Forum Discussion
New Outlook Issues
I understand that you have encountered two issues in the new version of Outlook and would like these features to be available again.
But it's also nice to hear that you appreciate the new options in Outlook, such as the ability to drag emails to add events or tasks. If you have other suggestions or feedback for improving Outlook, I encourage you to share them through Microsoft's official feedback channels. This allows them to prioritize features and improvements based on user needs and preferences.
Keep an eye on future updates of Outlook as Microsoft regularly releases new versions with additional features and improvements. Your feedback can help shape the future direction of the application.
How can I submit feedback to Microsoft?
NikolinoDE You’re assuming that there is appreciation for imposing this non-client replacement upon users.
It’s not a native desktop client. It’s Outlook.com wrapped in React Native and displayed through WebView2. It’s web. It tastes like web.
By the way, Outlook.com is a clumsy, bloated, slow, and ugly web based application for accessing email. Why would this be the consistency that Microsoft think users want? The sidebar/side rails, or whatever you call that redundant waste of space and the top search bar? They were moved to get users use to the fact that it matches the spacing and layout of Outlook.com and the customization and spacing limitations of CSS, HTML, and JS.
It literally looks like Outlook.com. I avoid it like the plague unless I have no choice. And the way that I least like accessing email is the way that I’ll be compelled to access all my work email is now one and the same.
By the way so many features including advanced rules, shared folders, and the ability to re-arrange folders in New Outlook is all borked. If you need these features I’d suggest you avoid it like the plague. It’s missing way more than that. But it can’t get the most basic UI elements down. And someone wanting praise for this? Why? Who asked for this?
Your concerns are valid, and it is not uncommon for users to have strong reactions to changes that impact their workflow and user experience.
It is important for software companies to balance innovation and updates with the needs and preferences of their users. While companies like Microsoft often aim to streamline their applications and provide a consistent experience across different platforms, it is clear that not all users appreciate or benefit from these changes.
User feedback, like yours, plays a crucial role in shaping the direction of software development. If you're encountering issues or finding the new experience less productive, consider providing feedback through official channels, such as Microsoft's user feedback platforms, or contacting their customer support directly. Your feedback can contribute to future improvements and potentially influence how Microsoft addresses these concerns.
Remember that software companies strive to address the diverse needs of their user base, which can be a challenging task. Preferences vary, and while some users may appreciate the new web-based approach, others might find it less efficient for their specific use cases.
In the meantime, if the new experience is not meeting your needs, you might want to explore alternative tools or workflows that better align with your preferences and requirements. Additionally, staying updated with software releases and updates can sometimes reveal improvements or solutions to existing issues.
Thank you for your time and patience.
- Why change it if its not broken? What is the end goal of the new system?
Your question is quite valid, and many users share similar sentiments about the changes in the new Outlook. The decision to overhaul a long-standing email client like Outlook can be attributed to several factors. Companies often aim to modernize their applications, align them with evolving technologies, and provide a consistent user experience across various platforms.
In Microsoft's case, the move towards a web-based approach may have been driven by the desire for a unified codebase that can be more efficiently maintained and updated. This can lead to quicker deployment of new features and updates. However, as we've seen, it may come at the expense of certain features and preferences that power users value.
It's essential to balance innovation with user needs, and sometimes, adjustments are made based on a broader vision for the software. Microsoft may be working towards a more integrated and universally accessible experience across devices and operating systems.
While these changes may not resonate with all users, providing feedback through official channels remains crucial. It helps software developers understand user preferences, address concerns, and refine their products over time.
In summary, the end goal may be a more streamlined, cross-platform, and continuously evolving email client. However, user feedback plays a pivotal role in shaping the direction of these developments.
The highlights are not intended as an excuse or embellishment on my part. I'm also a simple user like many others here. But there are points that we also emphasize in our work with our employees and colleagues.
Thank you for your patience and understanding
NikolinoDE Thank you for taking the time to craft such a well thought response to my post. Unfortunately there aren’t alternatives.
I work in the IT space for my employer and as you might be aware, most corporations get Outlook bundled with their M365 suite of software and services. The bean counters don’t know the difference and they aren’t going to invest in a separate, paid service, when they are paying for M365 suite and it comes with an email client.All of that said, we both know that New Outlook isn’t an email client. Webmail in an application container, is webmail. That’s not Microsoft finding a balance either. Microsoft is a trillion dollar outfit with an Outlook problem. The question is, “what to do with a nearly thirty year old email client that has tons of feature but years of cruft”? The answer is to find a build a native client from the ground up that can do all of the basic email requirements that a non-power user needs and balance what power users need at launch. Then you can add features by expanding your native build.
But spaghetti code is easier to string together. And developers for web technology are comparatively cheaper. I think the idea here is that one code base is also easier to deploy quickly. That might be true enough, but most pros don’t like webmail. It’s good enough in a pinch, but it’ll never be good enough as a daily driver. Not even with 100% feature parity. Because we aren’t at the place where HTML/CSS/JS can run in browser or in a wrapper and not behave like a website. You can’t resize Teams (or slack for that matter) down the way you can any native chat client. The columns can only size so far down and have readable content. This is a web limitation. Buttons and filter tabs can’t be tiny and yet 100% accurate so you have to make them larger and they waste space. Information populates at what is just on the verge of near instantaneous, but still slowly enough that you know its webcode even if it’s not waiting to load back from a server. And the file handling, like attachment previews and downloads behaves as it does in a web browser. Maybe they can fix that, but I’m not sure they can. And look at the search position and side rails in Outlook. Why are those thing there when it wastes tons of space? That’s to be inline with the Outlook.com layout.
But there’s much more that you just aren’t going to get from an application for say Windows that’s coded in C for example than just loading React Native with some version of code from Outlook.com. But you can pair back the number of developers. You can trim down time spent in development and you can apparently produce an inferior product as a result and still charge the same amount to your customer.
But TLDR, the bottom line is that if I’m doing a job for you and you’re paying me, then I need to make sure my service is right. If I’m selling something that’s out of date or needs an overhaul then my job should be to start from the ground up if that’s what it takes to make it right. And I should give you the equivalent of what you had before if I’m going to charge you the same amount for it.
I intensely dislike those "Try..." buttons in Microsoft products because I know that at some point "try" is going to dumped into a mandatory Windows Update. I also dislike web mail, but it appears they rewarded the person who thought changing the yellow Outlook icon of decades to a blue icon to be confused with the Word icon, has been rewarded by promotion to Outlook "Redesigner".
Here's a suggestion: Every time you have a "Try" button, also have a "Dislike/Like" voting option and go with the majority vote. Let your customer base inform you of desired changes.
I stayed with Windows 7 through the Windows 8 mess. Windows 10 did not encourage me to switch at home, after using it at work. I only changed to Windows 10 this year (2023) because Google Chrome stopped updating their browser for Windows 7. I had to set up Windows 11 on a relative's new home PC and things were "rearranged" and "optimized" for maximum aggravation. I'm thinking when the October 2025 deadline for Windows 10 comes up, I might consider installing some flavor of Linux and Open Office, to save money. If forced to use web mail, I might as well use Google Mail at home for free.
Please leave the Office applications features, look and feel alone. Improve security in the underlying code, add a "do you want this" feature under the View menu that will display new features to the right of the menu if the corresponding box is checked. If you want more revenue, increase the subscription fees, but stop trashing the functionality in the name of "improving" the product.
