Microsoft is making its latest version of Outlook for Windows available to every Office tester this week. The newest Outlook for Windows app will make the desktop email client much like the web version.
Microsoft has been operating on this redesign for months and initially released a semi-public beta before this year.
Office Insiders can access the new app on the Current Channel preview. Microsoft says the same experience will also roll out to Windows Insiders in the coming weeks with a switch in the Windows Mail app.
“Since then, we’ve received valuable feedback from Office Insiders on Beta Channel about how to create a more consistent, feature-rich experience,” explains Margie Clinton, group product manager on the Outlook team. “We’ve been listening to feedback since May, and our team has been working diligently to improve the new Outlook for Windows.”
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Office Insiders get an early glimpse at the future of Outlook on Windows. The latest Outlook for Windows app now contains support for personal Hotmail, Outlook.com, or Windows Live email accounts — something that was skipped in the early betas. Microsoft has also counted a simplified Ribbon to improve the interface, alongside dynamic widths of the calendar column, for more customizability.
While this new Outlook for Windows improves the app’s UI and design, many features are still missing from the existing email client. Microsoft says it’s working on supporting multiple email accounts within the same app and even help third-party email accounts like Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud. Offline support is also on the way, alongside the search for folders, web add-ins support, native ICS support, and more visual updates and personalization options.
Microsoft plans to eventually replace the Outlook for Windows email client with this updated app once it’s at feature parity. Of course, that swap could take many months or even years, but now all Office testers can get an early look at Microsoft’s planned changes.
Windows 11 features noteworthy changes to the Windows shell affected by the canceled Windows 10X. It includes a redesigned Start menu, substituting its “live tiles” with a distinct “Widgets” panel on the taskbar. In addition, it can create tiled sets of windows that can be minimized and restored from the toolbar as a group and new gaming technologies inherited from Xbox Series X and Series S, like DirectStorage and Auto HDR on compatible hardware.