Forum Discussion
Anyone else hate the New Desktop Outlook?.
Hello people
I was wondering if anyone else Hated the Desktop version of Outlook?. To me its slower and unresponsive compared to previous versions. Even Windows Mail was faster and the brings up old email accounts that you deleted and no longer use long ago.
It seems while good intentions this one has not been tested properly. Just shoved out the door. And lastly trying to find Emails that your sent or received is another nightmare. You have to restart twice before it finally decides oh look there emails.
62 Replies
They have made their customers fight to try to get what they already had, to try to make keep working what already worked.
It was chaotic, illogical, full of rules that couldn't be interpreted without the help of an engineer, the product of hands and more hands touching, creating and changing, but it worked — more or less — and it was powerful.
In this alternative dimension in which they want us to live, instead of having something and trying to improve it, Microsoft believes that the solution to this is to remove features. It doesn't matter if you paid for them.
In case you are interested:
- Here is a list of Classic Outlook vs New Outlook features based on status: Available, Coming Soon, Investigating, and Unsupported. It is updated monthly.
👉Download Outlook For Windows Feature Availability Summary » TRACCreations4E - Also, I interviewed Microsoft's Outlook Product Manager and asked questions, such as:
Is the New Outlook just a wrapper for the web version?
Why didn’t Microsoft recreate Classic Outlook from scratch?
Why do users feel FORCED to switch to the New Outlook app?
When will New Outlook meet the needs of power users?
How is Microsoft encouraging VBA developers to stay ahead?
👉Video Microsoft's responses: https://youtu.be/5WYjmzrOZI8?si=TWGkmR-Crdt1uuhh
#traccreations-r25
Looked like a good interview, but sorry, I couldn't make it past the first few minutes where she said it's not a wrapper, we're just making everything as useless as web version. Consistently crap across all platforms.
Microsoft has never understood their users and frankly just lucky Bill started the company when he did, when there was no competition and they were able to cement themselves in as the monolithic behemoth that they are now. Move fast and break things worked in the pioneering days, now it just means crappy, rushed software and bugs galore.
A few examples of this: Windows 11 Pro is an advertising machine. Balmer tried to put a tablet interface on servers (we needed third-party software for the Start button >.< ). The many woes of NEW Outlook. Removing the Teams tab from... ah, Teams. And finally, constantly RENAMING EVERYTHING. These are just a few of the many examples, when really, we just want functional efficiency. You know, so we can do our jobs. I'm just not so sure Microsoft can deliver that anymore.
- Here is a list of Classic Outlook vs New Outlook features based on status: Available, Coming Soon, Investigating, and Unsupported. It is updated monthly.
I interviewed New Outlook's Product Manager and asked some tough questions, such as, "Why is New Outlook This Way?"
In case you are interested, Microsoft's response.
Video: https://youtu.be/5WYjmzrOZI8?si=freWHRKW6o0rKSVyNew version of Outlook is absolutely horrendous! Formatting emails is a nightmare.
I just checked my new Outlook, and finally, you can highlight text in an email and right-click to reveal the Format Text menu. That feature was not available until relatively recently as I recall. But for me it's there now! However, there is no Format Paint option, which is a real pain.
Another frustrating thing is that if you mispell something in the Email Subject, it gets highlighted in red as an spelling error, but you cannot (still) right or left click to reveal spelling suggestions! Though, I just checked and actually, you cannot do that in the Classic Outlook either.
Anyway, I'm still not ready to switch over yet...just testing it every now and then. Argh...Would recommend waiting as long as you can with the switch. ICT asked me several times to switch 365 to New Outlook and at every of those times I switched back to the 365 version because New Outlook is just awfully flawed, unpractical, works worse than any previous Outlook version did... I could add many more negative adjectives and adverbs. Honestly, if they force it permanently I hope ICT will install software allowing us to function with alternatives to New Outlook.
It looks like it's an application running in a virtual environment. Too heavy.
I have no choice as a corporate user. I see improvements, and yes, one glitch is the inability to let it learn new words. I use foreign languages and want it to memorize the various "hello" and other words. Sometimes it works with weird characters. I have to check on a translator to get the right word and copy/paste. Outlook doesn't offer the suggested word with the right characters anymore.
What a mess, it lost all my signatures, lost all my contacts. It is so clunky to move between emails. It is a disaster.
I absolutely hate it. It has impacted almost everything I do and made it slower and worse. I have tried to go back to the old outlook however it has also stopped working properly. I hope Microsoft roll back this awkward and annoying update.
Unfortunately, Malouki , I doubt that is going to happen now. It is very different that is for sure, though there are some things I am beginning to get used to, but there are so many features from the old Outlook that are missing and likely to never appear in this version. Some of them are gradually coming across though many just are gone.
I rebooted my computer and it automatically updated to New Outlook. What a surprise. A rotten surprise. And it will not recognize my email address so I can't even open it. On top of that, I have only a few days left to input the license key or lose all of the Microsoft Office 2019 apps. I cannot find the license key, it's gone, and not on Carbonite either, and it should be there. The Chat room people gave me a bunch of instructions to fix Outlook and repair as well. Nothing worked. Then they gave me a Microsoft number that does not provide any advice, help, free or otherwise. As a former quality engineer, and a **bleep** good one, I'm wondering what they are doing at Microsoft these days. Call me angry.
A weak and less capable tool, hidden behind a refreshed display and foistered on us in a way that can only be described as 'typically, dictatorially, American'! I don't need mountain backdrops or changed icons, to keep Microsoft employees employed in valueless activities. The inability to re-order the list of accounts (why remove that from the older version?) and its failure to open in the condition you shut it down (again in the older version) are just two major failings for me. Having to reload all my accounts was tiresome, annoying and unnecessary. Initial I could download the older version from 365, but now even this downloaded version has updated, without my authority. This arrogant intrusion, coupled with the significant price increases in 365 over the last couple of years leaves my searching for an alternative before next renewal.
I do not want to use the online version of Outlook that is being pushed on me. It's glitchy, while the old version is excellent. Just because someone needs a job does not mean they should create a "new" product that is nowhere near as good as the original. It's crucial to learn how to code effectively before attempting to "fix" a product that is already a fantastic work tool.
In my opinion, I really dislike the new desktop version. The old product was much better. I want to emphasize that I do not want to use the new Desktop Outlook, and I would appreciate it if I were not continually asked to use it. I tried it last year, and it was awful.
While I don't hate it, its user interface is excellent. However, it's extremely slow—even on high-performance PCs—and plagued by numerous bugs. It almost feels as if we, including corporate users, are being treated as beta testers, which is rather disappointing.
GianniTic...it will get better for sure. In many ways, it is still way behind the Classic Outlook though with functionality and the ability to customise views etc. And sadly, that's probably not going to change unfortunately. There are some useful new features being added too of course. BUT, I'm totally with you, the way this product was released was awful! Let's hope they never try to pull that stunt again!
RobSoto...I just don't get why they released it so early to everyone? A year ago, it was nowhere near ready for the general public. Much better now...but they have shot themselves in the foot here, because so many people don't like it. ...which I get is normal with a such a different design but at least get it close! 😉
GeoffLCS In short, I think it's Microsoft's MO. Build a solution to 80% and let the user community cover the last 20% of development costs, at the expense of a negative first impression. It's not always like that, but this one is particularly noticeable. Public previews are usually where the big stuff is taken care of. Perhaps Outlook deserved a longer public preview before going GA.
