(Originally published on September 28, 2022 by Margie Clinton)
Hi, Insiders! My name is Margie Clinton, and I’m a Group Product Manager on the Outlook team. I’m excited to announce that the new Outlook for Windows will begin rolling out for all Office Insiders to try starting today!
This past May, we expanded our work of creating a more consistent Outlook experience across endpoints (including Windows) with the release of our early preview of the new Outlook for Windows. This new Outlook for Windows is designed to provide a contemporary yet familiar Outlook experience that helps to improve personal productivity and email organization for users.
Since then, we’ve received valuable feedback from Office Insiders on Beta Channel about how to create a more consistent, feature-rich experience. We've taken this feedback into account and incorporated updates into this most recent rollout.
Beginning today, members of our Office Insiders community on Current Channel (Preview) will begin to have access and be able to explore new Outlook for Windows as we roll it out to the community. In the coming weeks, this experience will also be made available for Windows Insiders using a similar toggle within the Windows Mail app.
If you are signed up as an Office Insider and running Beta Channel or Current Channel (Preview) builds, all you need to do is slide the Try the New Outlook toggle located in the upper-right corner of your classic Outlook for Windows and follow the onscreen instructions.
NOTE: You can switch back to your previous Outlook experience whenever you want. Just switch the toggle off and it will automatically open your previous version with no data or email loss.
We’ve been listening to feedback since May and our team has been working diligently to improve the new Outlook for Windows. We’re excited to share that, in addition to numerous performance improvements, the following updates have been made:
Now you can add your personal Outlook.com, Hotmail, or Windows Live email accounts to this new Outlook for Windows.
Now you can save time with the Quick Steps feature, which shows personalized triage actions that you can use repeatedly to keep your inbox clean and organized, and newsletters or important files in easy reach.
Now you can adjust the width of columns in your calendar, letting you customize how much space to give each day as you view the details of your weekly schedule.
Now you see new pared-down Ribbon options give a sleeker look and feel that is easier to navigate as you email.
Now you can take advantage of tips that let you know about new, useful features as they roll out so you can take advantage of them right away. You can also see Tips in the calendar board view, giving you everything you need to plan your schedule in one place.
The new features above build upon what we already made available in the early preview version in May (read more about it here) including:
Features that we plan to release to our Insider community—both enterprise and consumer customers—in the upcoming months include:
If you’re a member of the Windows Insiders community, in the coming weeks you will begin to gain access to the new Outlook for Windows via a toggle—similar to what you see above—in the Mail and Calendar apps in Windows.
These features are rolling out to Office Insiders running Beta Channel or Current Channel (Preview) Version 2209 (Build 15629.20058) or later of Outlook for Windows.
Features are released over some time to ensure things are working smoothly. We highlight features that you may not have because they’re slowly releasing to larger numbers of Insiders. Sometimes we remove elements to further improve them based on your feedback. Though this is rare, we also reserve the option to pull a feature entirely out of the product, even if you, as an Insider, have had the opportunity to try it.
Since the new Outlook for Windows is still in preview, it is likely that there might be some gaps.
Why am I not seeing the preview toggle?
We look forward to continuing to build Outlook for Windows using the valuable input we receive from you. If you have any feedback or additional suggestions for improvements, please click Help > Feedback in Outlook to let us know.
Learn about the Microsoft 365 Insider program and sign up for the Microsoft 365 Insider newsletter to get the latest information about Insider features in your inbox once a month!
You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.