Forum Discussion
Microsoft Retires the Board View from the OWA Calendar
The Outlook board view originated as Project Moca, an app to organize items from Outlook and other sources, then became the board view in the OWA calendar. That status lasted two years and now Microsoft will retire the board view from Outlook on June 26, 2023. It’s probably because Microsoft 365 boasts a surplus of ways to record notes in some shape or form. That, and the fact that hardly anyone uses Outlook boards.
https://office365itpros.com/2023/05/19/outlook-board-retirement/
42 Replies
I found this post, trying to resolve what happened to my beloved Board view.
I struggled with productivity, even leveraging all of the features Outlook has to offer.
The Board view was such an amazing feature because I could see all of the features I used within outlook 365 in one area, instead of opening multiple tabs. No longer did I have to remember to drag my to do list onto my calendar, but I can see a little section of all of my to do list, notes, and calendar on one screen.
I hope they bring it back and give it some more exposure, I'm sure others can utilize it a lot more.
TonyRedmond I really liked boards view and was hopeful it would roll into the desktop app.
Boo urns.
- I agree with what others have said - I didn't even know the board view existed till a few months before it was shut down and I only happened across it on accident. The promotion for the product was really rubbish. As someone else said, make that the default view until you set it otherwise!
Super disappointing that Outlook board view was retired; like others I also only recently discovered this feature and had been sharing it with coworkers as a productivity tool. The only similar platforms I can think of are:
- Trello.com - board view with lists is free; aesthetic is also similar to MS Planner but with less functionality; additional views require a paid Premium account. (Note: There weren't as many paywalls before Trello was required by Atlassian.)
- Opera browser's Pinboards (beta) - I've become obsessed with Opera browser. While I still use Google Chrome, I now use it less often; even with the OneTab Chrome extension, Opera uses less memory than Chrome and is better at promoting beta features. The in-built Pinboards feature is similar to Pinterest and has both board and list view of all your pinboards; each pinboard has cards where text and links can be added; however, that is where the functionality ends - a fun way to store information but no ability to create a task or assign a due date.
To all that voted for the Calendar Board since May 30, 2023,
Thank you for trying to influence change. Although the calendar board is no longer available in Outlook, continue to vote and share how you used this feature in Microsoft Feedback Hub. I still have hope that Microsoft changes its mind about this great feature.
TonyRedmond I appreciate you sharing this information. As a fellow content creator, I understand the feeling of receiving backlash for sharing Microsoft News that we have no control over.
/Teresa
#traccreations4e
And for me, that's the valuble, useful Board View now gone. Back to boring old Calendar view with the Todo sidebar that randomly disappears, and no nice pin board for documents-in-progress.
Poor.
I have only recently come across the Board View. It is becoming increasingly part of my working day, helping me to track tasks/appointments/meetings/events/flagged emails/notes all in one view. In light of a recent neurodivergence diagnosis, it helps me have both a high-level and detailed view all in one place.
It seems a remarkably retrograde step for Microsoft to remove this feature. I'll be back to square one in terms of task management, which this was helping me focus on.
- I just saw the notice pop up on my 365 and was very dissappointed. I always felt that it had potential and just needed a makeover of user interface and colors. Great feature and agree with everyone that this is not a good move on Microsofts part. If poor adoption was the issue, maybe market it better with social media. Thanks for the update Tony.
- Commenting to add that myself and several coworkers are also dependent on the board feature. It works and it provides an overarching summary for the many things I manage in a day. Removing this feature without integrating anything else that provides similar support is inconsiderate on MS's behalf. There is no viable alternative to what MS OWA Calendar Board offers at this time.
- Boo Hiss. This is something that users needed to grow into as they discovered Tasks/To Do (Which is a GREAT application) wasn't quite enough (no ability to have "Waiting response, etc.). IMO, it could have used some improvement and promotion, but killing it off doesn't seem to me to be the right decision here. Too bad. I would have thought this would have given Microsoft an entry into this space from a basic consumer perspective (Jira/Trello/Atlassian are certainly NOT the answer). Oh well. Better luck next time.
