to take you to a different mailbox than the one you're using in Outlook, and you're unable to access the expected mailbox on the web. This may indicate that more than one Microsoft account is associated with the same email address (for example, a personal Microsoft account and a work or school account), or that Outlook is connected to a different account than expected.

Could you clarify:

Is this a Microsoft 365 work/school account or a personal Microsoft account?

When signing in, are you prompted to choose between a Work or school account and a Personal account?

Does the mailbox shown in New Outlook match the mailbox that opens when you sign in to Outlook on the web?

Also, if this issue occurs only in the New Outlook application, it may be worth signing out of Outlook, removing and re-adding the account, or reinstalling New Outlook after we confirm the account configuration.

The answers to the questions above should help determine whether this is an account-related issue or a problem specific to the Outlook application itself.

Kind regards.
Liora D 18,910 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-22T14:38:25.9866667+00:00

Hi Alan,

I just wanted to follow up and see whether you have any updates on this issue?
Ibsen, Peter C 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T18:16:00.4633333+00:00

Same, this started happening to me as well in the last few weeks. Has anyone been able to fix it yet?
Ibsen, Peter C 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T18:24:28.9233333+00:00

Oh wait, I think I may have figured it out. When in outlook I have used the search bar to find something (which is then highlighted), as I type, every few seconds I will be automatically scrolled to the closest search result. Which then closes my cursor and if I keep typing then the shortcuts will often cause me to archive/delete/ or do something else I didn't plan on.