Customizing Ribbon + Inbox Sorting

Question

1. Ribbon - having trouble setting up custom ribbon in new message - cannot figure how to adjust the order of buttons and remove some buttons - i'm not even seeing them when i open up the customize feature within the message
2. Sorting - when resorting inbox emails to FROM or SUBJECT it resets inbox sort alphabetically - that's great if the 1st letter is an A but if it's a T or R you have to scroll way down and find that email you were trying to quick sort group- how can you stay ON the email when changing from DATE sort to FROM or SUBJECT sort

Answer 1

Dear @RK,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

We apologize for any inconvenience you may encounter when using our services/ products. Based on your description, kindly try these following steps:

Customizing the Ribbon in a New Message (compose window)

The new Outlook defaults to a Simplified ribbon and has more limited ribbon customization today - primarily switching between Simplified and Classic ribbon and showing/hiding certain commands rather than freeform command re‑ordering. You can toggle to Classic ribbon from the ribbon drop‑down to expose more commands. Some features from Classic are not yet present; Microsoft advises using in‑product Help > Feedback for missing functions.

Please try these workaround steps:

• Navigate to View > Ribbon > Classic ribbon
• Make the compose window a bit wider (the control hides when the window is narrow).
• In the new Outlook, switching to Classic ribbon exposes the full tabs (Message, Insert, Options).

Sorting the Inbox and staying on the current email when changing sort (Date > From/Subject)

• Toggle to Classic ribbon for richer command surface, as noted above.

Since these behaviors is by design, customization ribbon or sorting options are not currently available. If you would like to see this functionality added, please submit your suggestion through the client by navigating to: Help > Feedback > Make a suggestion.

Microsoft actively reviews these submissions and prioritizes them when planning future enhancements. Your feedback helps shape upcoming features.

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