How to Turn Off Meeting Insights in Outlook and Office 365

Steps for keeping your email private and focused.

Meeting Insights in Outlook and Microsoft 365 might feel like one of those futuristic tools that seem almost too smart for their own good. Powered by AI and integrated with Viva Insights, it works to bring up the information you might need before a meeting, like related emails, documents, or Teams activity. It automatically collects and organizes content it determines is relevant to your upcoming meetings, helping you prepare more efficiently. At first glance, it appears extremely useful, but its value really depends on your workflow.

Meeting Insights can save you time by pulling together everything you didn't know you needed.

Sometimes, though, it can feel a little invasive. Ever wondered how it knows so much about what's on your plate? It's analyzing signals from your calendar, emails, and other activity to make those recommendations.

For some users, especially those juggling sensitive information, this level of automation tends to distract rather than help. And for IT admins, features like this can raise questions about privacy management or the balance between convenience and control.

Whether you're a user trying to simplify your calendar or an admin managing organization-wide settings, sometimes turning it off feels like the right call.

Why Turn Off Meeting Insights in Outlook

Privacy is one of the biggest concerns. Meeting Insights works by scanning emails, calendars, and documents to provide suggestions. While that sounds convenient, it also raises red flags. Sensitive information can unexpectedly surface, which could lead to awkward or even risky situations.

For organizations dealing with confidential data, this can become a liability.

Then there’s the issue of information overload. Not every meeting needs a flood of suggestions. For many users, this constant stream of “helpful” insights ends up creating more distractions than solutions. You can transform these distractions into productive sessions with our guide to better meeting planning, preparation, and follow-up.

Performance is another factor. On older devices or slower Outlook clients, Meeting Insights can slow things down. The feature that should save you time can actually do the opposite, especially when it causes your system to lag.

And let’s not forget user preferences. Some people simply prefer preparing for meetings on their own terms, without AI stepping in. Manual preparation might take a little longer, but it gives users complete control, a priority for many IT administrators and facility managers.

Organizations often want to control what’s surfaced. Automating insights is great, but not at the cost of compliance or privacy standards.

For IT admins balancing productivity and security, turning off Meeting Insights may be the safer bet.

How to Turn Off Meeting Insights in Outlook as a User

Disabling Meeting Insights in Outlook is straightforward and can help reduce distractions while improving privacy. Whether you're on a desktop, using the web app, or working from a mobile device, the process is quick and intuitive.

On Windows or macOS, begin by opening Outlook, then navigate to File > Options. From there, select Calendar and simply uncheck the Show Meeting Insights option. Hit OK, and you're done.

For Outlook on the web, start by signing in and clicking the gear icon for Settings. Then select View all Outlook settings > General > Add-ins and find Viva Insights in the list. Toggle it off or click to manage and disable it.

If you don't see it listed there, it might be disabled at the organizational level, but more on that later.

If you're using Outlook on your smartphone or tablet, open the app and tap the menu icon (those three horizontal lines). Scroll down to Settings, then tap Calendar.

Note that mobile versions may not show a direct "Meeting Insights" toggle, so you may need to manage this feature from the desktop or web versions instead.

You can also disable the Viva Insights add-in entirely. Open Outlook, click Get Add-ins, find Viva Insights under My add-ins, and remove it by clicking the three dots (…). This removes the add-in across all devices.

For more granular control, visit https://insights.viva.office.com, head to Settings, and toggle off any privacy or organization-level insights. Don't forget to save your changes.

If you're in cleanup mode, consider disabling Copilot suggestions. Open any Microsoft Office app, go to File > Options, select General or Privacy settings, and look for the Copilot-related options to disable.

A small change, but it can reduce unnecessary distractions.

How to Disable Meeting Insights Organization Wide

Using the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, you can navigate to Org settings > Services > Outlook to disable the feature globally. Managing privacy settings through the Search and Intelligence configurations panel gives you comprehensive control over what insights are available to your users.

Don't forget the practical bits; letting changes propagate might take some time, and users may need to refresh their apps or clear their browser cache to see the updates reflected.

Ultimately, disabling Meeting Insights supports your goals for convenience, privacy, and control. IT admins and facility managers have plenty of tools to tailor the experience, ensuring compliance while minimizing distractions.

Whether it's a matter of organizational policy or user preference, the steps are manageable, and well worth it.

Updated on: 29/08/2025