Outlook Blog articles

Copilot in Outlook: New agentic experiences for email and calendar

GauravSareen — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 18:52:24 GMT

Outlook used to be where you worked. Starting today, it's where Copilot works for you.

Until now, Copilot in Outlook helped with the task in front of you: drafting an email, catching up on a long thread, or finding a time to meet. Useful, but not the hardest part. The real work is everything around it: the follow-ups that slip, the messages that need attention, and the schedule changes that pile up before the day even starts.

That’s what’s changing today. Copilot in Outlook is now agentic, taking on the ongoing work of running your inbox and calendar. It triages emails, reschedules conflicts, and surfaces what matters most before you even ask.

Manage your inbox with Copilot

Sequences shortened for demonstration purposes

Managing your inbox isn’t just about reading and replying. It’s the steady work of keeping things moving. Copilot in Outlook now takes on that work, prioritizing emails, surfacing what needs a response, drafting follow-ups, and setting up rules to keep your inbox clutter-free.

You tell Copilot what you need, and it works through the steps, showing what it’s doing along the way so you can review, adjust, or step in whenever you choose.

Prompts to try:

Help me with follow-ups: Identify people who haven’t replied to my emails after 24 hours, prioritize the ones that matter most, and draft polite follow-up emails for me.
Draft complex emails: Pull the latest updates on [project name] over the last week. Draft a confidential, high‑importance update email for my manager.
Stay on top of important emails: Create an inbox rule that assigns the “High Priority” category to all new emails from my manager where I’m on the “To:” line.
Catch up after vacation: I just returned from vacation. Help me catch up: summarize what I’ve missed, highlight what’s most urgent, and draft a short briefing email. Then suggest emails I can safely archive and 1-2 tasks I should focus on first.

Availability: Available via the Frontier program for all Outlook endpoints beginning April 27.

Delegate calendar management to Copilot

Scheduling a meeting is the easy part. What comes after, reprioritizing, resolving conflicts, and finding time to prepare, is what really takes the effort.

Copilot in Outlook now does continuous work in your calendar. It keeps your schedule on track, handles routine changes, and helps you align your time to what matters most.

Proactively monitor and manage your schedule

Sequences shortened for demonstration purposes

Based on your preferences, Copilot can proactively manage your calendar. It can respond to meeting invites, resolve 1:1 conflicts by rescheduling, rebook meeting rooms, and block focus time when you need it.

And when you need to make a change yourself, Copilot can help from chat or in the meeting form - rescheduling or canceling a meeting, updating details, or drafting an agenda based on the goal, audience, and tone you have in mind.

Prompts to try:

Schedule a Copilot-managed 1:1 meeting: Schedule a weekly 1:1 with my manager for Monday afternoons. Reschedule when conflicts occur.
Protect my time: Automatically follow all large meetings if they are outside my working hours, unless sent by my leadership team.
Adjust my schedule: Reschedule all of my 1:1s with my direct reports for next week to the Friday afternoon that week.
Draft an agenda: Create an agenda for tomorrow's product launch standup. Focus on open blockers, owner assignments, and a go/no-go decision.

Availability: Available via the Frontier program for Outlook for Windows and web beginning April 27.

Align your time to your priorities

Sequences shortened for demonstration purposes

It’s not always clear where your time goes at work. Copilot helps you step back and adjust your schedule around what matters most, so you can see your priorities, spot where you’re overbooked or context-switching, gather what you need to prepare, and protect focus time before important meetings.

Prompts to try:

Prioritize my time: Review my calendar next week and recommend which meetings I should decline, follow, delegate or convert to async in order to reduce meeting load while maintaining output quality.
Prepare for meetings: Help me prepare for my meeting with [customer name] tomorrow. What do I need to know, what should I ask, and what risks should I watch for?

Availability: Available via the Frontier program for Outlook for Windows and web beginning April 27.

Get started

Copilot in Outlook now handles the work across your inbox and calendar. Join the Frontier program to get early access and help shape these new agentic experiences.

From Public Folders to SharePoint: A Modern Approach to Shared Contact Management

rajesh1 — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:31:42 GMT

For years, public folders have been the go-to solution for sharing contacts across teams and organizations - whether for maintaining client lists, managing shared employee directories, or keeping vendor information organized. But as the way we collaborate has evolved, so has the need for a more modern, integrated approach to shared contact management. SharePoint now provides a powerful, fully connected alternative that brings your shared contacts into the heart of your Microsoft 365 ecosystem. In this post, we'll walk you through why SharePoint is the natural next step for your shared contacts and give you a step-by-step guide to get started.

Why SharePoint for Shared Contacts?

Instead of managing shared contacts in public folders - which operated separately from the rest of your collaboration tools - SharePoint brings your shared contact lists, documents, project plans, and team resources together in one centralized, always-accessible hub. It’s the natural next step for organizations that have relied on public folders, and it comes with powerful capabilities that go well beyond what was possible before:

Single source of truth - No more wondering which version of a shared contact list is current. SharePoint provides a single, authoritative repository that everyone on your team can access and trust.
Rich collaboration - Multiple team members can view, edit, and manage shared contacts simultaneously with real-time updates, version history, and granular permissions.
Powerful integration across Microsoft 365 - Shared contacts in SharePoint connect naturally with Teams, Power Automate, and other Microsoft 365 tools, enabling workflows that were never possible before. Imagine automatically notifying your team when a key client contact is updated, or syncing shared contacts into a Power App for your field sales team.
Enterprise-grade security and compliance - SharePoint’s robust permissions model, audit logging, and compliance features ensure your shared contact data meets even the most stringent organizational requirements.
Access from anywhere - Whether you’re on desktop, mobile, or the web, your shared contacts in SharePoint are always just a click away.

For teams currently using public folders for shared contacts, the transition to SharePoint is straightforward and immediately rewarding. You’ll gain richer collaboration, tighter integration with the tools you already use every day, and a modern experience that scales with your organization. Your shared contacts move from an isolated repository into the heart of your Microsoft 365 collaboration ecosystem - connected, secure, and always up to date.

Getting Started: How to Manage Shared Contacts in SharePoint

Ready to move your shared contacts to SharePoint? Follow this step-by-step guide to set up, organize, and share your contact lists with your team.

Step 1: Create a SharePoint Contacts List

Navigate to the SharePoint site where you want to store your shared contacts (e.g., your team site or department site).
Click New in the top-left corner and select List.
Choose the Contacts template from the available templates. This gives you a pre-built structure with columns for name, email, phone, company, and more.
Give your list a descriptive name (e.g., "Sales Team Contacts" or "Vendor Directory").
Click Create - your new contacts list is ready to use.

Step 2: Add and Organize Your Contacts

You have several ways to populate your contacts list:

Add contacts manually: Click "+ New" in the list toolbar to add individual contacts one at a time. Fill in the contact details and click Save.
Import from Excel or CSV: Have an existing contact list? Click "Import" from the list toolbar, select your Excel or CSV file, map the columns, and import all your contacts in one go. This is the fastest way to migrate contacts from public folders.
Customize columns: Add custom columns to track information specific to your team's needs, like "Account Manager," "Contract Renewal Date," or "Region." Click "+ Add column" in the list header to get started.

Step 3: Share with Your Team

Once your contacts list is set up, sharing it is simple:

Set permissions: Click the gear icon, then List settings, then Permissions to control who can view, edit, or manage the list. You can grant access to individuals, Microsoft 365 groups, or security groups.
Share a direct link: Click "Share" at the top of the list to send a link to specific people or copy a shareable link for your team.
Grant appropriate access levels: Choose between "Can view" (read-only), "Can edit" (add/modify contacts), or "Full control" (manage permissions and settings) depending on each person's role.

Step 4 (optional): Pin to Microsoft Teams for Easy Access

Make your shared contacts instantly accessible from where your team already works:

Open Microsoft Teams and navigate to the channel where your team collaborates.
Click the "+" (Add a tab) button at the top of the channel.
Select "SharePoint" from the app list and choose your contacts list.
Your shared contacts now appear as a tab in Teams. Everyone on the channel can view and manage contacts without leaving Teams.

Step 5: Automate with Power Automate

Take your shared contacts to the next level with automation:

Change notifications: Create a flow that notifies your team via email or Teams whenever a contact is added, updated, or deleted.
CRM sync: Build a flow to sync contacts between your SharePoint list and your CRM system (Dynamics 365, Salesforce, etc.) so your data stays consistent across platforms.
Scheduled reports: Set up a recurring flow that emails a summary of new or changed contacts to stakeholders on a weekly or monthly basis.

Pro Tips

Create custom views: Use SharePoint's view options to create filtered views like "Active Clients," "Contacts by Region," or "Recently Updated" so team members can quickly find what they need.
Enable versioning: Turn on version history in list settings to track every change made to your contacts. You can see who changed what and when, and restore previous versions if needed.
Set up alerts: Subscribe to alerts on the list to get notified by email whenever changes are made, great for staying on top of updates without constantly checking.

A Modern, Unified Contact Management Experience

Beyond these major innovations, the new People in Outlook brings a complete refresh to how you manage your contacts every day:

Modern multi-column table view - See all your contacts at a glance with a clean, customizable table layout. Sort, filter, and scan your contacts faster than ever.
Quick actions at your fingertips - Email, call, or chat with any contact directly from the contact list. No need to open a contact card first.
Multi-select and bulk operations - Need to categorize, email, or manage multiple contacts at once? Select them all and take action in a single step.
Categories for flexible organization - Organize your contacts with color-coded categories that work across Outlook. Tag contacts as “Key Clients,” “Project Team,” “Vendors,” or anything that fits your workflow.
Import and export - Easily bring contacts in from CSV files or export your contact data whenever you need it.
Consistent experience everywhere - Whether you’re using Outlook on the desktop, Outlook on the web, or Teams, the People experience is the same - modern, fast, and reliable.

Built for Performance and Reliability

The new People in Outlook was built from the ground up with performance at its core. After extensive testing and feedback from thousands of users within Microsoft, we’ve delivered an experience that is not only feature-rich but also fast, stable, and reliable - even with large contact lists. Every interaction is designed to feel instant and responsive.

Get Started Today

The new People experience is available on the New Outlook for Desktop, and is rolling out now across for Outlook on the web for all Microsoft 365 users. To explore it:

Open Outlook and click the People icon on the left navigation rail.
Start searching for anyone - by name, title, location, or any keyword.
Explore your contacts in the new table view and try out quick actions.

We’re incredibly excited about what the new People in Outlook means for how you connect and collaborate. This is just the beginning - we have even more innovations in the pipeline that we can’t wait to share with you.

We’d love to hear from you! Share your feedback directly within Outlook by selecting Help > Feedback, or join the conversation in the Microsoft Tech Community.

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The People in Outlook team is committed to building the best contact management experience in the world - and we’re just getting started.

The New People Directory Search Experience in Outlook: Smarter, Faster, and More Connected Than Ever

rajesh1 — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:31:15 GMT

Managing contacts has always been central to how we work - but the way we work has changed dramatically. Today, we're excited to unveil a completely reimagined People experience in Outlook that makes finding, organizing, and connecting with your contacts faster and smarter than ever before. Whether you're reaching out to a colleague across the globe or managing your most important business relationships, the new People in Outlook is designed to get you there in seconds, not minutes.

Instant People Directory Search: Find Anyone in Seconds

We’ve heard you loud and clear: navigating complex organizational trees and deeply nested directory hierarchies to find a single contact takes too long. So we built something better.

The new People in Outlook features a powerful, intelligent search experience that puts every contact at your fingertips - instantly. Simply start typing a name, location, job title, department, or even a personal note you’ve added, and People in Outlook surfaces the right person immediately. No more drilling through layers of org charts or scrolling through alphabetical lists. Just type, find, and connect.

Here’s what makes it work:

Lightning-fast keyword search - Search across names, email addresses, job titles, locations, departments, and even your own notes and tags. A few keystrokes is all it takes.
Smart suggestions - As you type, People in Outlook intelligently surfaces the most relevant matches based on your communication patterns and organizational context.
One search, every contact source - Whether the person is in your organization’s directory, your personal contacts, or a linked account, search brings them all together in one unified result set.
Instant action - Once you find who you’re looking for, you can email, call, or start a Teams chat directly from the search results - no extra clicks required.

This is contact discovery reimagined. What once required navigating through hierarchical trees and multiple clicks now happens in a single, fluid interaction. It’s the fastest way to find and connect with anyone in your world.

Find anyone instantly with intelligent search in People in Outlook

A Modern, Unified Contact Management Experience

Beyond these major innovations, the new People in Outlook brings a complete refresh to how you manage your contacts every day:

Modern multi-column table view - See all your contacts at a glance with a clean, customizable table layout. Sort, filter, and scan your contacts faster than ever.
Quick actions at your fingertips - Email, call, or chat with any contact directly from the contact list. No need to open a contact card first.
Multi-select and bulk operations - Need to categorize, email, or manage multiple contacts at once? Select them all and take action in a single step.
Categories for flexible organization - Organize your contacts with color-coded categories that work across Outlook. Tag contacts as “Key Clients,” “Project Team,” “Vendors,” or anything that fits your workflow.
Import and export - Easily bring contacts in from CSV files or export your contact data whenever you need it.
Consistent experience everywhere - Whether you’re using Outlook on the desktop, Outlook on the web, or Teams, the People experience is the same - modern, fast, and reliable.

The New People Experience. with a modern tabular layout brining a unified contact management experience

Built for Performance and Reliability

Get Started Today

The new People experience is currently available on the New Outlook for Desktop, and is rolling out now for Outlook on the web for all Microsoft 365 users. To explore it:

Open Outlook and click the People icon on the left navigation rail.
Start searching for anyone - by name, title, location, or any keyword.
Explore your contacts in the new table view and try out quick actions.

We’d love to hear from you! Share your feedback directly within Outlook by selecting Help > Feedback, or join the conversation in the Microsoft Tech Community.

The People in Outlook team is committed to building the best contact management experience in the world - and we’re just getting started.

Copilot in Outlook: New agentic experiences for email and calendar

Daniel_Vargas — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Wave 3 of Microsoft 365 Copilot marks a shift from single-shot tasks to agentic experiences embedded in the apps where work happens. In Outlook, Copilot helps you go from intent to execution across email and calendar—without losing context or creating extra steps.

Copilot in Outlook is grounded in Work IQ—drawing on relevant emails, meetings, calendar preferences, and relationships so the output helps you get work done. And because changes happen directly in Outlook, they are visible, reviewable, and easy to iterate on. Try agentic Copilot in Outlook today.

Collaborate with Copilot to turn ideas into send-ready emails

Copilot in Outlook can now take on the work of drafting and refining emails with you—helping you move from intent to a send-ready message. You describe what you’re trying to accomplish, and Copilot helps shape the email as it comes together.

In Outlook: Copilot now writes and updates emails directly as you work

Sequences shortened for demonstration purposes.

Copilot in Outlook now helps you write your first draft directly in the canvas – then iterates with you to get it right. Instead of generating a one-off draft, Copilot writes in place and asks you clarifying questions (goal, audience, tone) and updates the email in place as you respond—so you can refine the message in a few quick turns until it’s ready to send—with every change visible in Outlook, no copy/paste or formatting surprises.

Prompts to try:

Create a first draft: Draft an email to /name confirming the decision from /meeting, detailing the agreed-upon timeline, and asking /name for final approval.

Adjust tone and clarity: Make this more concise and professional and apply the same tone that /name uses in their communications. Add a short context paragraph summarizing the latest leadership decisions at the top.

Polish and format: Bold the approval ask, turn the timeline from a list into a table, and add “Approval Needed” to the subject line.

Availability: Beginning to roll out across the modern Outlook experience for Windows, web, and mobile on March 9.

In Copilot Chat: Draft, edit and send emails end-to-end

Sequences shortened for demonstration purposes.

In Copilot Chat, you can go from request to sent email end-to-end. Tell Copilot what you need, iterate on the draft in place, and send—while Work IQ pulls in the right context (recipients, thread history, meeting outcomes) so the message is grounded and ready for final review.

Prompts to try:

Create a first draft: Draft an email to /name and /name following up on action items from /meeting and summarizing next steps.

Iterate to adjust tone and clarity: Rewrite this email to be more concise and executive-ready. Keep the ask in the first two lines.

Availability: Rolling out to Frontier beginning March 9.

Let Copilot handle scheduling and calendar tasks for you

Copilot in Outlook can now take on ongoing work on your behalf—carrying your intent forward as your calendar evolves. Whether you need help managing RSVPs or getting meetings on the calendar, just tell Copilot what you need in chat—and it takes care of the administrative work for you.

In Outlook: Copilot can now manage your calendar for you—based on your preferences

Sequences shortened for demonstration purposes.

Meeting requests don’t stop—and neither do the same RSVP decisions. With custom instructions, Copilot can handle RSVPs for you—accepting, declining, or following based on preferences like who the invite is from, meeting title keywords, and your working hours—while keeping you informed as things change. The result is less calendar triage and a schedule that stays aligned to your priorities.

Prompts to try:

Align time to priorities: Always accept meetings from my manager if I am free.

Reduce clutter: Always decline meetings with “office hours” in the title and remove canceled meetings.

Protect personal time: Follow meetings scheduled after 5pm.

Availability: Available now to users across the modern Outlook experience for Windows, Mac, web, and mobile.

In Copilot Chat: Schedule meetings without leaving chat

Sequences shortened for demonstration purposes.

When you need to get a meeting on the calendar, coordination is the tax. In Copilot Chat, you can ask for a meeting and Copilot handles the logistics—availability, time options, and invite details—then shows you how each option fits on your Outlook calendar so you can confirm the one that works best.

Prompts to try:

Check availability: Help me find the next available time slot to meet with [First name], [First name] and [First name].

Schedule a meeting: Schedule 30 minutes with /name, /name, and /name next week to decide on the launch plan for Project X. Book a room and include an agenda.

Availability: Available now in English to users across all Microsoft 365 Copilot and Outlook endpoints.

It’s now easier to access iCloud Mail, Calendar, and Contacts in Outlook

Jeffrey_Kalvass — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 23:25:59 GMT

We’re excited to announce that the new Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook for iOS and Android now support easier iCloud Mail, Calendar, and Contacts access.

You no longer need to create and enter app-specific passwords to access your iCloud data in Outlook apps. Now using the OAuth 2.0 authentication protocol, simply sign in with your Apple Account to access your iCloud Mail, Calendar, and Contacts in Outlook.

Add email account, shown in the new Outlook for WindowsTaking you to your browser to sign inSign in to your Apple Account in your browserAllow Microsoft Outlook apps and services access to your Apple AccountEmail account setup success in the new Outlook for WindowsAdd email account, shown in Outlook for iOSAllow Microsoft Outlook apps and services access to your Apple Account

If you already have iCloud set up in Outlook, in the coming months you will be asked to sign in, which will reauthenticate using the new OAuth 2.0 flow.

Availability

The ability to access iCloud Mail, Calendar, and Contacts using the new authentication flow is rolling out across the new Outlook for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook for iOS and Android. If you attempt to access iCloud data and are presented with the previous Basic Authentication flow (prompting for an app-specific password), ensure you’ve updated to the latest Outlook app version and restart Outlook.

For classic Outlook for Windows users, we recommend trying the new Outlook for Windows, which provides both the new authentication flow and built-in support for iCloud Mail, Calendar, and Contacts without the need for an Outlook add-in.

Feedback

We would love to hear from you. To submit your feedback, select:

Help > Feedback in the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook for Mac
Settings > Help & Feedback > Send Feedback in Outlook for iOS and Android

Embracing the future: Transitioning to new Outlook for Windows

margieclinton — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 21:43:35 GMT

As technology moves forward, so do the ways we communicate. The world is rapidly changing with cloud computing, hybrid ways of working, and generative AI. To keep up with all these changes, Outlook is getting a makeover too. The updated Outlook for Windows is built to meet the needs of modern email and time management, with agility, consistency, and manageability.

Since I last connected with you in November 2024, Outlook for Windows has evolved rapidly - delivering dozens more capabilities from classic Outlook, key improvements for Shared Mailbox, Offline and PST, and many new experiences to enhance productivity. This update shares examples and details on how Outlook for Windows is:

Agile: Built to be responsive to your emerging needs
Consistent: Streamlined across Windows and web
Manageable for IT: Faster resolutions with less effort

Agility: Built to be responsive to your emerging needs

Every month you will see us deliver top requested capabilities from classic Outlook, new Copilot innovation, and improved stability and performance. Outlook for Windows is packed with capabilities designed to boost your productivity and make your day-to-day tasks easier.

Innovation built in

Outlook for Windows' new agile codebase has made it easier for stability, performance and security by design. We deliver features that were never implemented in classic Outlook. Now, you can enjoy top-requested features in Outlook like pinning important emails, tabbed search to find people, files and Teams messages more easily, iCal sync, scheduled mail, new themes and colored mailbox folders, and more. We've updated meeting experiences to support hybrid and global participation with capabilities such as support for up to 21 time zones and hybrid RSVP, sorting and search for tracking attendees, and the ability to follow meetings to be aware of what happened without needing to attend. These new time management features are ideal for our most dedicated users, including delegates.

New shared mailbox capabilities

We heard you! One of the top experiences we are improving is working with shared mailbox experiences. Outlook for Windows blends classic Outlook capabilities for shared mailboxes with new capabilities to address your long-standing needs.

You can now add shared mailboxes as accounts alongside shared folders. With the new “Shared with me” page you can now view permissions on shared folders or mailboxes to identify and resolve access issues. You can control how the shared mailboxes and folders will be displayed in the Folder pane. The Folder pane also gives a clear visual distinction to shared mailboxes compared to dedicated email accounts, making them easy to access and use throughout your day. More functionality is coming soon, including Archives in shared mailboxes and more (available in Targeted Release and coming to Standard Release in July).

‘Shared with me’ settings in Outlook for Windows and web

Copilot agility

For those aiming to maximize productivity with Copilot, we are adding Copilot features into Outlook every month. With Outlook for Windows' agile codebase, you will find the latest Copilot enhancements first, including the Chat side pane, Summarize, Drafts, Schedule from email, and more. Commercial users will value the new “Prioritize my Inbox” that helps users stay on top of their highest priority mail (rolling out gradually).

Prioritize capabilities in Outlook for Windows and web

Newsletters

Communications through Outlook continue to evolve to meet user needs. The new Outlook Newsletters experience lets you quickly and easily create and send structured, professional, and richly formatted internal email newsletters within Outlook. This capability helps you keep your team informed and engaged. Each newsletter acts as a home for subsequent editions, making it easy to browse past issues and view aggregated analytics across the series. Readers can discover and subscribe to newsletters shared within your organization to stay informed on key topics and projects. While in Public Preview, admins can enable it for some or all users in an organization, and General Availability will follow in a few months. Newsletters are coming to Outlook for Windows and web first, and we plan to bring them to other Outlook clients. Copilot support for Newsletters is on the way, unlocking new ways to create clear and compelling communications with ease.

Newsletters in Outlook for Windows and web

Consistency: Streamlined across Windows and web

The updated Outlook for Windows is all about delivering modern and comprehensive communications and time management experiences. We continue to balance delivering more of your favorite capabilities available in classic Outlook and innovation to meet your needs based on your feedback and requests. In-app feedback and upvoting are key to helping us prioritize what to work on next. For instance, Offline and PST support are top requests, and we have a stream of capabilities rolling out for these critical features, shown below.

Offline capabilities

Outlook for Windows already supports core offline capabilities to read and compose emails and boot while offline. Here’s a look at the latest Offline capabilities including Search (available now), attachments, event creation, updates, deletion, and RSVP (rolling out).

Search email:

Open an attachment:

Create and delete an event:

PST capabilities

For users who store their content in PST mailboxes, we have many recent improvements to share. Now Outlook for Windows supports reply and forwarding emails in the PST, adding PST folders to Favorites, and dragging and dropping emails from the PST to the mailbox (or vice versa).

The ability to export an entire mailbox or set of folders to a PST is now in Targeted Release. Importing from a PST, auto-export (aka auto-archive), people details in Profile cards, and support for read-only Calendar is coming later this year.

Add a PST to Outlook for Windows

Integrations across Windows and Microsoft 365

Outlook is deeply integrated with the Windows operating system to bring functionality that users expect of a rich, native app. This includes opening attachments in the native default app users choose, dragging and dropping attachments to the desktop, windowing, notifications, and more. Outlook for Windows is also seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Teams, without the need to install a separate add-in.

More seamless switching across devices

Outlook users are constantly on the move, switching between different devices and contexts throughout their day. When you add a new device, you do not need to reconfigure your settings. This focus on consistency is something our commercial customers have been asking for, and we're excited about delivering it. Plus, thanks to the common codebase, web users also enjoy most of the innovations and classic capabilities arriving in Outlook for Windows.

Manageability: Faster resolutions with less effort

For IT admins, Outlook for Windows deploys updates similarly to Outlook for web and Microsoft Teams, offering service-backed delivery that ensures predictable changes with Targeted Release and roadmap notifications. This means less time spent on build management. Plus, with changes delivered as a service, you should see a reduction in deployment costs.

Both Outlook for Windows and web use Mailbox policies to manage the client experience. These policies help standardize settings, like attachment settings, for specific groups of users. This means users have a more consistent experience across platforms, as the policies are applied to a user's mailbox. IT admins can learn more about which policies from classic Outlook map to Outlook for Windows policies here and review the new security whitepaper here.

Admins have a growing set of documentation in learn.microsoft.com and adoption.microsoft.com. We're making sure the transition to Outlook for Windows is as smooth as possible with migration aids such as the admin-controlled migration policy and you can now track new and classic Outlook usage in either the M365 or Exchange Admin Centers.

M365 Admin Center with Outlook for Windows and classic Outlook usage reporting

Transition to new Outlook for Windows

The transition to Outlook for Windows is intended to be gradual, allowing you ample time to explore and become comfortable with its new capabilities. We recommend using the toggle in classic Outlook to try the updated Outlook for Windows experience. This will copy your settings, forward your protocols, and provide a welcoming experience. If you encounter a situation where the new Outlook experience lacks a critical function for your workflow, you can easily toggle back to classic Outlook. Don’t forget to provide feedback to let us know what’s missing.

A great way to facilitate the transition is to run Outlook for Windows side-by-side with classic Outlook. However, we encourage you to spend as much time as possible working in the updated Outlook experience. This will help you fully experience its enhanced capabilities and discover new, efficient ways of communicating.

Thousands of organizations have started migration with pilots and are working towards full-scale migration. Many organizations have already migrated, including some very large-scale organizations already surpassing 50% migration to Outlook for Windows. For more details on the timeline: New Outlook: Guide to product availability | Microsoft Learn

What’s next?

We continue to bring more classic capabilities and innovation every month. We encourage you to try the updated Outlook for Windows experience. If a needed capability is missing, let us know. To submit your feedback, go to the Help tab and select Feedback.

You can track the progress we are making through four different resources:

Resource	Description	Location
Microsoft 365 Roadmap	Features that we are rolling out	http://aka.ms/newOutlookRoadmap
Feature Comparison article	Comparison of features across new and classic Outlook	https://aka.ms/newOutlookFeatureComparison
What’s new	A user-focused monthly blog of top capabilities that have been added, also displayed in-app	https://aka.ms/newOutlookWhatsNew
Release notes	Weekly changes including bug fixes, classic capabilities and innovation	https://aka.ms/newOutlookReleaseNotes

What’s new and coming to Microsoft Outlook – Ignite 2024

Gabriel_Valdez — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:49:38 GMT

Since its launch, Copilot in Outlook has helped you manage and triage your email, providing drafting assistance, summaries, and insights to help you save time. Whether you need help drafting the appropriate email response, schedule meetings in a few clicks, find key information in an email thread, or make sure your message has the right tone and clarity, Copilot can help you achieve your goals.

During Ignite, we added to our efforts to help you manage your inbox, and showed you how you can manage your meetings easier using Copilot, and also dived into the latest updates to the new Outlook for Windows and what to expect in the coming year.

Let’s take a look at the capabilities we announced this week!

Manage meetings easier with Copilot in Outlook

We spend a lot of time in meetings during our work hours, sometimes as high as 60% of our time can be spent between meetings, emails, and chats. Even scheduling a meeting can take up to 15 mins, but Copilot can make this a little easier.

Copilot now helps you schedule 1:1s and focus time, just ask Copilot to find some time with someone in your org and it will find the optimal time. Because Copilot is grounded on your organization’s data, it knows who your close collaborators are so you can ask Copilot something like “Schedule a meeting with my manager for next week” or “Schedule a meeting with Caitlin for next week” and Copilot will know to whom you are referring. Do you need time to finish a project? No problem – Ask Copilot to find reserve focus time for next week, “Find 3 hours of focus time next week before Wednesday”, and done! Now you can focus on your project.

Schedule one-on-one meetings using Copilot in Outlook

Meetings can make it easier to make decisions, iron details, or discuss ideas but sometimes it’s hard to keep them on track and focused. Making sure your meeting has an agenda can help you stay on track and make sure you are tackling the important points – Copilot can draft an agenda for you based on your input, just open the meeting invite, select “Draft with Copilot”, and provide some input like “Review the Contoso project, introduce a new team member, and discuss sales plan”. Copilot creates an agenda which you can easily edit. Once you are ready, just remember to send the invite.

Use Copilot in Outlook to draft an agenda for your meeting

Sometimes, you need to schedule a meeting with more than one person, but have you had to schedule a meeting to bring a long email to a conclusion? Reading and summarizing long email threads is time consuming and finding time between multiple people can be challenging, unless you have Copilot. Without leaving the conversation, Copilot can help you schedule a meeting to bring that long email thread to closure – Just select the “Schedule with Copilot” button and Copilot will get you ready for that meeting, it will i) Summarize the entire thread, ii) Create an agenda, and iii) find a time that works. Quick and easy, schedule a meeting in just a few clicks.

Get help from Copilot to schedule a meeting based on an email conversation

A new way to draft emails

We all need some help sometimes writing an email, whether you are having writer’s block to start or you want to rewrite some parts of it – The new drafting with Copilot experience can help.

We’ve updated the drafting experience to make it native to the compose window in Outlook, added suggested prompts so you can kick off your draft without even typing, and allow you to rewrite parts of your message with Copilot. Is it hard to choose which draft iteration is the best one? No worries, we’ve added the ability for you to review and choose between all the suggested drafts. So, whether you need a little help to get started or a lot of help to make sure you have the best message, Copilot has you covered.

New Outlook for Windows showing the new drafting with Copilot experience

What is new and coming to the new Outlook for Windows

The new Outlook for Windows is a reimagined experience designed to be more agile and innovative. With faster feature deployment and availability, it brings the latest Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities and delivers a consistent experience across Windows.

As we continue to work on your feedback to bring you the best experience for the new Outlook for Windows, there are some updates we want to share.

Where we are

We reached General Availability for commercial customers this year and are still in opt-in phase with optional policies for organizations that want to move their users into new Outlook. To see all our adoption content please visit https://aka.ms/newOutlookAdoption and continue sending us your feedback at https://aka.ms/newOutlookFeedback to help us prioritize our work.

What to expect

Over the past few years, we have been in an opt-in phase for the new Outlook. As we plan to transition to an opt-out model, some organizations have already begun migrating on their own. We anticipate that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with Microsoft 365 for business plans will begin to be moved into this phase starting in January 2025, and with customers with Microsoft 365 for enterprises licenses following in 2026.

Importantly, there will still be an option to revert to the previous version if needed. In the coming year, we expect more organizations to expand their piloting and planning efforts for the new Outlook. During this phase, we encourage you to file DCRs and submit feedback both within the app and through your account teams.

Graph showing the current state and estimated timelines

What to do next

The new Outlook migration journey has 3 main steps. Pre-migration, migration, and post-migration.

Pre-Migration: During pre-migration, admins and their IT teams should learn as much as they can about the migration - What the migration entails and the implications for their organization. This also involves early migration piloting.
Migration: The migration step is when the migration is executed. Piloting continues and the migration process evolves and becomes more extensive.
Post-Migration: Finally, in post-migration, IT is wrapping up the activities from the second step. They’re also decommissioning the previous experience and learning to improve subsequent migrations.

Graph showing the migration stages for the new Outlook for Windows

Plan your migration

Review the migration kit - https://aka.ms/newOutlookAdoption

Admin control options - https://aka.ms/newOutlookControlRelease

Learn about policy management - Policy Management - Deploy Office

Prepare to manage updates and set up early adopters on Targeted Release

Transition from COM to web add-ins - Migrate from COM to web add-ins and review a list of available web add-ins.

We hope all these updates help you be more productive, save time, and plan your migration to the next phase.

Please, keep sending us your feedback – It really helps us focus our work.

Thanks!

Join us as Ignite 2024 to learn more about Microsoft Outlook

Gabriel_Valdez — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 18:03:42 GMT

It’s that time of the year again! Whether you will be joining us in person or online for one session or the entire event on November 19-21, we want to welcome you and share a bit of what you can expect.

Ignite brings together experts, innovators, and community members to share insights, best practices, and solutions for the digital age. Whether you are a business leader, an IT professional, or an end user, you will find something valuable and relevant for your role and industry.

Outlook will be part of several sessions with updates on new Outlook for Windows and all the new Copilot features coming this year.

Are you looking for ways and tips to boost your productivity at work? Do you want to learn the latest and stay on top of all the new updates to Microsoft Outlook, including Copilot in Outlook features?

If so, you don't want to miss the Ignite sessions that cover these topics and more!

In this blog post, we will highlight the sessions that focus on Outlook across mail, calendar, and Copilot and how they can help you boost your productivity and performance. You can also check out the full list of sessions here and register to the event for free here.

Unlock the Value of Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio

In this general session led by Nicole Herskowitz, Corporate Vice President - Productivity and collaboration apps – You will be able to see how customers are harnessing the full potential of Copilot in real-world examples and discover how new agentic capabilities are transforming productivity and reimagining business processes.

Boost productivity with Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps

In this breakout session led by Derek Snyder, Sr. Director Microsoft 365 apps, and Howard Crow, Partner Program Manager Planner, you will see examples of how to leverage Copilot to organize information, manage projects, and create work-specific content in Microsoft apps like Word, PowerPoint, Planner, Outlook, and OneNote.

A new AI-powered calendar for a flexible workplace

In this pre-recorded session Mark Grimaldi, Principal Product Manager for Outlook, will show you how Copilot can help you reimagine how and where you work across Teams, Outlook, and Places. Discover how the latest innovations across the apps come together to increase coordination, enhance collaboration, and optimize spaces in the workplace of the future.

What’s next with the new Outlook for Windows

In this pre-recorded session, Caitlin Hart, Principal Group Product Manager for Outlook and Margie Clinton, Partner Group Product Manager will dive into the latest updates on timelines and efforts to help organizations migrate to the new Outlook. Explore the latest roadmap for new Outlook, including how we are bringing the best of the classic app into a modern and agile architecture.

I hope you are excited to join us at Ignite 2024 and learn more about Outlook, Copilot, and the Microsoft 365 apps. Don't forget to register for the event and add the sessions you are interested into your backpack. We look forward to seeing you online or in-person, hearing your feedback, and answering your questions. See you at Ignite!

Thanks!

Gabriel.

Changes to file open behavior for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on Outlook iOS and Android

samersaw — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 20:18:09 GMT

We are making a change to default file open operations that take place on Android and iOS devices when users open Word, Excel, PowerPoint files from Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams.

Customers have let us know that there is uncertainty about how files should be opened considering that the Microsoft 365 mobile app has the built-in ability to open and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. To address that feedback, we plan to standardize the file open behaviors across the Outlook, OneDrive and Teams mobile app experiences to behave in the following way:

Configuration	Previous/Current Behavior	Planned Behavior
Users have both Microsoft 365 app and standalone Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps installed	Microsoft 365 app would typically handle file opens	Standalone Word, Excel, PowerPoint will handle their respective file open actions
Users have the Microsoft 365 app installed but not the standalone Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps.	Microsoft 365 app handles file open	Microsoft 365 app handles file open
Users don’t have Microsoft 365 app or the standalone Word, Excel, PowerPoint apps installed	Users directed to the App Store / Google Play to download Microsoft 365	Users directed to the App Store / Google Play to download standalone Word, Excel, PowerPoint app

Why This Change?

Our goal is to improve predictability for how files get opened when starting from our key “hub” experiences on mobile devices (OneDrive, Outlook, Teams) – the standalone Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps if installed will essentially be favored to handle file open operations. For customers who want to open more than one Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file at once, the standalone apps can better handle side by side and windowing scenarios that modern tablet and mobile operating systems support.

If you are a commercial customer and want your employees to use only the combined Microsoft 365 app – you can implement MDM policy to restrict install of the standalone apps on your managed mobile devices and in this way your users will be launching the Microsoft 365 app for file open actions.

Timelines for this change

As of October, 2024 we are offering this guidance for when you will start to see these changes:

OneDrive iOS and Android – changes are already in place
Outlook iOS and Android – rolling out in October through November
Teams iOS and Android – timing is being finalized

We Value Your Feedback

Your feedback is crucial to us. We are committed to continuously improving your experience with the Microsoft 365 suite of products. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.

Thank you for being a valued Microsoft customer. We look forward to bringing you more updates and enhancements in the future.

Outlook Lite: Empowering over 10 million devices

Pradeep_Elavarasan — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:45:37 GMT

Two years ago, we launched Outlook Lite with a simple hope: to help people with lightweight phones get the most out of their day through easier email and calendar access. Since then, we have been overwhelmed by the growing love and support from our users. Just last year, we celebrated the milestone of 5 million downloads. Now, in less than a year, we are thrilled to announce that Outlook Lite has already surpassed 10 million downloads, bringing its benefits to even more users across the globe.

Outlook Lite was made to empower individuals, schools, universities, and small businesses with a solution for their lightweight mobile devices. Outlook Lite brings the main features of Microsoft Outlook in a smaller-sized app with fast performance for lightweight devices on any network.

Over the past year, we've been hard at work enhancing Outlook Lite with features we know you'll love. Few key enhancements include:

Multi-account support, allowing you to manage multiple email accounts in one place.
Seamless Gmail account integration, making it easier to access and manage your Gmail accounts.
SMS support, which brings the convenience of both email and SMS into a single app, streamlining your communication experience.

Alongside these key updates, we've made numerous other improvements to enhance the app's overall performance and user experience. Every download and piece of feedback you've shared has been incredibly important to us, driving us to ensure each update is better than the last. Please continue to share your thoughts; your input is invaluable as we grow and improve.

It's incredible to see how many of you have embraced Outlook Lite as part of your daily routine. With over 10 million downloads, we feel an even greater responsibility to help you stay connected, stay organized, and accomplish your tasks. We are deeply grateful for the trust you've placed in us.

If you haven’t experienced Outlook Lite yet, now is the perfect time to give it a try. Download Outlook Lite from the Play Store today and see how it can make a difference in your daily life.

Accessibility and Usability Improvements in the new Outlook for Windows

Jayla_Williams — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 20:24:48 GMT

The new Outlook for Windows brings the latest features, intelligent assisted capabilities, and a new modern and simplified design to your Outlook app. You can tailor it to your style and do more with new Outlook for Windows. With accessibility and usability enhancements, Microsoft remains committed to providing the efficiency, productivity, and familiarity that all users can expect from Outlook to accomplish their daily workflows.

To give context, new Outlook for Windows is the future of Mail, Calendar, and People on Windows. New Windows 11 devices will be shipped with new Outlook for Windows as the default mailbox application spans across free access for personal accounts and subscription for personal, work, and school accounts.

Microsoft is ending support for the Mail and Calendar apps at the end of 2024, and offering new Outlook as the default email and calendar service offered on Windows.
While new Outlook is generally available for both personal and commercial use, classic Outlook is still available. Learn more about the multi-year migration timeline.

With the expansion of new Outlook features, we have integrated the Immersive Reader which lets users listen to their emails and modify text settings for improved readability. We provide a Dictation feature, enabling speech-to-text email drafting. Users can also enlarge email content and adjust the themes to fit their viewing preferences. Along with these features, we offer the Accessibility Checker to identify any accessibility issues within your drafted email to help users create content that is accessible to others.

We continue to listen to feedback from the community and make enhancements based on the feedback. We are especially prioritizing top usability and accessibility feature requests to support based on what users expect from the Mail and Calendar apps.

Recently added keyboard shortcuts

The new Outlook for Windows offers an extensive choice of shortcuts including those users expect in classic Outlook for Windows and in Outlook on the web. Users can utilize the F6 key to quickly jump between regions of the app, the Esc key to close windows, and more. The full list of the keyboard shortcuts offered in new Outlook can be found by either going to Keyboard Shortcuts for Outlook on Microsoft Support, navigating to Settings > General > Accessibility, or pressing the ‘?’ key within the application.

The Outlook team has implemented many keyboarding shortcuts to make common tasks that users do in email such as reviewing the list of messages, reading a mail, writing a mail, or switching folders easier and more efficient.

Added Ctrl+Y shortcut

Users can now press the familiar ‘Ctrl+Y’ keyboard shortcut to jump to folders. This keyboard combination allows users to easily switch folders by typing in a single or multiple alphanumeric keystrokes to bring focus to the name of the folder that aligns with the order of keys that were pressed.

Added Tab efficiency

Navigating a message in the reading pane is now much faster. Previously, each time users pressed the ‘Tab’ key, focus would go to every button and link within the reading pane. Now, users can navigate the grouped elements by pressing the arrow keys and simply use the ‘Tab’ key to jump focus to different parts of the message.

Added Alt shortcut

Users can now use the ‘Alt’ shortcut to invoke the Ribbon key tips. This feature was originally offered through the ‘Alt + Windows’ key combination, but we added the single key ‘Alt’ shortcut after listening to feedback that the keyboard combination was not easily discoverable.

An elevated screen reader experience

In addition to implementing keyboard shortcuts for screen reader users to efficiently navigate the new Outlook for Windows, we are also working with assistive technology providers such as Narrator, JAWS and NVDA to create a more seamless reading experience.

When opening an email to read, JAWS and NVDA now start automatically reading the whole message body aloud. Along with focusing the message body after opening an email, we have also enhanced the focus states following other commands. For example, after launching new Outlook or completing a search, the default focus is directly on the first item in the message list instead of the entire message list region. Additionally, after invoking the ‘skip to’ links that are located at the start of the window when using keyboard navigation, focus goes directly to the message or message list item. These improvements minimize keyboard navigation so that screen reader users already have focus on the most valuable information.

To optimize the screen reader experience in the new Outlook, it is recommended to turn off the reading pane and set the conversation view to “Show each message separately.” For more tips, visit basic tasks using a screen reader with email in Outlook on Microsoft Support.

Upcoming keyboarding and screen reader enhancements

While we have already added more keyboard and screen reader capabilities in the new Outlook that will meet the needs of the habitual workflows in the Windows Mail and Calendar applications, we are continuing to develop more features that will roll out in the coming months.

In the Calendar module, the ability to navigate the timeslots within the calendar grid by using arrow keys is rolling out in October 2024. Work is underway to enable keyboard arrowing between Ribbon tabs and their contents, and to add support for automatically reading the message body with the Narrator screen reader tool, like JAWS and NVDA. We strive to have parity across our screen reader partners so that users have similar experiences regardless of their preferred platform.

We will continue making more improvements to the usability of the new Outlook with keyboarding, screen reader, magnification, and other assistive technologies. Please continue to share feedback with us by going to the Help tab in the Outlook ribbon, selecting Feedback, and mention "accessibility in the new Outlook" in the description box along with your comments.

If you have questions or feedback on Accessibility at Microsoft, let us know at the Disability Answer Desk or try out the new Bing AI-powered Ask Microsoft Accessibility tool.

New Outlook for Windows: a guide for Executive Assistants and Delegates – part 3

Ashimam — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 00:09:26 GMT

This blog captures some mail tips to help executive assistants and delegates better navigate mailbox management in the new Outlook.

1. Mail filters and rules for executive admins

In the new Outlook, you can use the ‘has calendar invites’ email filter to easily find meeting invites.

You can also set up an ‘Email received for others’ rule for your executive’s account and automatically move it to a separate folder and categorize it as you like.

2. Drag and drop emails to create tasks

Effortlessly stay on top of things by dragging emails to My Day to turn them into tasks.

3. Pin emails for quick access

You can now pin an email to appear at the top of your inbox, saving you time from having to go back and search for it. Hover or right-click on the email and select ‘Pin’ to pin it.

4. Schedule when to send email

In today’s hybrid work world, your day might be someone else’s night, so you don’t want to send an email to someone in the middle of the night. With the new Outlook, it’s simple to send an email when you want to. Just select the dropdown arrow next to Send and choose Schedule send.

5. Snooze email

Sometimes an email is very important, but not yet. With the Snooze feature, you can schedule a time for the email to be re-delivered to your inbox, appearing at the time you want it to, so you can handle it when it’s the right time for you. Right-click any message and choose Snooze or select Snooze from the ribbon. Then choose the time you want it to be delivered.

Share feedback

We encourage you to try new Outlook and share your feedback. You can submit feedback on the new Outlook experience from Help > Feedback. Please mention – “I am an EA” Or “I am a delegate” when adding comments.

To stay updated with the latest features in new Outlook, follow the roadmap.

This guide will also be published as a support article that will be linked here once available.

New Outlook for Windows: a guide for Executive Assistants and Delegates – part 2

Ashimam — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 20:30:16 GMT

This blog captures some calendar tips to help executive assistants and delegates better navigate their time management needs in the new Outlook.

1. Find time and request in-person event

When scheduling a meeting, click on ‘Find a time’ to easily find suitable time slots on the attendee’s calendars. You can view availability by hovering on the attendee icon. You can also request in-person attendance by turning on the ‘In-person event’ toggle on. You can still add a Teams meeting link for attendees who may not be able to join in person.

2. Use Scheduling Assistant

Use the scheduling assistant to easily find time for meetings. In the new Outlook, you can view the attendee time zones and schedule labels in the Scheduling Assistant. Note that attendee time zones are shown only if at least one attendee is in a different time.

3. Automatic online meetings

In the new Outlook, all meetings are online by default. The Teams meeting toggle is turned on when you add attendees to a meeting. Unlike classic Outlook, the Teams meeting link and details are added after the invite is sent. You can then view the meeting invite to see and copy the Teams meeting details. We are working to update this behavior and pre-create meeting links so you will see the experience match classic Outlook in future.

Note – you can update every meeting online setting from Settings> Calendar > Events and invitations and enable or disable ‘Add online meeting to all meetings’.
If you are using 3^rd party online meeting providers like Zoom or Cisco WebEx, you will also see those as meeting provider options in this setting, provided you have their web add-in installed. Learn more every meeting online here.

4. Hide attendee list

You can now choose to hide the attendee list from being visible to users who receive the meeting invite. When creating a new meeting, select ‘Response options’ and click on ‘Hide attendee list’

5. Attendees can add rooms

In the new Outlook, attendees can add rooms by forwarding the meeting invite to the relevant rooms. The meeting room will then be visible to all attendees.

6. Edit events in a series

The new Outlook for Windows has the following options for editing a meeting series –

This event – this will only update the selected instance of the meeting series.
This and all following events – this will only make changes to the selected and following instances of the meeting series and the older meeting instances will not be changed. This option does not exist in classic Outlook for Windows.
All events in the series – this will update all events in the meeting series.

7. Duplicate a meeting

Right click on an event in the calendar surface and select ‘Duplicate event’ to it. You can also do this from the meeting form ribbon.

8. Add multiple Time Zones in calendar

Easily manage meetings across different time zones in new Outlook. New Outlook allows you to add up to 20 time zones in the calendar, whereas classic Outlook allows adding only 3 time zones.

9. Use executive’s categories in calendar

Right click on an event in the calendar view and click ‘Categorize’ to apply executive’s categories. We plan to allow executive admins to manage executive’s categories in future.

10. Receive shared calendar notifications

In the new Outlook, users can opt to receive notifications on changes to events in the shared calendar. This capability is extended to both the executive and executive assistant/delegate. You can select the calendars you want to opt in for notifications from Settings> Calendar > Shared Calendars> Calendar updates.

11. ‘Don’t send response’ RSVP tracked

In classic Outlook, if the user chooses 'Do not send response' while RSVPing, the organizer will not be able to track that individual RSVP.

However, in the new Outlook, if the user unchecks 'Email organizer' while RSVPing, even though there will not be a visible response email sent to the organizer, the organizer will still be able track that RSVP as long as the organizer and the RSVPing attendee are in the same M365 tenant (or organization).
We plan to support tracking across different tenants in future.

12. Preserve declined meetings on the calendar and RSVP’d meetings in inbox

Preserve declined meetings on the calendar so that you can still be aware of it and update RSVP later if needed. This can be enabled by selecting Settings > Calendar > Events and invitations and clicking the ‘Save declined events’ checkbox.

Meetings that have been RSVP’d to, can also be retained in the inbox so that you can easily find them later. This can be done from Settings> Calendar > Events and invitations > Invitations from other people and selecting the ‘Delete invitations from inbox after responding’.

These settings will have to be enabled on the executive’s for them to be respected in the delegate calendar and inbox folder respectively.

13. Decline but follow a meeting

The new ‘RSVP option allows you to decline a meeting but still have access to the meeting chat, meeting recording and meeting notes. This is a great way to stay informed about discussions that you or your executives are unable to join.

This feature is rolling out so some users may not see it yet.

Share feedback

To stay updated with the latest features in new Outlook, follow the roadmap.

This guide will also be published as a support article that will be linked here once available.

New Outlook for Windows: A guide for Executive Assistants and Delegates – part 1

Ashimam — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 16:32:40 GMT

The new Outlook for Windows brings a new, powerful email experience that can help executive administrators and delegates become more productive in their everyday work. This blog captures some tips to help delegates get started in the new Outlook.

1. Toggling into new Outlook

If your organization has enabled access to new Outlook, you will see a ‘Try the new Outlook’ toggle on the top right of your classic Outlook app. Turn this toggle on to try the new Outlook experience. You can toggle off to classic Outlook any time. Learn more about getting started in the new Outlook here.

We recommend that you select the option to ‘Import Settings’ from classic Outlook to make the new Outlook experience more familiar. You can learn more about the settings that are imported, here.

Note: You can use classic Outlook and new Outlook side-by-side by toggling off and launching both apps independently.

2. Customize the Outlook ribbon

In the new Outlook, simplified ribbon is enabled by default to offer a clean and simple experience. However, if you prefer the classic Outlook ribbon layout, you can change it from the ribbon drop down and select ‘classic ribbon’.

3. Manage your settings

You can navigate to the new Outlook Settings from the gear icon in the upper right corner. Changes you make to settings in the new Outlook for Windows will also be reflected in Outlook on the web.

4. View shared calendars

We sometimes hear feedback that shared/delegate calendars are missing in new Outlook because these are not visible by default.
To view shared calendars, click ‘Show all’ in the calendar list and view shared calendars under "People’s calendars". Then, select the calendar you are interested in and then select ‘split view’ in the ribbon to view multiple calendars side by side.

We plan to automatically select the same calendars and view, including shared calendars, when users switch to new Outlook.

5. Add new shared/ delegate calendars

You can add a new shared/ delegate calendar either from the email you receive to manage the invite, or directly from the calendar.

To add directly from your calendar, click on ‘Add calendar’. Then choose ‘Add from directory’ and select the executive or team member whose calendar you would like to add.
Tip – you can add any team member’s calendar and see their default calendar sharing details (for most organizations, this is usually free/busy sharing).

6. Add and view shared/ delegate mailboxes and folders

To add shared or delegate mailboxes and folders, click on the three dots next to the ‘shared with me’ folder under your account and select ‘Add shared folder or mailbox’. Then select the shared/ delegate account you want to add. You can then view the shared mailbox or folders under ‘shared with me’

Share feedback

We encourage you to try the new Outlook and share your feedback. You can submit feedback on the new Outlook experience from Help > Feedback
Please mention – “I am an EA” Or “I am a delegate” when adding comments.

To stay updated with the latest features in new Outlook, follow the roadmap.

This guide will also be published as a support article that will be linked here once available.

Thanks!

Built for today, designed for the future - The new Outlook for Windows is ready when you are

margieclinton — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 22:05:42 GMT

Editor's note 8/15/24 - Updated "New Outlook Availability Timeline" image (image 1)
Editor's note 8/8/24 - An update was made in Key Updates to clarify the support timeline for classic Outlook in subscription licenses.

We are excited to announce the new Outlook for Windows is now generally available for commercial customers and will now receive full support from Microsoft's support channels, including Assisted Support! The new Outlook for Windows combines rich productivity features and the latest innovations: Enjoy a familiar, more productive, and seamless way to work.

The evolution of the new Outlook for Windows is a collaborative effort, shaped by the voices, experiences, and feedback of tens of millions of people who use it across work and personal accounts. In May 2022, we introduced the preview of the new Outlook for Windows, embarking on a mission to deliver the best email experience for our modern needs. By September 2023, it was made generally available for personal accounts.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback. We are excited to reach this milestone and look forward to your ongoing feedback to make the new Outlook the best email experience for you and your organization.

With this update, we are not changing any settings for you or your organization. New Outlook is still an opt-in experience, so it’s ready for you when you are. See our migration timeline to help with your planning.

Image shows the next milestones and phases for the new Outlook

Enjoy a familiar, more productive, and seamless way to work

Built for today and designed for the future, the new Outlook for Windows combines rich productivity features and the latest innovations like Microsoft Copilot, to help users draft emails, summarize conversations, and receive coaching to more effectively get their messages across. Customers are already embracing these new tools, where we continue to see growing usage.

Designed to be familiar and reliable
We’ve taken the familiarity and reliability of classic Outlook and improved it with a modern architecture that reduces device-resource consumption and drastically shortens the time required to deliver fixes and new capabilities to just weeks. This helps you spend less time resolving issues thanks to automatic updates that apply as soon as Outlook is opened.

Video showing the new Outlook for Windows design and features

Built for innovation to help you achieve more
With innovation at its core and the integration of new AI features like Copilot, the new Outlook empowers you to get more done and effortlessly stay on top of things.

Features like suggested text and suggested replies help you deal with emails faster while the most up-to-date Copilot capabilities can assist with writing better emails, breaking writer’s block, and summarizing your emails so you can go through your inbox faster.

Ask Copilot to draft an email or summarize recent emails

Effortlessly stay on top of things by dragging emails to My Day to turn them into tasks, pinning a message so it stays at the top of your inbox, and RSVPing to a meeting invite with “Follow” when you can’t attend but want to stay in the loop. You can also keep your inbox free of clutter by automating how Outlook triages messages using Sweep and rules.

From the meeting invite, select Follow to stay updated on any outcomes

Improvements to make your work seamless
We’ve taken the familiarity and reliability of classic Outlook and reimagined it with modern enhancements to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, Loop, OneDrive, and other Microsoft 365 products.

Reduce back and forth emails, document version tracking, and context switching with real-time collaboration using Microsoft Loop which syncs the content across apps like Outlook and Teams. Start a Loop component in the new Outlook, share it through email or Teams and content is updated in real time.

Image showing how several people can collaborate in real time with new Outlook and Loop

Search and attach files from OneDrive without switching apps just by typing “/” to see suggested files and files you recently worked on.

Type / when composing a message in the new Outlook to see suggested files

In the new Outlook, planning to work remotely or in the office is a little easier. You can set up your working hours and location, so your colleagues know when and where you plan to work and when they set theirs, you can see which teammates plan to be in the office to connect and collaborate with your team.

Outlook helps you plan when to be in the office to connect and collaborate with your team

Getting users ready

There are plenty of new features in the new Outlook. Below is a list of useful resources to explore and learn more.

Get started with the new Outlook
Here are 3 options to start using the new Outlook –
- Turn on Try the new Outlook toggle in the classic Outlook app. This option is available with the desktop version of Outlook for Microsoft 365.
- Download the new Outlook from the Microsoft Store.
- Use the pre-installed version of new Outlook on new devices running Windows 11 PC version 23H2, or when you upgrade to Windows 11 version 23H2 or later. Learn what this means.
If your account doesn’t show up automatically, you can add an email account.
Watch our short instructional videos to learn more about the newest features
Learn more about Copilot in Outlook
Explore the differences between classic and new Outlook for Windows

Benefits for organizations

Whether you're someone who needs to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate effectively, or an IT manager in an organization who wants to optimize costs and performance, the new Outlook has something for you.

Financial benefits of deploying the new Outlook for Windows
A 2024 commissioned Total Economic Impact™ study conducted by Forrester Consulting, part of an independent third-party research firm, determined that operating the new Outlook is more cost effective than classic Outlook; surveyed customers expect the new Outlook to reduce support tickets up to 65%, and reduce energy and storage costs by 27%. The study also found time invested in policy management by up to 60% for the composite organization based on interviewed customers.

“[New Outlook creates] significant time savings that can be repurposed for other work, [allowing us] to do more strategic thinking.”
-Director of infrastructure and application management, consumer goods

Over three years, the projected benefits exceed the costs of implementation by up to 3 times.

For more information on benefits and costs please see the links below:

o New Outlook adoption site

o Download the infographic with key details on the financial benefits of the new Outlook

o Download the full study

You can also create a customized financial benefits report for your own organization in this interactive site.

Faster deployment of features and fixes
The new Outlook consumes less device resources and uses a shared code, common architecture and service to accelerate innovation, deployment, and bug fixes down to a few weeks. Additionally, deployment happens simultaneously across Windows and web keeping users up to date and on the most secure builds automatically.

Consistent behavior
One experience across Windows in desktop and web reduces support calls, policy management, and training costs - To estimate the financial benefits of the new Outlook in your organization, you can customize this interactive study to your organization, download the full report, or read the highlights in this infographic.

For more information on getting your organization ready for the new Outlook for Windows, please see the new Outlook adoption site for an outline of benefits, download the migration kit, read the latest FAQ, and much more. A list of available resources can be found here.

Getting organizations ready

Key updates:

There are no configuration changes for any organization at this time. This announcement is not an advance-notice of any significant changes for the next milestone. Rest assured, any controls or blocks your organization has enabled will continue to be honored. For more information about controlling the release see https://aka.ms/newOutlookControlRelease
The new Outlook for Windows will now receive full support from Microsoft’s support channels, including Assisted Support.
The app name for the classic Outlook for Windows will be appended with “(classic)” starting from version 2407.
Existing installations of classic Outlook through perpetual and subscription licensing will continue to be supported until at least 2029. For more information about the availability of classic Outlook for Windows, see https://aka.ms/newOutlookTimeline
New features will debut in the Targeted Release ring and remain there for 30 days before going into General Availability release (Standard Release). If users are already part of Targeted Release, new Outlook will honor that. For more information on how updates for new Outlook work, please read this support article.
For migration resources, FAQs, and sample templates to help with migration planning, review the migration kit found here: https://aka.ms/newOutlookAdoption
For a helpful list of all resources and documentation, see https://aka.ms/newOutlookResources

This GA milestone will enable more organizations to start their migration process. We will continue to make feature improvements and monitor feedback, so continue to try the new experience and let us know what you want to see next!

You can find the feedback option under the Help tab in the ribbon.

We are excited to be in this journey with you.

Thanks!

Margie

*Microsoft Copilot features require a Copilot license – Learn more here.

Improvements to Contacts in Outlook for Mac

jerper — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:23:36 GMT

We’re thrilled to share some long-awaited improvements to contacts in the Outlook for Mac. Keep reading to learn about our Large Profile Card including Org Chart and Files (available on 16.86.609.0), Better search for contacts and the global address list (GAL) (available on 16.86.609.0), and Support for Contact Lists (available on 16.82.211.0)!

New Large Profile Card with Org Chart and Files

Head over to contacts and check out our new large profile card (Learn more). More than just a visual upgrade, the new profile card makes it easier to initiate communication and copy contact information.

For organizations, you’ll also find the “Organization” tab, another way to navigate and find people in your organization! We have also added Files (not shown) to help you find recent files you have collaborated on.

Better search for contacts and global address list

If you're like us, you probably use your email and calendar apps to communicate with people from all over the world. For large organizations it can be challenging to address emails and events to large groups on the fly.

With the latest update, you can remain in-flow while using a more robust search UI for adding recipients to mail and events. Simply tap the address book icon on the To line and access the new ‘add recipients’ experience.

From there, you can optionally select the account you want to search (if you have multiple accounts connected) and use the search box to find the profiles of the people you want to contact.

You can also view their contact info and org chart when available, so you can learn more about them and their role. And of course, you can easily add and remove contacts as you compose your message or event invitation.

Support for Contact Lists

Another long-awaited feature in the Outlook for Mac are Contact Lists, also known as Personal Distribution Lists (PDLs).

What Are Contact Lists?
Contact Lists are an intuitive solution for managing large lists of email addresses. These lists simplify the process of sending emails to multiple recipients, saving you valuable time and energy. Contact Lists are available for M365 and Outlook.com account types, and they will sync across your devices.

Creating and Managing Your Contact Lists
Creating a Contact List in the Outlook for Mac is a breeze. Navigate to the People module, hover over the 'New contact' primary button, and choose 'New contact list'. Name your list, add the desired contacts, and hit Save. It’s that simple.

For those switching from the legacy Mac app, you can migrate your Contact Lists into the new experience and find them under the “On my computer” tree in People module.

Use your Contact Lists when addressing mail or events.

More coming soon!

We are working to add an Org chart explorer accessible via the left rail. No date to share on when it will roll out, but it is in active development.

These features are part of our ongoing effort to improve your contacts experience in Outlook. We hope to continue to add new features regularly, based on your feedback and suggestions.

Stay tuned for more updates and let us know what you think of the new Contacts features above!

Copilot is now available in classic Outlook for Windows

Gabriel_Valdez — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 23:24:53 GMT

Editor's note 9/18/24 - Added a note at the end to specify that in order for Copilot to work in classic Outlook, the user needs a Copilot license and the Autodiscover V2 service.

Last Ignite we showed our plans for Copilot in Outlook and how the new Outlook for Windows would get the most recent features first.

We also know that our customers still rely on the classic version of Outlook for a lot of their work and to improve their Copilot experience we have been rolling out Copilot features into classic Outlook over the last few months.

For future Copilot features, we will continue to release first in the new Outlook for Windows and web, with Mac and mobile fast following, and classic releasing between 3 and 12 months after the first roll out.

Copilot in classic Outlook for Windows is already available for most customers in Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel.

Available features include:

Summarize by Copilot Imagine sending an email, taking a short break and coming back to a very active thread with multiple replies. You could scroll back to the first response and start reading or Copilot can quickly summarize the thread for you, so you can catch up on what happened in with a few bullet points in minutes. Copilot even points out where it got the information so you can get more details if needed. To access summarize, select the “Summarize” button on the top right of the reading pane after you open a message. This feature is available in build 16.0.17028.10000 in Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel.

Summarize in classic Outlook for Windows

Coaching by Copilot An additional set of eyes on an important email you are writing can help you make sure you are communicating the right ideas. When busy schedules and due dates mix up, coaching by Copilot can be that set of extra eyes and provide suggestions to help you communicate your ideas with the right tone, clarity, and make sure the reader sentiment is the intended. To get coaching, once you have drafted a message, select the Copilot icon in the ribbon and then “Coaching by Copilot”. Available in build 16.0.17231.20182 in Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel.

Coaching by Copilot in classic Outlook for Windows

Draft with Copilot helps you easily draft emails starting from a prompt. To start a draft, select “New Email” or reply to a message, then select the Copilot icon in the ribbon, and choose “Draft with Copilot” – When you enter the prompt you can also adjust the length and tone before it is drafted. Draft with Copilot is available in build 16.0.17425.20174 in Current Channel and Monthly Enterprise Channel.

Tone and length can be adjusted when drafting with Copilot

Once the message is drafted, you can also adjust it with further instructions to Copilot.

Starting in June, Copilot for Microsoft 365 chat experience (Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 388753) is coming to classic Outlook for Windows. Copilot in Outlook allows you to draft emails, ask questions, summarize multiple email conversations, and connect across your enterprise data including chats, documents, meetings, and emails without leaving Outlook. This feature will start rolling out for classic Outlook for Windows in June for Current Channel and August for Monthly Enterprise Channel, when it’s rolled out it will be pinned by default on the left app bar.

Copilot can be accessed in classic Outlook on the left app bar

Copilot in Outlook requires a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license. and the Autodiscover V2 service. Instructions on how to enable the service can be found at Actionable messages render incorrectly - Outlook | Microsoft Learn

We understand that classic Outlook is an important tool for many people, and we hope to bring more Copilot features into classic Outlook. While each platform has its own dev time, we expect that key Copilot features that come to new Outlook for Windows, web, mobile, and Mac will also come to classic Outlook within a reasonable follow-up timeline depending on the feature.

We always enjoy reading your feedback and comments, please leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks!

Keeping our Outlook Personal Email Users Safe: Reinforcing Our Commitment to Security

DavidLos — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:45:32 GMT

At Microsoft, our aim is to provide a modern and secure email experience for our users, leveraging the latest technologies to enhance functionality and ease of use. When it comes to Outlook, we want to ensure our customers' emails, documents, calendar, and contacts are safeguarded from unauthorized access, tampering or loss. Today, we're announcing changes to Outlook for personal use to enhance the security of our consumer customers. These changes are aligned to the Microsoft Secure Future Initiative (SFI). They are:

The deprecation of Basic Authentication for Outlook personal email accounts effective September 16, 2024
A reminder of end of support for the Mail & Calendar apps by the end of 2024
And the deprecation of light version of Outlook web application effective August 19, 2024

Starting September 16^th, Microsoft personal email account users (e.g. Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com) will need to move to Modern Authentication methods in their email application. These will be necessary for all Outlook users.

To help keep Outlook personal email accounts secure, starting September 16, 2024, Microsoft will no longer support Basic Auth, the method in which a person provides only their username and password to sign into their account. As of September 16, 2024, Outlook will require that all those with a Microsoft email account use a mail or calendar app or the Outlook.com website which supports modern auth, such as the latest versions of Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird.

While Basic Auth was the standard for quite some time, it also made it easier for bad actors to capture a person’s login information. This increased the risk of those stolen credentials being reused to gain access to a person’s email or personal data. Email-based cyberattacks have only increased with time, so we are requiring modern authentication for all Outlook customers to better help protect their personal accounts.

With Modern Authentication methods we apply additional backend process/tokens that users may not notice that add an extra layer of security. Anyone who is attempting to use an application which does not support modern authentication will no longer be able to access their Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live.com email from those applications.

Here are the steps Outlook users can take to better secure their personal email accounts today:

The easiest way to make sure you are ready and using modern authentication is to download one of the free Outlook apps for iOS, Android, Outlook for Mac, or Outlook for Windows. People can also purchase a new Outlook license or use the Outlook that is included in your Microsoft 365 subscription. People who use Outlook 2021 (build 11601.10000 or higher) are also not affected. People can also purchase a new Outlook license or use the Outlook that is included in your Microsoft 365 subscription. People who use Outlook 2021 (build 11601.10000 or higher) are also not affected.

Additional Details can be found here.

An example of a Modern Authentication sign in. Designed to give the user extra protection and keep them safe.

Windows Mail and Calendar apps will move out of support in 2024

Last year we launched a new version of the Outlook for Windows application, which brings Outlook to everyone on Windows – for free. We’ve seen millions of people move into the new Outlook for Windows since our launch, putting it on par for consumer usage with our classic Outlook for Windows app - in a much shorter time. Most people who were using Mail and Calendar have migrated to Outlook for Windows.

With the evolving cyberthreat landscape and our commitment to providing the most secure email experience to our customers, we want to remind people that the Mail and Calendar apps will no longer be supported or available in the Microsoft Store by the end of 2024.

Outlook for Windows is for everyone – regardless of what email service you use. There is no subscription needed for personal email accounts to use Outlook for Windows and it provides a multitude of features that Mail and Calendar doesn’t include, such as rich message editing, the ability to use Copilot, and reminding you of important conversations. Outlook for Windows also supports Modern Authentication. We are also working on new features in the coming months that will improve Junk Mail filtering and help users better protect themselves from malicious mail.

We encourage all remaining users of the Mail and Calendar apps on Windows to move to Outlook for Windows as soon as possible.

The light Version of the Outlook Web App will no longer be supported after August 19, 2024

We understand accessing your Outlook.com account from anywhere is important. Many customers access Outlook.com from web browsers. While most customers access their personal email accounts through modern and current browsers, we were offering a lightweight version of the Outlook web app that was supported by older browsers. As we accelerate our security efforts to help better protect our customers, we are retiring the light version of the Outlook web app. This means that after 2024 customers will need to run the latest versions of a supported browser to run Outlook.com.

Browser Minimum requirements to run Outlook.com:

Microsoft Edge (version 79 or later)
Chrome (version 79 or later)
Firefox (78 or later)
Safari (version 16 or later)
Opera (76 or later)

Operating System Minimum Requirements:

Windows OS: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, or Windows Server 2016
macOS: macOS Sonoma, macOS Ventura, and macOS Monterey
Linux: Outlook.com works in both Firefox and Chrome on Linux

Additional Outlook Feature Retirements

In addition to the above, we are retiring the following Outlook features:

The ability for people to access their Gmail accounts in Outlook.com via the left rail as of June 30, 2024. Users on Windows should use Outlook for Windows, which will enable them to use their Gmail accounts seamlessly. Outlook users on Mac can use Outlook for Mac.
Last, due to our deprecation of Cortana, all services that depended on it are also being deprecated. For Outlook mobile users that means that Play My Emails and Voice Search will be deprecated at the end of June, 2024. For those affected by this, we ask them to use the native mobile OS features that enable voice commands.

We are taking these actions to ensure that we’re able to continue to best serve our customers and to keep their data as safe as possible. These changes will help us continue to do so and better serve the people who depend on Outlook in their daily lives.

Microsoft Outlook introduces SMS on Outlook Lite

Keerthana_AK — Wed, 29 May 2024 23:42:14 GMT

Since its launch in 2022, Outlook Lite has provided a way to enjoy the key features of Outlook in a small download size for low-resource phones. We are continuously looking for ways to meet the communication needs of our core users. Now, we are excited to bring SMS on Outlook Lite to users worldwide. With SMS on Outlook Lite, you can enjoy the convenience and security of sending and receiving SMS messages from your Outlook Lite app. SMS is integrated with your email, calendar, and contacts, so you can stay in touch with your contacts in one app.

SMS on Outlook Lite is now available in the latest version of the app, which you can download from the Google Play Store

How to get started with SMS on Outlook Lite?

Getting started with SMS on Outlook Lite is easy and fast. Just follow these steps:

1. Download Outlook Lite from the Google Play Store (here). If you already have Outlook Lite, make sure you update to the latest version.

2. Open Outlook Lite and click on the bottom tab icon named “SMS”

3. Give required permissions to activate SMS.

4. That's it! You can now send and receive SMS messages from Outlook Lite.

What's next for SMS on Outlook Lite?

We are working on adding more features and improvements to SMS on Outlook Lite, such as:

Tighter integration with Email, Calendar and Contacts
Cloud backup of messages
Enhanced Security features.

We would love to hear your feedback and suggestions on SMS on Outlook Lite. You can contact us through the app, or by leaving a comment on this blog post.

Thank you for using Outlook Lite!

What’s new in Outlook for personal use – May 2024

Ryan_Day — Thu, 09 May 2024 22:01:55 GMT

Over the past few months, the Outlook team has been hard at work continuing our mission to provide people worldwide with a world-class email and calendaring experience. Today we wanted to share the latest innovations from Outlook for personal use. We hope these innovations today and what we build tomorrow continue to help people communicate with confidence and live their best lives.

Here are just a few of the most recent innovations we’ve made available worldwide.

Copilot on Outlook Mobile –

Microsoft Copilot is now available to all Outlook mobile customers who have a Microsoft Copilot Pro subscription, including on their Android and iOS mobile devices. We hope people love the magic of Copilot and the ability to summarize long email threads with ease, create rich and personalized emails from scratch, and to get expert coaching on how to make their email drafts better. Copilot helps you put your ideas into the world anywhere you use Outlook.

1 Copilot in Outlook Mobile on iOS

Copilot on Outlook for Windows

For people who prefer the classic Outlook for Windows experience, we have released Copilot value, specifically Summarize – which enables you to summarize long email threads with a touch of a button. We have also begun to offer coaching by Copilot, which will give you input on emails you create, to ensure you’re hitting the right tone and reader sentiment. In the coming months we plan to also enable draft with Copilot, to help you create great emails from scratch quickly with just a few simple prompts.

2 Copilot Summarize on Classic Outlook for Windows

Showing sender email in junk mail folder

We are constantly looking at ways to help keep our customers safe from bad actors and spammers. In service of this, we started showing sender email addresses in the Junk message list starting in February.

We did this based on common feedback from our customers who scan their Junk folder to check for legitimate mail. Now, when a person goes to their Junk Mail folder, they will see the sender's name, email address, and subject line. This simple change helps people make better decisions on if they should open the mail or delete it instead of having to hover over the sender's name or open the message. This is available currently on outlook.com, the new Outlook for Windows, iOS and Android. It will be available on Mac in May.

3 The full email of senders is now shown on mails in the Junk Folder

4 Showing full sender email addresses in Junk folder on mobile

Warning users before visiting malicious links in Junk Folder

Outlook also recently made changes to the Junk Email experience to help people stay more vigilant and protected as they search for mail that they want to keep and engage with. One change we made was a pop-up message warning users before visiting links in any messages they keep in their Junk Folder. We hope this helps customers truly think about the messages they are opening and ensure they are safe. This is available worldwide on Outlook.com, the new Outlook for Windows, iOS and Android, and Mac.

5 A pop up warning before visiting a link to a website from Junk Folder

IMAP / POP support in the new Outlook for Windows.

Over the past few months, our team has been working hard to ensure that every person with a PC can use the new Outlook on Windows for free. Until now, that has encompassed users with personal Microsoft accounts or accounts from major email providers including Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud. But we also know that a wide variety of users also have IMAP accounts or POP accounts.

Recently, we finalized changes to help make sure that customers who had IMAP accounts can use the new Outlook for Windows. In addition, we are currently rolling out support for POP accounts and anticipate being done with that rollout in the coming weeks.

If you haven’t tried the new Outlook for Windows, learn more here.

As always, we’re extremely grateful to all our Outlook customers and look forward to hearing from them soon!