The change from Outlook ‘classic’ to ‘new’ is confusing enough without misinformation about when the change is happening. The current Outlook for Windows is not ‘dying’ in 2026, no matter what you’ve heard.
Classic Outlook for Windows does have a “death date” but that’s in 2029 – about five years from now. That’s nothing new, the 2029 deadline was announced earlier in 2024.
Even then, Outlook classic for Windows will keep working. The 2029 date means the end of support/updates only.
“Experts” have confused the latest changeover announcement from Microsoft to mean a lot more than it really is.
What’s happening in 2026?
Starting April 2026, Microsoft will start “toggling” (their new euphemism) commercial users from Outlook (classic) to Outlook (new).
See Forced move to Outlook (new) in April 2026
It’s possible to stop that migration, see How to stop migration to new Outlook
Keep in mind that the changeover from Outlook (classic) to (new) is both optional and reversible.
Office Watch continues to recommend all Microsoft Office users stick with Outlook classic because the new Outlook is a ‘work in progress’. Yes, Microsoft has released new Outlook to the general public but it still lacks important features. Mail Merge, proper offline access, some PST support and mailbox connections without a privacy intrusion among many,
How to stop migration to new Outlook
Beware the privacy trap in the Outlook (new)
