Feature Request for Enhanced Outlook Add-in Surfaces
Request Title: Expandable/Pop-out Outlook Add-ins with Inline Compose/Reply Integration
Products/Platforms: Microsoft Outlook Add-ins (Office.js) across Classic Outlook for Windows, New Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook on the web (OWA)
Request Type: New extensibility capabilities / UI host surfaces for Outlook add-ins
Priority: High (end-user productivity + adoption + enterprise usability)
Background
We use an Outlook add-in to integrate additional productivity tools into the email workflow to help users save time, reduce context switching, and improve execution quality. This is a core enablement pattern for enterprise users who spend significant time in Outlook.
Today, our add-in runs primarily in the task pane, which has notable limitations in flexibility and available space. The current experience is increasingly cluttered and not user-friendly, especially for workflows that require richer UI, multiple steps, or contextual data.
Additionally, the add-in is not seamlessly integrated into the new message compose and reply experience (i.e., the workflow is not inline with the compose/reply window), which limits usability for scenarios that must occur at the moment a user is authoring a message.
Problem Statement
Current task pane constraints lead to:
- Limited UI real estate (narrow layout, heavy scrolling, cramped forms, poor readability)
- No user-friendly expand/enlarge options to fit different workflows and screen sizes
- Reduced usability during compose/reply, where users need the tool inline with message authoring
- Lower adoption and productivity because the add-in experience feels disconnected and cumbersome
In practice, users need more space and tighter integration at the exact point of work (compose/reply), without leaving Outlook or juggling multiple windows.
Requested Features
We request Microsoft to support the following add-in UI capabilities, ideally consistently across Classic Windows, New Outlook, and OWA:
A) Expandable / Resizable Task Pane
- Allow users to resize/expand the add-in pane (wider layout; optional full-height behavior)
- Support a compact vs expanded mode with user preference persistence
Outcome: Richer workflows become usable without redesigning into cramped layouts.
B) Pop-out Add-in Experience
- Provide a supported pop-out window for the add-in (while maintaining context to the current item)
- Ensure pop-out works smoothly with enterprise policies and does not break the add-in lifecycle
Outcome: Users can work with complex UI without sacrificing mail reading/authoring space.
C) Inline Add-in Integration with Compose and Reply
- Enable add-in UI to appear inline within the compose/reply window (not just as a separate side pane)
- Support contextual actions/data entry during authoring (e.g., insert content, validate, attach artifacts, update records)
- Ensure consistent behavior for new compose and reply experiences
Outcome: The tool is available at the moment users need it while writing responses, driving adoption and reducing errors.
D) Add-in as a Mail Tab
- Provide a supported extension point for an add-in to appear as a tab in Mail, similar to “Focused/Other”
- Tab hosts a larger workspace for add-in workflows (e.g., triage/queue/workbench views)
Outcome: A first-class workspace in Mail for workflows that don’t fit the task pane model.
Key Enterprise Use Cases
- Multi-step workflows triggered from emails (triage, intake, approvals, routing)
- Rich forms and guided actions that are impractical in a narrow pane
- Compose/reply-time actions: insert approved templates/snippets, validate recipients/content, capture metadata, create/update tasks/records
- Dedicated mail workbench views via a tab for operational roles
Acceptance Criteria
- Cross-client consistency: Classic Windows, New Outlook, and OWA supported with minimal divergence
Next Steps for Microsoft
- Confirm roadmap/feasibility for: expandable task pane, add-in pop-out, inline compose/reply surface, and mail tab surface
- Provide recommended implementation model/APIs and opportunities for preview/early access for enterprise validation