Rejoice, Outlook users! Microsoft has decided to fix what wasn’t broken, ushering in the “new” Outlook with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. Because who wouldn’t want to trade in their reliable, familiar email experience, Outlook ‘classic’ for a shiny, unfinished product (Outlook ‘new’) dressed up with features you’ve enjoyed for years? Nothing says progress like reinventing the wheel and calling it a hovercraft.
Microsoft continue pushing new Outlook for Windows using fair means or foul in their desperate attempts to kill off the old and perfectly good ‘classic’ Outlook for Windows.
Outlook ‘classic’ will continue support until at least 2029 according to Microsoft but the company wants everyone to use their newer Outlook for Windows now.
One of Microsoft’s tricks is to boast about ‘new’ features in Outlook which are really ‘catch up’. In other words, putting into the new Outlook what their customers already have in classic Outlook.
Take this list of ‘top requested’ features in new Outlook, published only yesterday under the ridiculous title ‘Experience the Future’.
“
- Pin important emails
- Sort and search for attendees
- Apply new themes and colored mailbox folders
- Add shared mailboxes as accounts
- Use Copilot-powered inbox prioritization and email drafting
- Create structured, professional, and richly formatted newsletters
- and so much more!
”
Of course, the features are “top requested” since most of them are copies of what’s already in the classic Outlook we’ve used for years!
“Support for up to 21 time zones”
A new boast is “support for up to 21 time zones” which seems to be about the optional sidebars showing the time blocks in other zones.
Above is how five time zones look in new Outlook – imagine having 21 columns/time zones setup! It would be unworkable and take up a lot of screen space. “21 time zones” is pointless except to let Microsoft have an impressive sounding boast.
It’s no real improvement on the classic Outlook way of dealing with the round Earth we live on.
What’s been requested for many years (decades?) is the ability to show multiple calendar windows, each set to a different time zone.
The ‘best’ version of Outlook?
Another trick is to promote the ‘best’ version of Outlook for Windows. Greg A. an Office Watch reader was confused and rightly wary of this email from Microsoft and asked us:
“ If I click on “download” will I end up with the “new” Outlook, or will it be the basic Outlook (with which I am comfortable) “
Hey …, ready to make Outlook your inbox again?
As a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you’ve got access to the best version of Outlook packed with smart tools to help you stay organized, connected, and protected.
The ‘Download now’ link is to the new Outlook for Windows which Microsoft says is ‘best’ for their own selfish reasons.
However, as we’ve mentioned before, Outlook classic remains in place. Installing new Outlook does NOT remove or change classic Outlook in any way. The two programs can run on a computer at the same time.
Stick with classic Outlook
Our advice on new Outlook remains unchanged:
- There’s NO hurry to switch from the older ‘Classic’ Outlook to new Outlook.
- Classic Outlook for Windows remains supported by Microsoft until ‘at least 2029’.
- Do NOT use new Outlook for non-Microsoft mailboxes (like Gmail, Yahoo, Apple etc.) due to a privacy and security problem.
Eventually we’ll all have to use ‘new’ Outlook for Windows but we’re not there yet, no matter what Microsoft wants you to think.
Better to stick with ‘the devil you know’ at least for now.
All about Outlook (new) for Windows
How to get ‘real’ Outlook (classic) instead of new Outlook
