How to fix my contacts from RSS Feeds?

Question

Recently, Outlook added my top 2 emailed contacts into a "RSS Feed" and now their emails do not show up in my main inbox, and they automatically show up as Read. Outlook will not let me delete the RSS Feeds grouping that they are in and I am wondering how to get it back to normal, and have those contacts' emails appear in my main inbox

Thanks,

Dave

Answer 1

Hi @David Stoneburner, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

The issue that you are experiencing is related to Outlook automatically moving your top contacts’ emails into an RSS Feed folder, marking them as read, and preventing them from appearing in your main inbox. 

This happens because Outlook uses RSS Feeds to organize syndicated content, and sometimes certain rules or settings can mistakenly treat frequent contacts as feed sources. When this occurs, their emails are redirected to the RSS Feed folder instead of your inbox, and Outlook applies the “read” status by default. 

Below is a clear, step‑by‑step guide that will suit your situation: 

1/ Begin by reviewing and removing any rule that routes emails from these senders to the ‘RSS Feeds’ folder in Outlook Desktop and Web. 

• Open Classic Outlook → File → Manage Rules & Alerts. 

• In the E‑mail Rules tab, look for rules referencing the two contacts or any rule that moves messages to RSS Feeds or marks as read. 
• Select the rule → Delete or Uncheck to disable it → Apply → OK. 
• If you use multiple accounts (Exchange/IMAP), confirm you’re editing rules for the correct mailbox. 

2/ Then, disable Outlook’s synchronization of RSS feeds with the Common Feed List to prevent unnecessary updates. 

• In Classic Outlook, click Options on the File tab. 
• Click Advanced, and then under RSS Feeds, click to clear the synchronize RSS Feeds to the Common Feed List (CFL) in Windows check box. 
• Click OK. 

3/ Next, remove any RSS feeds you no longer need or those not owned by you from your account.  

• In Classic Outlook, on the File tab, click Account Settings, and then click Account Settings. 
• Click the RSS Feeds tab. 
• Under Feed Name, click the RSS feed you want to delete, click remove, and then when you're prompted, confirm the deletion. 

Note: To cancel multiple RSS feeds, hold down the CTRL key while you click the multiple RSS feed names. 

• In your mailbox, expand the RSS Feeds folder. 
• Click the RSS feed that you want to delete, click Delete, and then when you're prompted, confirm the deletion. 
• Repeat steps above for all the feeds. 

For your reference: Additional RSS feeds in Outlook after sign in to Microsoft 365 on a new computer - Outlook | Micros… 

4/ After that, adjust the ‘Mark as Read’ settings to prevent messages from being automatically marked as read. 

• Open Classic Outlook. 
• View → Reading Pane → Options. 
• Uncheck “Mark item as read when viewed in the Reading Pane” or increase the delay. 
• Select OK. 

5/ As the last step, recover impacted emails and confirm normal delivery for future correspondence. 

• In the RSS Feeds folder, use Search to filter by the two contacts. 
• Select all affected messages → Move → Inbox. 
• If you want them to appear unread, select Mark as Unread after moving. 
• Send yourself a test message from each contact (or ask them to resend) and confirm it arrives in Inbox as unread. 
• If any other rules exist, ensure a “keep in Inbox” rule for these contacts is at the top and includes Stop processing more rules to prevent later rules from moving these messages. 

6/ For a more efficient resolution, we recommend using your administrator account or contacting your IT administrator to submit a support request directly to Microsoft Support Team.  

They can raise a support ticket by visiting: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn 

Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. If you continue to experience difficulties, please feel free to attach a screenshot. This will help us better understand the issue and provide more accurate assistance. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.  

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this.  

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.  

I'm looking forward to your reply.  

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