- The new version of Outlook arrives to all Office Insiders.
- The app includes a new experience similar to the web version of Outlook.
- Anyone with a Microsoft 365 subscription can enable the new design.
Microsoft is rolling out its new version of the Outlook app for Windows as a preview for devices enrolled in the Office Insider program. However, this is not the Outlook app that the company plans to replace the default email client on Windows 11. Instead, it’s the new desktop app version that is part of the Office suite.
The new version of the Outlook app includes a redesigned interface that looks very similar to the service’s web version to make the experience more consistent across platforms.
Also, the new email client includes support for personal accounts from Outlook.com and older names of the service, such as Hotmail and Windows Live, which were missing from the beta version of the app.
As part of the design changes, the team built a more straightforward Ribbon menu, dynamic calendar column widths to adjust the space to give to each day, and Quick Steps feature to show personalized triage actions and more.
The new experience is available for all Office Insiders enrolled in the Current Channel preview. In the coming weeks, the “experience will also be made available for Windows Insiders using a similar toggle within the Windows Mail app.”
Although the new version of the email client brings consistency across platforms and a new welcome interface refresh, the app is still a work in progress that is missing many of the existing features. The company says that that soon plans to add support for multiple accounts and support for other services, such as Gmail, iCloud, and Yahoo. Also, offline is currently not supported, but this feature is in the works like other features, such as web add-ins, native ICS, and search for folders.
If you are an Office Insider with a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can switch to the new Outlook design by turning on the “Try the new Outlook” toggle switch in the top-right corner. Microsoft also says you can always revert to the legacy design “with no data or email loss.”
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].