New Outlook Comes With New Workflows: What Is Still Missing for You?
As a reminder, in March 2027, Enterprise organizations will enter the opt-out stage (Message ID 949965), where New Outlook becomes the default with the option to return to Classic Outlook. That is not too far away, especially if you need time to get your workflows and systems in place. That is why I keep coming back to this: New Outlook comes with new workflows. So I’m curious about where New Outlook workflows still fall short for you. A lot has changed. Users now have mail merge, Quick Parts, Unified Inbox, and partial PST support, with Advanced Mail Merge also on the way. New Outlook also has 30+ features and capabilities that are not available in Classic Outlook. What do you still do in Classic Outlook that you cannot accomplish, or cannot accomplish well, in New Outlook today? And if you tried New Outlook a year or two ago and went back to Classic Outlook, I’d be especially interested in what is still keeping you there now. I’m not looking for “I hate New Outlook.” I already know plenty of people do. I want to know the specific feature or workflow that still matters to you. PS: And be kind to me. I don’t work for Microsoft. I’m an MVP who teaches their products. 😉 traccreations4e-p26 8/26/2026Outlook Meeting Updated, But the Forwarded Attendee Never Received It
Accepted a forwarded Outlook meeting invitation but never received the meeting update when the organizer made changes? This behavior surprises many Outlook users and is often misunderstood. Learn why it happens and how organizers can prevent attendees from missing future updates. https://traccreations4e.com/forwarded-outlook-meetings-dont-receive-meeting-updates/ #traccreations4e 6/23/2026
Aptos preset font size in new installations
Hi, Can anyone confirm what the default Aptos font size in Outlook should be on first use, before any user changes are made to the settings? I’m seeing different default sizes depending on the application: 11 pt — Microsoft 365 Outlook for Windows (Classic) 12 pt — Microsoft 365 Outlook for Windows (New Outlook) 12 pt — Outlook for iOS 12 pt — Outlook for Android Based on the above, it appears that 12 pt may be the current standard default across most Outlook clients, with Classic Outlook for Windows being the exception. However, I haven’t been able to find any definitive Microsoft documentation confirming what the intended default Aptos font size should be. Can anyone confirm whether 12 pt is the official/default size?OWA Rich Link Preview: metadata returns HTTP 200 but preview card is never rendered
I am hoping someone from the Outlook team or anyone familiar with the Outlook on the web Link Preview pipeline can help with a reproducible issue that has already been investigated extensively through Microsoft Support. This is not a request for a new feature. It concerns the existing Rich Link Preview functionality that Microsoft currently documents and exposes through Outlook/Exchange configuration. The problem When a public URL is entered into a new Outlook on the web message, Outlook recognises the URL but displays only the normal blue hyperlink. No title, description, image or Rich Link Preview card is inserted. I have reproduced this using multiple unrelated public URLs, including: Microsoft.com Adobe(dot)com YouTube(dot)com The same behaviour occurs across multiple browsers and private/incognito sessions. Configuration already confirmed Both relevant Exchange settings are enabled: Mailbox LinkPreviewEnabled = True Organisation LinkPreviewEnabled = True The Outlook on the web Preview links in email option is also enabled and messages are composed in HTML. The important technical finding Chrome Developer Tools shows that Outlook correctly detects the URL and calls Microsoft’s own preview service: urlp.asm.skype.com/v1/url/info The request completes successfully with: HTTP 200 OK The service returns valid rich-preview metadata including: Title Description Favicon Thumbnail Large thumbnail For example, the YouTube test returned the correct YouTube title, description and valid thumbnail URLs. However, Outlook then does nothing with that successful response. The observable flow is: URL recognised → Microsoft preview service called → HTTP 200 → complete valid metadata returned → Outlook fails to insert/render the Rich Link Preview Further investigation shows: The returned title is never inserted into the compose DOM. Outlook never subsequently requests the thumbnail URL returned by the preview service. There is no LPNoLP suppression attribute on the hyperlink. The behaviour is reproducible across different URLs and browsers. This appears to place the failure after successful metadata retrieval, at the point where Outlook should instantiate or insert the preview component. Why I am raising this here An active Microsoft Support case already contains HAR traces, PowerShell outputs, screenshots, Developer Tools evidence and controlled reproductions. I have spent months troubleshooting this and have reached the point where there is very little more an end user can reasonably isolate. This also has genuine business impact. Professional email presentation matters when competing for customers. Businesses using other email platforms can present links professionally with rich previews while Outlook leaves us with plain blue hyperlinks despite the documented functionality being enabled. I would therefore really appreciate input from someone familiar with Outlook/OWA engineering: What condition or feature state could cause Outlook to successfully retrieve complete Link Preview metadata but then deliberately or incorrectly skip creation of the preview component? Could this involve an Outlook feature flag, mailbox/tenant state, rollout configuration or another client-side gate after the urlp response? I am specifically trying to get the existing documented functionality working correctly, rather than looking for a workaround. I have also submitted the issue through the official Outlook Feedback Portal: https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/dc18ed2e-119b-f111-9b47-7c1e52444ef6 If someone from Microsoft needs the existing support-case reference, I am happy to provide it privately.
Thousands of Sent Items moved to Deleted Items, no rules, no retention
Hello everyone, I'm investigating a very unusual Exchange Online mailbox issue and would appreciate any insights from anyone who has seen something similar. Environment Exchange Online (Microsoft 365) Mailbox: User mailbox Outlook for Mac Outlook for iOS Outlook Web (OWA) Incident Summary On August 13, 2026, approximately 4,997 messages were moved from: The activity occurred over roughly a 3-hour period. Mailbox audit logs show thousands of: Operation: MoveToDeletedItems events. Hourly breakdown: 01:00 - 2,046 events 02:00 - 1,540 events 03:00 - 1,408 events Audit Findings All sampled audit events show: LogonType = 0 (Owner) UserId = affected mailbox owner Result = Succeeded I sampled 5,000 records and all of them were: LogonType = 0 No events were recorded as: LogonType = 1 (Admin) LogonType = 2 (Delegate) Source and Destination Folders Examples from mailbox audit records: Folder : \Sent Items Destination : \Deleted Items Operation : MoveToDeletedItems Message Trace Findings Extended Message Trace was performed on one of the affected emails. The trace confirmed: CopiedToSentItems=True DeleteAfterSubmit=False which indicates: The email was successfully sent. The email was copied to Sent Items. Exchange did not delete the message during transport. So the message existed in Sent Items and was later moved to Deleted Items by a mailbox operation. Rules Investigation Checked: Get-InboxRule -Mailbox <mailbox> -IncludeHidden Findings: No Inbox Rules targeting Sent Items. No hidden Inbox Rules targeting Sent Items. Only two legitimate rules that delete messages from specific Jira/Confluence senders. Delegation Investigation Mailbox permissions reviewed. Known permissions exist, but mailbox audit logs show: 5000/5000 sampled events = LogonType 0 Therefore: No evidence of delegate activity. No evidence of administrative activity. Retention / Compliance Investigation Checked: Get-Mailbox Get-RetentionPolicy Get-RetentionPolicyTag Get-RetentionCompliancePolicy Get-RetentionComplianceRule Findings: No Sent Items retention tag. No retention policy targeting Sent Items. No Purview retention/compliance policy appears to explain this behavior. Activity pattern does not resemble normal retention processing. Add-ins Investigation Mailbox add-ins: Polls Share to Teams Send to OneNote Action Items Bing Maps My Templates Unsubscribe No third-party mailbox-management or archiving add-ins found. Client Information Seen During Investigation Examples observed in mailbox audit logs: Client=OutlookService;MacOutlook/16.112 a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } What Has Been Ruled Out ✅ Admin activity ✅ Delegate activity ✅ Inbox Rules ✅ Hidden Inbox Rules ✅ Outlook add-ins ✅ MRM retention policies ✅ Sent Items retention tags ✅ Purview compliance retention policies ✅ Exchange transport deleting the messages Question Has anyone encountered a similar case where: Thousands of messages were moved from Sent Items to Deleted Items Operation = MoveToDeletedItems LogonType = 0 (Owner) No rules No retention policy No delegate activity particularly involving: Outlook for iOS Outlook for Mac Client=OutlookService Any similar experiences, findings, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. As we need to know the root cause for this issue. Thanks
Can I automate performance review forms to be sent automatically through Outlook?
Doesn't even necessarily have to apply to just surveys to be honest. I'm trying to set up a system where our employees automatically receive forms like surveys, performance reviews, or feedback templates in their Outlook so I don't have to be the stereotypical HR lady who constantly chases and reminds them to complete them. Warning: Not a super techy person :)
Need suggestions for managing email signatures organization-wide
Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice on managing email signatures organization-wide in Office 365. Right now, every user creates their own signature in Outlook. This has led to inconsistent branding and outdated contact details across the company. I explored a few built-in options, but nothing seems to give proper centralized control, and manually asking every user to update their signature isn't practical. I'm wondering if there's a better way to handle this natively within Microsoft 365, or if most organizations end up going with a third-party tool for this. If you've dealt with something similar, I'd love to hear how you approached it and what worked for you. Any suggestions or experiences would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!
Search Folder Creation Issue
I've been using the new version of Outlook for around a year and a half without any issues. However, today I've noticed that I can no longer create Search Folders that filter emails by category. When I go through the process, I can name the Search Folder and choose the folder type without any problems. The issue occurs when I try to select the email categories. The category list appears, but clicking on a category doesn't actually select it. Because of this, I get the message "Select at least one category", even though I've clicked on one. This happens in both the desktop app and Outlook on the web, so it doesn't seem to be specific to my laptop. Is anyone else aware of this issue, and if so are there any workarounds?Shared Calendars No Longer Visible
For years, I've shared Outlook calendars between my Outlook accounts and with my husband's, without any issues. However, since mid-June the shared calendars have disappeared for no apparent reason. The sharing permissions are still in place, but the calendars are no longer visible or available to add on Android, in the Outlook desktop app, or on Outlook on the web. I've spent hours Googling and tried all the usual troubleshooting steps, but nothing has worked! As a workaround, I now have to invite all @outlook.com accounts to calendar events just so everyone can see them and avoid double bookings. Has anyone come across this before and found a fix that isn't one of the standard "how-to" suggestions? Note: these are personal paid Microsoft accounts.
