Outlook migration from Windows to Mac will soon be easier

The next macOS release will include a tool to migrate Outlook for Windows data to Outlook for Mac.

The upcoming macOS release codenamed Mojave will have an improved Windows Migration Assistant.  Apple says it will include more third-party programs including Microsoft Outlook.

The news came via a sharp-eyed Twitter user who looked into the release notes.

Source:  YRH04E on Twitter

If true, it’ll be a good trick.  Unlike Word, Excel and PowerPoint which use the same document formats, Outlook for Mac is very different from Outlook for Windows.

Migrating Outlook data Windows to Mac isn’t easy because the data formats are completely different.  It’s not simply moving a PST/OST data file because Outlook for Mac doesn’t use those files.

It’ll be interesting to see how Apple does the Outlook migration.

• Copy a PST file and do a separate migration into Outlook for Mac format?
• Copy a PST file then let the user run Outlook for Mac import it?
• Or not touch existing PST files at all … merely copy the mail connection setup and let Outlook for Mac download mail, calendar, contacts ‘fresh’ from the online mail host. This option assumes the user has all their data saved in the cloud as many people do, but not all.